Why Detroit is exploring hydrogen for future mobility

Detroit is exploring the potential of naturally occurring hydrogen as part of a broader effort to position the city at the forefront of emerging mobility technologies.

Interest in the energy source has grown following an executive directive from Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan, asking state agencies to examine a US Geological Survey study highlighting the possibility of geologic hydrogen in Michigan.

For Detroit’s mobility team, the development has sparked conversations about how the region’s industrial base could support future hydrogen applications, particularly in freight and off-grid power.

“The possibility of naturally occurring abundant hydrogen has created a buzz,” Vince Keenan, Head of Innovation Engagement, Mayor’s Office of Mobility Innovation tells Cities Today. “Detroit’s manufacturing base has been building hydrogen equipment and shipping it across the country for years. We think it’s time to lean into hydrogen.”

The idea is still at an early stage, but Keenan says the discussion reflects how Detroit is increasingly looking beyond traditional transport planning to consider the wider technologies and energy systems that could shape future mobility.

Adapting to a changing mobility landscape

Detroit’s mobility strategy has evolved significantly in recent years as the transport sector has undergone rapid change.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted industry expectations and timelines around emerging technologies, forcing cities and companies to reassess long-term plans.

“Industry trendlines headed into the pandemic changed radically on the other side,” Keenan says. “Autonomous vehicle deployments, EV incentives, everything has changed.”

More recently, changes in federal funding priorities and the impact of tariffs have created additional uncertainty for cities developing mobility programmes.

“After last year, the major shift in mobility strategy is coming from changes in the US federal funding and the impact of tariffs,” Keenan says. “Today Detroit’s strategy is based more on creative adaptation. We have dealt with challenges before, and we understand when we need to adapt.”

As part of this adaptive approach, Detroit has established a Transportation Innovation Zone (TIZ) around one of its mobility innovation hubs.

The zone includes a range of urban environments including waterfront areas, freight corridors, neighbourhoods with different densities and a commercial corridor. Within the TIZ, the city’s Chief of Mobility Innovation can work with companies to establish a pathway for testing new technologies.

According to Keenan, the process begins with a single meeting to determine how an innovation could be permitted and safely deployed. The goal is to create a framework that allows companies to pilot new mobility technologies while ensuring deployments remain inclusive and responsive to local needs.

Detroit is also trying to ensure that new mobility services reach neighbourhoods across the city rather than concentrating solely in the downtown area. Keenan says many new mobility providers tend to focus on central business districts where demand and visibility are highest.

“In Detroit, pilots targeted downtown can leave many Detroiters in neighbourhoods that require a more nuanced approach,” he says. “Our job is to understand those nuances and help position pilots to serve the needs of all Detroiters.”

To encourage this shift, the city has capped the number of providers operating in certain areas, creating competition for solutions that improve connections between neighbourhoods and public transport.

Infrastructure and the innovation ecosystem

Alongside policy initiatives and technology pilots, Detroit is also advancing new infrastructure projects tied to its mobility ecosystem.

One of the most significant is a proposed US$40 million multimodal transit hub within the Michigan Central Innovation District. The facility would bring together passenger rail, intercity buses and local transit services, strengthening links between Detroit, Ann Arbor, Detroit Metro Airport and Toronto.

For the city, the project represents an opportunity to align infrastructure investment with its emerging innovation ecosystem.

“The new hub will be one of our first major infrastructure investments since we leaned into our current innovation ecosystem investments,” Keenan says. “It will not only serve Detroiters’ transportation needs, but it will help tie what has worked in the past to what is next.”

Detroit will also host city leaders and mobility experts from across North America for the Cities Today Institute City Leadership Forum on Mobility on 22–23 April 2026.

Keenan says the gathering will give visiting officials a chance to see how the city is approaching mobility innovation.

“We hope city leaders from across the country headed to Detroit for the first time will discover that Detroit is not what they might have expected,” he says. “Our success historically has been tied to the auto industry, and while that tie exists, the evolution to the mobility industry has opened the conversation to new ideas and expectations.”

Main image: Sean Pavone | Dreamstime.com