Diana Páez
Senior Director, Energy & Mobility
The United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), negotiated during the first Trump administration as a replacement for NAFTA, governs U.S. trade with its two largest trading partners. With the USMCA up for review by July 2026, the Brookings Institution hosted a March 5 panel, “USMCA Forward 2025 launch: Navigating North American trade amid global changes.” (Watch the entire discussion in the above video.)
The panel of thought leaders and innovators included Diana Páez, WDI’s Senior Director, Energy & Mobility. Her role involves helping energy and mobility businesses and stakeholders in low and middle-income countries tap into business opportunities and strategies to advance the energy transition. During the panel, Páez discussed the electric vehicle transition in the context of the new administration’s approach to international trade, and prospects for updates to the agreement that can help drive EV and battery innovation across the region. She also touched on the importance of developing a shared vision about the role that North America should play in the EV transition, in particular as it relates to increased global competition. Páez noted that since the passage of USMCA and through late 2024 there has been almost 250 billion USD invested in the electric vehicle supply chain, with almost 80 percent of that invested in the United States. Panelists commented on the uncertainty that the tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration are creating for long-term investments in factories, critical minerals and microchips.,“There is a real opportunity for the EV transition,” Páez said “The question I think is what role do we want the industry in the U.S. and North America to play.”
Páez authored a chapter discussing why North America can’t afford to slow down in the EV transition in Brookings’ USMCA Forward 2025 flagship report. Read the chapter, and the full report here.
Learn more about WDI’s Energy and Mobility work.
Members of the WDI Energy and Mobility team meet with faculty and leadership at a lab at the Technological Institute of Monterrey—Chihuahua campus.
The next big energy and mobility technology breakthroughs can come from anywhere in the world, and many have their roots in university labs and research centers. Building on more than three years of collaboration, the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan (WDI) is partnering with multiple stakeholders in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico to create new pathways for energy and mobility tech innovations to leap from the lab to commercial application.
In partnership with the Chihuahua Secretaría de Innovación y Desarrollo Económico (SIDE), and nonprofit organizations Desarrollo Económico de Ciudad Juárez (DECJ) and Frente Norte, WDI will support select universities and research centers, working collaboratively to create customized commercialization roadmaps for each institution, as well as evaluate prototypes related to energy and mobility with commercial potential. These institutions initially will include Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez (UACJ), Autonomous University of Chihuahua (UACH), Technological Institute of Ciudad Juárez (ITCJ), Center of Advanced Materials Research (CIMAV), and Technological Institute of Monterrey (ITESM) – Chihuahua and Ciudad Juárez campuses.
The commercialization project builds on the WDI/Chihuahua Charging Forward project. In that initiative and related work, WDI’s Energy & Mobility team and local economic development organizations worked with companies, researchers and innovators to identify opportunities related to the electric vehicle value chain. Through the collaboration, WDI facilitated multiple delegations from Mexico to U-M’s Ann Arbor campus as well as innovation hubs in Detroit. For example, in July 2024 WDI hosted engineering faculty from six different universities and research institutes in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, as part of the Zero-Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) academic partnership implemented by WDI with support from the U.S. Mission Mexico Public Diplomacy Section.
“It’s important for us to support local innovation and we are interested in novel approaches to help to commercialize promising technologies and solutions to energy and mobility challenges,” said Cynthia Lopez, Executive Director of DECJ. “We’re excited to again join forces with WDI to co-develop new collaborations with our local universities and research centers to help innovators and entrepreneurs advance their ideas, while helping our region compete.”
In addition to leveraging assets and resources already existing in Chihuahua, WDI brings substantive experience supporting commercialization of multiple technologies in low- and middle- income countries, and will draw on expertise and experience from the broader University of Michigan network. WDI previously has worked with faculty to commercialize clean energy innovations as well as with organizations such as Technological Institute of the Philippines, which recently partnered with WDI to develop a strategic roadmap for commercializing technologies produced through funded research and special projects.
