The Chicago Tribune: Michigan’s governor Jennifer Granholm said yesterday that within the next 10 years, the electric car could create upwards of 62,000 jobs in Michigan.  To tap that potential, she called on both the federal and state governments, as well as private industry to provide investment capital.

Today, President Obama is visiting Michigan and will attend the groundbreaking at Compact Power, a lithium-ion battery plant.  The plant is a recipient of federal funding to the tune of $151 million stimulus dollars.  When opened, it will employ some 450 by 2013.  The governor cited partnerships such as these as being crucial to the economic recovery not only in her state, but for the nation at large.

Manufacturing has always been a cornerstone of the Michigan economy.  The recession has been particularly hard on manufacturing jobs, and particularly hard on Michigan which has had one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation over the course of the last several years.