When the bottom fell out of the auto industry, the state of Michigan was faced with a major economic crisis. However, funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is putting Michigan residents back to work. The U.S. Department of Energy has published several videos in a series it calls Faces of the Recovery Act.

 

Johnson Controls, which already has a massive automobile battery operation, was planning to open a new plant that focuses on advanced vehicle battery technology. When the company received a $300 million grant from the Recovery Act and incentives from Michigan, Johnson Controls decided to reopen its closed Holland, Mich., facility instead of locating the plant overseas.

 

Once the plant is back up and running, these Michigan residents will be working on batteries to power the electric vehicles of tomorrow and help boost our nation’s clean energy economy.