Michigan has long been known as the global epicenter of automotive design, research and engineering. As the industry undergoes one of its most profound changes, companies large and small are leading the charge in developing next-generation technologies that are ushering in a new era of mobility solutions around connected, electrified and autonomous vehicles.

Epic. Generational. Transformative. Not the kind of words temperate-minded engineers, technicians and business leaders traffic in lightly. Except lately, when they talk about the not-so-distant future of automotive technology, and the rapid, revolutionary transition to electric powertrains. Buoyed by eye-popping projections for growth and billions in investment, the future of electric transportation is happening now. Look at what some of the region’s standouts in electrification are working on.

General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra says the automotive industry will witness more change in the next few years than it has in the last 50 years, and that change largely will be driven by electrification.

Michigan automakers continue to work toward more broadly employing electrification in their cars and trucks over the next decade to slash carbon dioxide emissions and unlock new forms of mobility. The strategies they are taking vary as widely as the logos on their buildings.

For all the clean air promise of electrified vehicles, the long road to their mass deployment is full of potential twists and turns presenting risks to the automotive industry, especially suppliers tasked with bringing innovation to the segment and their OEM customers. For starters, research and development costs for electrification, whether it is for a mild-hybrid or pure electric, are significant. That means suppliers are making big investments today for a market presently less than 4 percent of sales with no certainty consumers will want them in the future, or if other variables such as loosened federal regulations may hinder their rollout.

We live in an era of rapid change. The explosion of big data enables technology advances in many industries including transportation and electricity. One of the most exciting areas is where these two sectors overlap. How we view this change will determine Michigan’s future – do we embrace the change as opportunity or fight it as disruption?