The company was supposed to bring jobs to the Wolverine State, but they had other plans.

A Michigan electric vehicle battery company that pocketed $900,000 from taxpayers six years ago will keep the cash without penalty as it moves production and 188 jobs to South Carolina.

It’s the latest example of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s flawed attempt to force Michigan residents into transitioning from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric-battery operated cars and trucks in which billions of taxpayer dollars have been used to subsidize a nascent industry.

Akasol. Inc., a subsidiary of BorgWarner, will lay off a total of 188 workers when it closes two separate plants in Hazel Park and Warren on April 14, to shift production of lithium-ion batteries south to enable the company to “grow above market,” the company said in a statement to the Detroit Free Press.

Back in 2019, Michigan awarded Akasol a $900,000 grant to construct a $40 million electric vehicle battery plant, with the expectation of generating 90 new jobs.

The company announced its intentions to move to South Carolina after laying off plant employees last month and, according to The Midwesterner, Akasol met its obligations by sustaining the 90 jobs until 2023, allowing the company to retain the financial incentives even as it now plans to leave Michigan behind.

The Governor will, likely, point to the jobs created despite the plant closing and layoffs. Akasol did the bare minimum to keep their $900k grant and then hightailed it out of town at their first opportunity.

PHOTO CREDIT: Pixabay