State of Michigan drives 41 electric vehicles

The state of Michigan owns or leases 41 electric vehicles and pays $28,804 per month for them, according to information Michigan Capitol Confidential obtained through a records request.

In 2023, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered the state fleet of roughly 14,000 vehicles to transition to electric vehicles.

The auto industry, Whitmer said, was switching to electric vehicles. But the Big Three automakers have since taken on $50 billion in losses as they develop EVs. They have, for the most part, pivoted back to building gasoline-powered vehicles.

“Today I order the appropriate state agencies to begin the process of converting vehicles owned and used by the state — the state fleet — to zero emission vehicles, with a goal of completing that conversion by 2033 for light-duty vehicles and 2040 for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles,” Whitmer’s 2023 executive order said. “This will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, boost demand for Michigan automakers’ (zero-emissions vehicle) production, and reduce the overall costs of the state fleet.”

The transition is going slowly. About 6% of the fleet is now electric.

Twelve of the state’s 41 EVs are leased 2026 Chevy Equinoxes that are either assigned to the motor pool or are unassigned. Each costs the state $506 per month.

The Department of Natural Resources drives six leased 2025 Silverado EVs; the monthly payment for each vehicle ranges from $1,191 to $1,248. DNR employees also drive four leased 2024 Silverado EVs, each costing about $1,327 every month. The two 2024 Blazer EVs each cost the department $864 per month, and one 2024 Equinox costs $544 per month.

The Department of Health and Human Services drives one leased 2026 Blazer EV with a monthly cost of $614 and a single leased 2024 Equinox that costs $566 per month.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development leases 2024 Equinox EVs, at a monthly cost of $541. A leased 2026 Silverado costs $1,197 each month.

The Michigan State Police leases one 2024 Mustang Mach-E, at a monthly cost of $1,106. The MSP drives a paid-for 2023 F-150 Lightning that has about 4,560 miles on the odometer.

The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity leases a 2024 Equinox, at a monthly cost of $543.

More than 7 million gas-powered vehicles are registered statewide.