Electric Vehicles

The global automotive industry is experiencing historic and transformative change as significant breakthrough technologies and innovations, as well as government mandates, redefine all aspects of propulsion and mobility. The speed and magnitude of this transformation have forced companies to rethink every aspect of their business model to succeed in this dynamic environment, including product development, supply chain sustainability, allocation of human and capital resources, and business alliances.

The prime factor causing this existential reexamination of the automotive business model is the rapid global shift from internal combustion engines (ICE) to electric vehicles (EV) and other technologies like hydrogen gas. This transition is driven by various factors, not the least of which are government incentives and mandates and an estimated public and private investment of nearly a trillion dollars. In essence, the entire industry is being transformed and reinvented before our eyes at a pace that was unimaginable ten years ago.

Our Team and Commitment

The automotive team at Dickinson Wright has been at the forefront of anticipating and addressing many of these changes. We expanded our focus from traditional ICE automotive companies to EVs and their associated advanced technology, intellectual property, environmental, and mobility issues. Our automotive-industry practice has over a century of providing practical leadership, actionable advice, and vigorous advocacy to automotive manufacturers and the global-automotive supply chain. As the automotive industry transforms and reinvents itself, our vast industry experience and our vision and creativity gained from working with disruptive technologies provide unique value to our clients.

In 2020, as the ICE to EV transition accelerated, we established a multidisciplinary group of lawyers (Vehicle Electrification Taskforce) to focus on serving our clients’ needs as they navigated the transition. Since then, we have provided counsel to major OEMs and other industry participants regarding nearly every aspect of the transition, including structuring and negotiating complex joint ventures for battery manufacturing, restructuring and strengthening supply chain resiliency, investing in and operating charging infrastructure, navigating the complexities of government regulation and funding opportunities, and intellectual property protection.

Our Firm

Since our founding in Detroit in 1878, we have operated at the center of the North American automotive industry. Today, with offices strategically located across North America in key automotive corridors from Detroit to Ontario, Ohio to Washington D.C., and Tennessee to Silicon Valley, we work with both traditional power players from around the world and technology innovators that are advancing change and spurring significant industry developments.

Our Services

Distinguished by our dedication to superior client service, we provide cost-effective, practical, and actionable advice by applying our deep industry knowledge and experience and leveraging advanced technology and communication. Our representation includes: