Nov 18, 2008

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is currently on a week-long jobs mission to the Middle East. It's the seventh international investment mission she has taken as part of what she calls her "commitment to go anywhere and do anything to create jobs for Michigan." It's the first one that I've been aware of though, and I find it intriguing for a number of reasons.

For starters, there is the context. Governor Granholm was recently named as one of the 17 members of President-elect Barack Obama's economic advisory board, a group tasked with the unenviable challenge of advising the next President on how to address the financial crisis as he prepares to take office (she's been rumored as a potential candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court as well).

As Governor of Michigan, she's also the chief exectutive of the state that has the most riding on the outcome of the auto industry's recent request for $25 billion in government funding. Detroit automakers are in dire straits, and are warning that millions of American workers and retirees could be affected if their companies don't receive additional federal aid; Congress is debating legislation right now.

So, what has the Governor been doing in the Middle East -- and what does it have to do with the tech industry?

One of her first visits was to Israel where she met with former SAP executive Shai Agassi, founder and CEO of Better Place. Agassi has been evangelizing Better Place's vision for an electric car network that would allow mass-production of zero-emission, battery-powered cars. It's a plan that involves not only advanced battery technology but an infrastructure that supports charging spots and battery exchange stations. 

Governor Granholm's blog entry about her meeting with Agassi states, "We want to reduce our state's and our nation's dependence on foreign oil, and the advanced battery has the potential to do just that. We talked about future partnerships that might be viable for Michigan, and in Michigan, we know that new energy means new jobs."

According to Earth2Tech, Michigan may not be the best place for Better Place to make its American debut because of the low population density in certain parts of the state and the auto industry's strong desire to keep the upstart from becoming a viable competitor. So, if not Michigan, perhaps another U.S. state (or city) will take a chance on Better Place; Hawaii and San Francisco are two possibilities.

For now, the company has deals with Israel, Denmark and Australia, and ambitions to break into the U.S. market. Which says something about the current environment, so to speak, for startups like Agassi's...the company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California but is getting more traction abroad.  

Tags: Better Place, cleantech, economy, electric vehice, energy, green tech, Jennifer Granholm, Michigan, Shai Agassi, Silicon Valley