“Commercializing technology innovations within university labs unlocks the potential to improve so many lives,” said Dana Gorodetsky, WDI Program Manager, Energy & Mobility. “WDI has a great track record in breaking down barriers, while also building up new networks to catalyze innovation and business development. We’re excited to begin this next phase of our partnership with the State of Chihuahua to support researchers looking to develop prototypes into products.“
WDI and the partners in Chihuahua will undertake the project in phases, starting with assessing what is already happening in Chihuahua and generating a state-level mapping of key academic commercialization activity, resources and gaps. WDI will support select universities or research centers by working collaboratively to create customized commercialization roadmaps for each institution, as well as profiles of relevant prototypes. Finally, WDI will work closely with innovators developing these prototypes to advance their commercialization, developing commercial feasibility reports and recommended next steps, involving students, faculty and researchers in the process.
Beyond advancing the commercial goals, WDI will apply a broader learning lens, working with participating universities and research centers to unlock new learning opportunities for all involved.
“The goal is to create new networks and expand capabilities at both the institutional and state level—regardless of the market outcomes of these technologies,” Gorodetsky added.
About WDI
At the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan, unlocking the power of business to provide lasting economic and social prosperity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is in our DNA. We gather the data, develop new models, test concepts and collaborate with partners to find real solutions that lead to new opportunities.
About SIDE
SIDE, a government office of the State of Chihuahua, fosters and facilitates the economic development of Chihuahua, in coordination with economic actors, increasing the competitiveness of business through innovation, to generate wealth and employment, and enhance the quality of life for the people of Chihuahua.
About Frente Norte
Frente Norte is a smart specialization strategy for Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, intended to help the city focus its efforts and resources on a limited number of ambitious and achievable priorities that can promote economic competitiveness, as well as the well-being and integral sustainability of the region in an increasingly complex and uncertain global context.
Despite some cooling of electric vehicle sales in the U.S. market, emerging markets around the world are creating their own hot spots on the electrification journey. Whether it’s new educational initiatives to prepare future EV business leaders and automotive workers to new policies and investments designed to create new EV innovation and manufacturing hubs, there’s a lot to learn from a new generation of leaders and innovators across geographies. The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan (WDI) invites you to a learning webinar featuring EV leaders in Costa Rica, Mexico and the Philippines. Each with a different market perspective, this public WDI discussion will reveal how emerging actors and new collaborations are energizing the EV value chain.
Octavio Jimenez
Founder and Current Executive Director of the CEA Institute and Motoschool in Costa Rica since 1999. Graduate in Educational Administration and Master’s in Business Administration in Costa Rica.
Cynthia López
Executive Director of Desarrollo Económico de Ciudad Juárez, a non-profit organization formed by the leaders of the top-performing companies in the region, aiming to enhance the quality of life for its residents and boost the economy of the Juárez-El Paso region. Cynthia is also a leader in the sustainable urban mobility movement in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.
Audie Vergara
Executive Director of Apl.de.Ap Foundation International (APLFI), leading efforts to strengthen middle-class communities in the Philippines through workforce development and education aimed at advancing skills in electronics, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and electric vehicles.
Diana E. Páez
Senior Director, Energy & Mobility at WDI, helping energy and mobility businesses and stakeholders in low and middle-income countries take advantage of business opportunities and adapt to changes brought about by the energy transition. To do so, she leverages more than a decade of global development experience working with partners across government, private sector, academia, and civil society.
IKEA Foundation, KCIC, and WDI staffers meet waste management entrepreneur Muhammad Iqbal at his company, Green Shizuka, in Limuru, Kenya. Image courtesy of KCIC.
Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) is a World Bank initiative spearheading the role of the private sector in climate change mitigation and adaptation in Kenya. The initiative includes an incubator and accelerator, supporting early-stage companies seeking to safeguard Kenya against the impacts of climate change. These businesses focus on renewable energy, agriculture, waste management, commercial forestry and water. Its Sustainable Waste Innovation for a Future in Transition program, or SWIFT, also targets small- and medium-sized enterprises in the waste management sector. Waste management is a climate change mitigation strategy; for example, diverting organic waste from landfills reduces the production of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Funded by the IKEA Foundation, the SWIFT program kicked off in November 2023. It provides business advice, financing, mentorship and technical assistance to 110 enterprises across Kenya. KCIC will also collaborate with the national government and five key counties, including Nairobi, to strengthen waste management policies and incentivize private sector participation in circular economy practices.
