The federal government of Canada and the Quebec government are investing $100 million combined to help build a factory north of Montréal that would make batteries for electric vehicles. The prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, visited Montréal to make the announcement along with the premier of Quebec, Francois Legault.
Each government will contribute $50 million in loans to the project, which will allow Lion Electric to set up a highly automated battery pack assembly plant in Saint Jérôme, Quebec. Trudeau says that it’s a priority for his government to support the manufacturing sector and support projects that will accelerate the electrification of the country’s transport system.
On its part, Lion Electric will contribute $85 million to the project. The company is a leader in electric buses and trucks. Lion says the new factory will allow it to control costs and to have more control over the design of the batteries it uses in its electric buses and trucks.
The project is expected to create 135 jobs once the construction of the plant is finished in 2023.
This is a great step to help improve Canada’s transport system. At the beginning of the year a Manitoba company, NFI Group, debuted its self-driving buses. And there are battery-electric buses in other Canadian cities like Toronto and Edmonton. Therefore, Montréal’s new Lion Electric battery manufacturing plant can supply companies with batteries required for electric vehicles.
Additionally, Multinational companies such as Ford, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, and others are all developing their own electric vehicles. Therefore, the investment in a new battery manufacturing factory will add substantial value to Canada’s economy.
References:
1) CBC, N. (2021, March 15). Quebec, Ottawa invest $100M to build electric vehicle battery Plant | CBC News. Retrieved March 15, 2021, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/trudeau-legault-electric-vehicle-announcement-1.5949998
2) Harapyn, L. (2021, February 03). An Almost-century old Manitoba company debuts an autonomous bus. Retrieved March 15, 2021, from https://financialpost.com/transportation/autos/an-almost-century-old-manitoba-company-debuts-an-autonomous-bus
3) Press, T. (2021, March 15). Quebec, federal governments invest $100 million in Lion electric battery plant. Retrieved March 15, 2021, from https://ca.news.yahoo.com/quebec-federal-governments-invest-100-150317375.html
4) Tchir, J. (2020, December 09). Most Canadians are in favour of electric buses. what's standing in the way? Retrieved March 15, 2021, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/drive/mobility/article-most-canadians-are-in-favour-of-electric-buses-whats-standing-in-the/#:~:text=Even%20though%20Canada%20has%20four,purchased%2040%20battery%2Delectric%20buses.
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