Battle Creek Times

Michigan's Chief Mobility Officer Trevor Pawl recently spoke to the Talking Michigan Transportation Podcast about his new role as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s choice to head up the state’s office of future mobility and electrification.

Michigan Department of Transportation communications director Jeff Cranson spoke with Pawl about what “mobility” means and what “electrification” has to do with it.

Pawl told Cranson "mobility" simply means any technologies or services that permit people and goods to move around more freely.

“It’s tied to transportation, but the word 'automotive' isn’t in there,” Pawl told Cranson. “Meaning that it includes automotive, but it also includes all the other different ways that people and goods move around our state.”

That mission also includes “electrification,” which is where the environmental concerns come into play.

“Electrification refers to the range of technologies that use electricity for powered vehicles,” Pawl told Cranson. “Why that's important is because if you're seeing more electric vehicles on the road, it's likely the environment's going to improve.”

But lower fuel consumption isn’t only better for the environment, Pawl told Cranson. It can also mean that the cost of moving from one place to another is less for the end user.

Pawl said that the purpose of his office is to bring together all the diverse things going on in transportation to build a common vision for the future.

Cranson asked Pawl about his work with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s PlanetM initiative and his experience with collaboration.

“It’s one of those things Michigan has going for it,” Cranson told Pawl. “You hear that all the time, that other states want to kind of create that ecosphere where you’ve got academia, private industry and government all working together.”

Pawl said that when he first graduated, he began by working in advertising, but he switched to work in economic development with the Detroit Regional Chamber in 2009 because he wanted to be part of something transformative.

Working to find new outlets for diverse producers in the Detroit area, Pawl found himself forced to rely on the expertise others brought to the team, and he learned how to make the most of that cooperative work environment.