KCIC is partnering with the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan (WDI) on a three-year, quasi-experimental study to measure the impact of the SWIFT program. “We’re trying to solve compelling and complex problems. And there is always uncertainty when making grants regarding the quality of the intervention and the outside factors that may intervene,” said Nic van der Jagt, monitoring, learning and evaluation manager of employment and entrepreneurship at the IKEA Foundation. “By generating the evidence on the effectiveness of project interventions, we can reduce the risk in our grant making.”
As a research partner in many different sectors and geographies, the Performance Measurement and Improvement (PMI) team at WDI helps businesses and nonprofits harness data to improve operations, inform their strategies and measure impact to achieve commercial success. “Climate-related projects are an increasingly important component of our project portfolio,” said Heather Esper, Director of the PMI team. “We’re well-positioned to apply expertise across sectors, industries and contexts to the complex problems associated with climate change.”
WDI is applying principles of systems thinking to this evaluation by collaborating with entrepreneurs, funders, and senior and junior leadership in the design of the evaluation, and engaging in learning. During the research study design phase WDI incorporated perspectives, interrelationships and dynamics of various stakeholders in the theory of change, conceptual framework, indicator selection and survey development.
The process includes speaking with entrepreneurs about what outcomes matter most and limiting the administrative burden on businesses that are already stretched thin. WDI is working to ensure businesses are not burned out from answering too many survey questions — since these businesses often rely on multiple incubators or investors — each of whom make their own unique requests to provide data. Clear communication, conscious analysis of power dynamics, and an eye for bias are integral to a successful decolonized evaluation. To start, however, investors, accelerators and researchers need to shape their goals and practices around the people who will most benefit from these studies and the people from whom the data is requested.
Together, KCIC and WDI are working to develop an evaluation process that is culturally sensitive, stakeholder-inclusive, and accessible. “We are consistently focused on the needs of the enterprises we support and the goals we have for our communities. They are at the center of everything we do,” said Joseph Murabula, CEO of KCIC. “That must also be the case when it comes to research and evaluation, and this partnership with WDI, with their expertise and diligence, is making that happen.”
It’s critical that this research will contribute to the ecosystem and that the knowledge gained from these studies is widely distributed to anyone interested, versus kept behind paywalls. WDI commonly shares its experiences with other research, investment and development stakeholders. It co-creates research with a range of stakeholders, integrates lessons learned into its programming and other active and future projects, and hosts learning sessions that draw a global audience. As an example, WDI recently hosted a free webinar on decolonizing research — with members of this KCIC research project. In the webinar WDI shared practices to break down colonial research structures, empower local voices, and foster true collaboration and inclusivity for groundbreaking impact measurement.
We are consistently focused on the needs of the enterprises we support and the goals we have for our communities. They are at the center of everything we do. That must also be the case when it comes to research and evaluation, and this partnership with WDI, with their expertise and diligence, is making that happen.
An often under addressed challenge is ensuring adequate and engaged participation from the comparison group. This group consists of businesses that are not part of the SWIFT program but from whom we request data to measure impact. WDI and KCIC are actively incentivizing such enterprises to join the study and share their data. WDI understands the power of partnership and it turned to the KCIC communications, program and evaluation teams, all together, to collaboratively identify what would motivate businesses not in the SWIFT program.
It’s important that participating enterprises also gain something from the experience; in this case, they will get access to a slew of data that we hope will help them shape their business. For example, all participants received a benchmarking report based on the first tranche of data collected in April 2024. Additionally, KCIC is aiming to produce quarterly newsletters that tell stories about entrepreneur journeys and host in-person and online events.
Research into whether a particular accelerator and incubator program is successful typically relies on three indicators: revenue growth, job creation, and the ability to raise more funding, among participating companies.
