Michigan has achieved 0.2% of state fleet transition goal

The state of Michigan has achieved about 0.2% of its goal to transition its 14,482-vehicle fleet to zero-emission vehicles, according to information obtained through a records request.

Michigan has 30 electric vehicles, according to documents Michigan Capitol Confidential obtained from the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget. Having zero-emissions replacements for today’s vehicles will require state government to buy or lease about 14,452 EVs.

The MI Healthy Climate Plan calls for Michigan to make its light-duty vehicle fleet emissions-free by 2035, with a 2045 goal for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

“To lead by example on this path, the State of Michigan will transition its fleet to 100 percent zero-emission vehicles by 2035 for light-duty vehicles and 2045 for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles,” the plan says.

The state currently has 29 electric vehicles on hand, with another one on order that has not yet arrived. Below is the breakdown of those vehicles by year, make, model, and price estimate:

• Six 2025 Chevy Silverado EVs: $57,096-$93,000
• One 2025 Chevy Silverado EV that has not arrived yet: $57,096-$93,000
• Four 2024 Chevy Silverado EVs: Around $90,000
• One 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-e: $45,390
• Ten 2024 Chevy Equinox EVs: Starts at $41,900.
• Two 2024 Chevy Blazer EVs: Pricing starts at $50,195
• One 2023 Chevy Bolt: $17,232-$19,493
• Three 2023 Ford F150 Lightning: $49,995
• Two 2021 Chevy Bolts: $37,495–$42,695

Of the state government’s 14,482-vehicle fleet, 5,415 vehicles are owned and 9,067 are leased. Most (8,739) are on-road vehicles, but 279 are off-road vehicles, and 49 are pieces of equipment without the ability to move themselves.

About 50,000 EVs are registered statewide, but Michigan’s climate plan calls for residents to buy 1.95 million more by 2030. To reach that goal, Michiganders must register 32,500 electric vehicles monthly for the next five years.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan for an all-EV state fleet is completely unrealistic, Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, told CapCon in an email.

“She’s trying to replace state cars and vans that are still in good shape with new, sometimes unreliable electric vehicles in a short time frame,” Cavitt wrote. “The plan is expensive, ineffective, and it’s driven by a left-wing ideology. The EV fleet shows this administration cares more about checking boxes for activists than serving Michigan taxpayers.”

It’s unrealistic to believe that Michigan will transition its entire fleet to zero-emission vehicles within the next 20 years, said Gary Wolfram, an economics professor at Hillsdale College and a member of the Board of Scholars at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

“First, in the latest quarter electric vehicles make up less than 9% of total vehicle sales,” Wolfram wrote in an email to CapCon. “While this share is growing, it is at a slow rate and most vehicles will still be gasoline-powered 20 years from now. Second, while it may be cheaper to run an electric vehicle since it does not use gasoline, the initial cost of an EV is $17,000 more than a gasoline-powered vehicle. This will be considered by the legislature when putting together the annual budgets. Third, there is the problem of having enough charging stations to allow lengthy or frequent travel for vehicles in the fleet.”

“Supply chain and vehicle availability issues persist,” according to the state’s vehicle plan.

While EV technology might replace gas and diesel engines one day, today is not the day, said Jason Hayes, director of energy and environmental policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

“Automobile manufacturers are already building internal combustion engine vehicles that have far lower emissions than earlier models,” Hayes wrote in an email. “Current ICE vehicles are efficient, clean, safe, (relatively) inexpensive, and simple to maintain.”

Whitmer’s office hasn’t responded to a request for comment.