Turning Pilots into Policy: Lessons from Michigan on Delivering Transport Innovation | Interview with Michele Mueller

With over two decades of public service, Michele Mueller has been a pioneering leader in Michigan’s transition toward smarter, safer, and more sustainable transportation. As a manager for the State of Michigan’s Connected, Automated, and Electrification (CAVE) initiatives, she has played a pivotal role in planning, developing, and deploying advanced mobility technologies that position Michigan as a national and global hub for innovation.What you’ll learn:How Michigan decides which transport pilots are worth scalingWhat criteria are used to move a project from testbed to long-term deployment Why real roads expose problems test environments never willThe practical differences between controlled testing and live traffic, and why the “last 10%” of deployment is where most risk sits.How to build public trust Why transparency, relevance, and showing people the tech can be more than technical detail.How government and industry educate each other in a shared ecosystemWhere OEMs, tech providers, and infrastructure agencies routinely misunderstand each other and how Michigan bridges that gap.