However, on the SWIFT program, WDI’s impact measurement focuses not only on the jobs created but the quality of the jobs generated, compensation, including worker safety and other benefits supporting workers and their families. In addition to revenue, WDI is measuring skill development among workers, customer growth and innovative products and practices. Within capital raising, WDI is digging deeper to understand the financial instruments and investor networks that companies rely on. Additionally, WDI will explore how these outcomes differ by gender given that women are a key stakeholder in the waste management sector.
Ultimately, when research shifts to a more inclusive, comprehensive structure, everyone benefits. Researchers get the most rigorous and truthful data, allowing them to provide more useful analysis. Investors and funders watch their investments grow in the places most ripe for development. Incubators and accelerators find where their efforts create the greatest impact providing them with key insights to inform future strategies to grow businesses in this sector.
“What is really exciting about our research is that we are going beyond key performance indicators to understanding how companies are impacting their local economies and communities,” explained Yaquta Fatehi, program manager, WDI and lead researcher of this project. “Bringing this data to light will help unlock innovation and impact.”
ANN ARBOR, MI – The William Davidson Institute (WDI) at the University of Michigan is hosting a group of 12 engineering faculty from six different universities and research institutes in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, as part of a study visit to Michigan this week. The visit is part of the Zero-Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) academic partnership implemented by WDI with support from the U.S. Mission Mexico Public Diplomacy Section.
The shift to ZEVs means educational and training institutions around the world must adapt their curricula to better respond to the evolving talent needs of the automotive industry. Educators will need to develop new courses in emerging areas, update lab equipment and facilities for hands-on training and testing, and identify new research areas, WDI research shows.
With ZEV production growing across North America and around the globe and with many new players entering the industry, preparing the workforce that will enable this transition becomes crucial. In the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, which has a robust automotive manufacturing industry, several universities are interested in integrating ZEV-related content into existing courses and creating new ones, launching new areas of research, and establishing ZEV innovation centers to propel the state toward an electric future. Partnerships are vital for educational institutions in reaching these goals.
“We recognize that the ZEV industry requires a new generation of workers with different skills and competencies,” said Fernando Alba, Undersecretary for Energy, Mining and Industry of the State of Chihuahua. “Just as we provide the talent for the traditional automotive industry, we will be well positioned to support this shift to electrification in Chihuahua, a region known for its strong manufacturing base and skilled workforce. The ZEV academic partnership and our broader engagement with WDI are helping us access world-class expertise from Michigan and develop new academic and business collaborations.”
Within academic institutions, this shift is being felt in the classrooms, in the labs, and beyond—and key to the success of new endeavors is the faculty teaching, researching, and innovating in this space.
Before arriving in Michigan, ZEV program faculty participants completed a virtual program over the course of six months, which was designed by WDI and provided an overview of Michigan’s approach to developing ZEV talent, highlighting programs and initiatives from U-M and other players across the state.
The visit is providing an immersive experience for faculty by sharing teaching and research related to ZEVs in Michigan, with the goals of deepening their knowledge and seeding future collaborations in this area. Throughout the week, the group will tour the University of Michigan’s Battery and Auto Labs, the Ford Robotics Building, Mcity, and other U-M engineering facilities. The visiting faculty also will meet with students, including teams and clubs such as the U-M Solar Car team, U-M Electric Boat, Michigan Mars Rover team, Supermileage club and Michigan Climate Ventures.
“Universities and other educational institutions working to update their existing curricula or create new programs to develop ZEV talent will need faculty with the knowledge to teach this new content, said Diana E. Páez, Senior Director, Energy & Mobility. “This means that upskilling is not limited to industry—academia too must invest in preparing educators and researchers to teach and innovate around ZEV technology.”
Beyond U-M, the group also has the opportunity to learn about ZEV training programs offered at Washtenaw Community College and to connect with faculty and experts at Macomb Community College and tour its ZEV lab. Finally, the group is connecting with ZEV startups in Detroit and visiting Newlab, a hub for entrepreneurship and mobility innovation in the city.
