Global Epicenter of Mobility Launches Road to 2030 Initiative

Modules will expand insights into mobility technologies and sectors with greatest economic growth potential for the Detroit Region between now and 2030

DETROIT, June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Epicenter of Mobility (GEM), a signature program of the Detroit Regional Partnership (DRP), has launched the Road to 2030 – a bold effort to identify forward-looking insights around the technologies and sectors that present the greatest opportunities for growth for our companies, communities, and residents through 2030.

The Road to 2030 initiative expands on existing research and knowledge assets from GEM, including the Future Mobility Technology Study (FMTS), which outlines seven mobility technologies with the greatest economic growth potential for the Detroit Region through 2030. This latest initiative will offer deeper dives into those seven technologies and the economic opportunities they present within the region's anchor industry for economic growth and prosperity.

The Detroit region's mobility non-profits, small and medium-sized manufacturers, start-ups, and our economic development partners can utilize this data, insights and analyses to help guide strategy development, expansion plans and investment decisions within the evolving mobility industry. Designed to harness the region's deep automotive expertise, this initiative identifies emerging opportunities in next-generation mobility technologies and catalyzes regional economic development strategies across the entire 11-county Detroit Region.

"The FMTS leveraged GEM's unique capabilities and resources across metro Detroit's mobility industry to deliver clear pathways for those looking to enter or build upon their presence within the region's mobility sector," said Christine Roeder, executive vice president of GEM. "The Road to 2030 aims to take those efforts a step further by equipping business leaders with additional insights needed to make well-informed decisions about future investments within the industry."

The technologies identified in the FMTS that will be covered in this initiative include:

• Assembly Automation
• Battery Chemistry and Design
• Electric Motors
• Hydrogen Fuel Cell Systems
• Power Electronics
• Propulsion Thermal Management Systems
• Software: Software-Defined Vehicles (SDV), Cybersecurity, and Over-the-Air (OTA) Solutions

The web-based modules, housed in a dedicated area on the GEM website, will include both high-level and detailed analyses of each of the technologies, downloadable content, editorial perspectives on the impact of the technology to the Detroit Region, recent news articles, and more. Additionally, GEM and the DRP plan to host informative webinars with industry experts to share deeper insights on each technology.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Systems is the first technology GEM will focus on as part of the Road to 2030 initiative. Hydrogen Fuel Cells have a projected unit increase of more than 5,000% by 2030, growing from 529 units in 2024 to more than 32,000 units. They also have the potential to create nearly 12,000 jobs nationally and 1,700 jobs in Michigan over the next five years.

"By offering this regular cadence of data and analysis to our regional stakeholders, we hope to help inform their short to mid-term business decisions," said Bernard Swiecki, vice president of mobility and research at the Detroit Regional Partnership. "We are turning our research into action to support the growth of the Detroit Region's most important industry as it continues to transition to new technologies over the remainder of this decade."

GEM Central will release a new technology module regularly throughout 2025 and early 2026. These new releases will be followed by regular updates and content on additional technologies that present the Detroit Region with the greatest opportunities for job and investment growth.

For more information on GEM and the Road to 2030 initiative, including information on the upcoming Hydrogen webinar, visit gemdetroitregion.com/2030.   

About the Global Epicenter of Mobility
The Global Epicenter of Mobility (GEM) is a signature program led by the Detroit Regional Partnership that is designed to create a smart, secure, sustainable, and inclusive advanced-mobility industry in Southeast Michigan, made possible by a four-year U.S. E.D.A. Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant award.

About the Detroit Regional Partnership
The Detroit Regional Partnership is a public-private economic development partnership focused on marketing and business attraction for the 11-county Detroit Region.

SOURCE Global Epicenter of Mobility (GEM)