Michigan Governor Orders All Vehicles in Fleet to Be Fully Electric

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sits in a vehicle during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on Jan. 15, 2019. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook//File Photo

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed an executive directive ordering the entire state fleet of government vehicles to be zero-emission, or fully electric.

Under Ms. Whitmer’s executive directive, signed on Dec. 5, all light-duty vehicles in the state fleet must be zero-emission electric vehicles by 2033.

Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in the state fleet will have a longer transition period, having to go full electric by 2040.

“Michigan is on the cutting-edge of mobility and electrification,” Ms. Whitmer wrote in the directive, which comes on the heels of a series of bills the governor signed aiming to make Michigan the Midwest’s most aggressive clean energy state.

“We must usher the future of mobility and clean energy into Michigan by winning projects and leading by example in state government,” she added.

The directive goes into effect immediately and already requires Michigan’s Department of Technology, Management, and Budget to start prioritizing the purchase of electric vehicles (EVs) for the state fleet.

Exception Requests ‘Disfavored’

One bright spot for those in Michigan state agencies that would prefer to stick to gas or diesel-powered vehicles—for instance, due to EV reliability problems—is that the directive calls for the establishment of vehicle purchase exception criteria, along with an exception review and approval process.

Still, despite teasing the opportunity for state fleet managers to apply for exceptions, Ms. Whitmer made clear that applying for one will be frowned upon.

“Exceptions shall be disfavored and, when requesting an exception, the requesting agency shall consider alternate decarbonization strategies for reducing fleet emissions, including, but not limited to, biofuels and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles,” she wrote.

While local governments and higher education institutions won’t be forced to abide by Ms. Whitmer’s EV directive, she said they'll be “encouraged” to comply.

Reactions online were mixed to Ms. Whitmer’s announcement, with critics pointing to reliability issues with EVs that could have a negative impact on services provided with the use of government vehicles, especially heavy-duty ones like snow plows.

The Michigan governor’s push towards electrification of the state fleet comes as the state—which is home to America’s biggest automakers—bets big on the clean energy transition.

Recently, Ms. Whitmer signed a set of bills that form the Michigan Clean Energy and Jobs Act, including one that would streamline the permit process for solar and wind projects and mandate that state utilities move 100 percent of electricity sales to clean energy sources by 2040.

Several days ago, Michigan became the first state in the country to install America’s first wireless-charging public roadway, located in Detroit. While it’s not yet open to the public and will undergo a period of testing before that happens, Ms. Whitmer lauded the development as an example of Michigan’s “commitment to cutting-edge technology and how we’re leading the charge in sustainable energy.”

This comes as the Biden administration has pledged to build 1.2 million publicly available EV chargers by 2040 thanks in part to the $7.5 billion in taxpayer funds that were earmarked for this purpose in the 2021 infrastructure bill, though not a single one has been built yet using those funds.

EV Concerns

A recent study reinforces concerns held by some about the push for widespread adoption of EVs.

The 2023 Consumer Reports reliability survey shows that, on average, EVs were found to have had 79 percent more problems than gasoline-powered cars.

The least reliable were plug-in hybrids (PHEV), which had a whopping 146 percent more problems than gas vehicles.

“It’s not surprising that they’re having growing pains and need some time to work out the bugs,” Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports, said in a statement.

Some of the most common problems reported by owners of EVs are issues with electric drive motors, charging, and EV batteries.

The charging problems that have been reported apply to the vehicles themselves and were not affected by whether they were charged at home or using public chargers.

Not only are EVs less reliable than their gas-powered counterparts, they generally cost more to drive, per a recent analysis.

According to a recent analysis from Anderson Economic Group (AEG), the vast majority of gasoline-powered cars and crossovers sold in the United States cost less to fuel than their electric counterparts to charge.

The differences vary across segments and depending on whether charging is done at home or commercially. Still, the study found that most electric vehicles, crossovers, and trucks cost more to drive than their traditional gasoline-powered counterparts.

For example, in the Entry segment (which includes cars like the Chevy Bolt and Honda Civic), a gasoline-powered model costs on average $9.78 per 100 miles to fuel. By contrast, the average EV in the same segment costs $12.55 to charge per 100 miles—but only if charged mostly at home. If charged mostly commercially, that cost soars to $15.97 per 100 miles.

“These results underline the importance of considering real-world costs before making a buying decision,” the consulting company said in the study.