Capping off the study visit, the participants are completing a technical training on vehicle electrification and battery systems taught by U-M Engineering faculty and organized by Nexus at U-M Engineering, delving deeper into the most important aspects of these technologies and acquiring relevant expertise and sample lessons to incorporate in their own teaching.
Equipped with enhanced technical knowledge on these topics and with the insights gleaned from their week in Michigan, faculty participants will next develop proposals for new project ideas or collaborations within and across their universities and with interested Michigan institutions. The proposals will focus on training, research or innovation related to ZEVs.
Participating engineering faculty hail from the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Universidad Politécnica de Chihuahua, Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey Campus Chihuahua, Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, and Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Juárez.
The ZEV academic partnership builds on WDI’s ongoing collaboration with the Secretaría de Innovación y Desarrollo Económico (SIDE) and Instituto de Innovación y Competitividad (I2C) from the State of Chihuahua to help a wide range of stakeholders navigate the transition to electrification in the automotive industry.
By Diana Páez and Dana Gorodetsky
Autonomous, connected, electric and shared. These tsunami-like trends — which go by the acronym ACES — are reshaping the landscape of mobility.
Of these trends, “electric” is arguably one of the most advanced, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and developed markets alike, and is the primary focus of our mobility-related work on the Energy team at WDI. We analyze opportunities and enablers related to the transition to electric mobility (e-mobility) and help stakeholders spot and tap into new opportunities to play a role in this exciting and quickly evolving space.
In our discussions with companies and entrepreneurs, academia, government, and other actors involved in e-mobility around the world, most are eager for new ways to collaborate with the ultimate goal of spurring innovation in this space. In this context, the role of mobility innovation hubs — as platforms for collaboration, conveners or enablers — is worthy of study and analysis to help inform the successful evolution of existing mobility innovation hubs and the design of others.
In a new report we’re publishing today, Mobility Innovation Hubs: Catalyzing Future Mobility, we examine six such hubs around the world, looking at their key features and business models, and drawing insights about the types of benefits and costs associated with different models.
FIGURE 1:
Mobility Innovation Hubs featured in the report
Actors in an ecosystem all have roles to play in managing changes brought about by the trend toward e-mobility. But as with any major transition, new players can help spur innovation. Mobility innovation hubs can bring new thinking, new resources, and new ways of working to take advantage of new opportunities. These hubs come in different forms depending on their specific goals and the context in which they operate, but have some features in common. Broadly speaking, they exist to bring together and support players in their ecosystem such as entrepreneurs, small and large businesses, investors, government, academia, others) to advance shared goals in the areas of future mobility. They may be standalone non-profit or for-profit organizations or partnerships, and they engage in a variety of activities depending on their audience and goals. Among the hubs we feature, business and technology support for commercialization and scale up of new mobility solutions are among the most popular services; these include consulting services, ramp-up manufacturing facilities and equipment, testing environments for new products or services, and product showrooms. Several also offer co-working space for entrepreneurs and companies, training opportunities, and events for industry members and the general public.
Mobility innovation hubs are carving out new spaces and roles in the ecosystems in which they operate. While not all hubs engage with all types of players in an ecosystem, they can provide value to all, as we note below. These hubs can also support other aspects of an ecosystem such as the infrastructure, policy framework and workforce. On the issue of infrastructure for example, hubs provide space and equipment to support companies and strengthen networks through convenings. Hubs can also improve public-private sector collaboration by bringing together government and companies, thereby supporting policy frameworks. And with respect to the local workforce, hubs also help upskill and reskill the local talent and build talent pipelines.
FIGURE 2:
Value that hubs can provide in their ecosystem
In our report we share details of the six hubs examined in Detroit, US; Windsor, Canada; Sacramento, US; Puebla, Mexico; Santiago, Chile; and Eastern Cape, South Africa. This will help you understand what type of initial investment is needed for such an endeavor, what kinds of revenue sources can support hub operations, and the range of services that can be provided by a hub. We also share key insights and takeaways for those interested in establishing a new hub in their area, including how to determine the value proposition and how to position it in the local ecosystem. At the same time, we recognize that it may not be feasible or beneficial to create a new organization in every context, so we also include recommendations for actions that existing players can take to support their local ecosystem for e-mobility.
We look forward to following the evolution of the hubs featured in this report and invite you to reach out if you are part of a different hub or interested in applying the findings to your context. We are excited about the opportunities to push the boundaries of innovation and create new platforms for stakeholders to catalyze collaboration to drive e-mobility around the world.
This report was developed as part of WDI’s Chihuahua Charging Forward project with the State of Chihuahua in Mexico. You can learn more about this project here.
Diana Páez
Senior Director, Energy & Mobility
Dana Gorodetsky
Program Manager, Energy
Time: 8 AM EDT / 3 PM EAT / 5:30 PM IST
Date: Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Location: Zoom
Private sector innovation is a cornerstone of the efforts to bring clean cooking to the over 2.3 billion people worldwide who presently lack it.
The Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) has supported over 25 clean cooking companies through its Venture Catalyst program, which helps firms attract investors, and grow their leadership and technical capacity to scale. Supported companies like BioLite, BURN Manufacturing, KOKO Networks and Sistema.bio have brought different product and business strategy innovations to the forefront. These include high-tech solutions like electric induction cookers, new fuels such as ethanol, targeted marketing, and business model solutions such as special purpose financing vehicles, carbon financing, and pay-as-you-go customer financing mechanisms.
The April 16 discussion, “Front Burner: How Business Model Innovation is Driving the Clean Cooking Industry,” will be hosted by the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan (WDI), and will feature panelists from CCA and these four trailblazing clean cooking companies with operations in multiple countries. Panelists will share their strategies for growing market size and scale, as well as barriers and enablers to implementing innovation. To learn more about the state of the clean cooking industry, click here for the CCA’s 2023 Annual Report.
WDI is supporting the learning objectives of the Clean Cooking Alliance Market Strengthening Program by developing innovative methods to measure the effectiveness of market strengthening interventions. The Institute is providing programmatic and data support, informing programmatic adaptations and pivots, and contributing to knowledge products targeting clean cooking enterprises, funders, policymakers and other stakeholders.
Time: 4 PM EDT
Date: April 3, 2024
Location: Blau Colloquium, 5th floor of the Blau Building at the Ross School of Business
wahu! is the first Ghanaian brand to produce electric vehicles domestically. The electric bike (e-bike) startup brings together local talent and experienced automotive engineers and designers from global automakers, including Audi and BMW.
In the talk, “How an E-Bike Startup is Looking to Change the Way Africa Moves,” Valerie Labi, co-founder and CEO of wahu! Mobility Ltd. will discuss how the business is unlocking new possibilities in low-emission mobility solutions, particularly in urban markets. By locally designing and manufacturing connected EVs for Africa and the wider world, wahu!’s value proposition includes ease of transport, a path to vehicle ownership and a gateway to sustainable employment through mobility services.
Labi is an entrepreneur who also served as Ghana country director for nonprofit iDE, International Development Enterprises, which focuses on market-based solutions in agriculture and water/sanitation. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Southampton and her Masters of Studies from the University of Cambridge in Sustainability Leadership.
This event is open to the public and sponsored by the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan (WDI) in partnership with the African Studies Center at U-M’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
Attendees are encouraged to register (see below or click here) and submit questions in advance. Light refreshments will be served.
With support from the U.S. Mission Mexico Public Diplomacy Section, WDI is implementing an academic partnership focused on vehicle electrification training, research and innovation to support higher education institutions in Chihuahua, Mexico. Through the partnership, a select group of faculty in engineering disciplines from the state of Chihuahua will acquire or deepen technical skills related to vehicle electrification technology.
WDI is supporting the learning objectives of the Clean Cooking Alliance Market Strengthening Program by developing innovative methods to measure the effectiveness of market strengthening interventions. We are providing programmatic and data support, informing programmatic adaptations and pivots, and contributing to knowledge products targeting clean cooking enterprises, funders, policymakers and other stakeholders.
