David Kennedy

The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) is backing private-sector investment in large-scale electric vehicle charging networks with a new $500-million program aimed at countering a charging infrastructure deficit, widely perceived as limiting the broader adoption of EVs.

Because most battery mineral refining is done in China today, “there’s just no way” most North American-made EVs will reach those eligibility targets within the Inflation Reduction Act with current supplies, says Trent Mell, CEO of Toronto-based Electra Battery Materials Corp.

LG Energy Solution (LGES) has struck supply deals with a pair of Canadian lithium mining companies as the battery cell manufacturer deepens its local supply chain in response to strong North American electric vehicle demand.

Consolidation “didn’t come as quickly” for Quebec as it did for the rest of Canada, says Sylvie Gagnon of Templeton Marsh. But as new buyers enter the province and single dealerships or small groups weigh their future, she anticipates at least five busy years as some groups bulk up and others exit the business.

Canada’s Electra Battery Materials Corp. has signed a three-year deal to supply electric vehicle battery cell manufacturer LG Energy Solution (LGES) with cobalt processed in Northern Ontario.

General Motors is investing in Quebec battery recycling company Lithion Recycling Inc.

Deliveries of new battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles that qualify for the Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) program climbed to a new 2022 high in August, while a surge in Model 3 deliveries gave Tesla back the top spot as the largest-volume brand under the federal program this year, according to data from Transport Canada.

Dodge Charger and Challenger production at Ontario’s Brampton Assembly Plant (BAP) is scheduled to end in 2024, but according to forecasting firm AutoForecast Solutions (AFS), both muscle car programs will stay in the province, while an electrified product from Jeep will take over their floorspace at the BAP.

Canada’s minister of innovation, science and industry sat down with representatives from Ford, General Motors, Stellantis and Tesla in meetings in Detroit and California this week, as the federal government continues to pitch automakers on investing in Canada.

Canada’s early headway in building an electric vehicle battery supply chain could lead to an industry worth nearly $50 billion that supports about 250,000 domestic jobs across the automotive, battery manufacturing and mining sectors by 2030, according to a new report.

The Stellantis and LG Energy Solution battery plant in Windsor, Ont., will require at least $2 billion in supplier investment to support it, Ontario Minister of Economic Development Vic Fedeli says.

Direct involvement and investment by automakers in mining companies and battery-materials processors is intended to get control of the vital minerals needed to build cars.

Leaders in Eastern Ontario see the region rising as a key link in the EV supply chain.

Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli will head to Asia late this week for meetings with potential automotive and battery industry investors as the province looks to add to the tally of electric vehicle supply chain investments it has racked up so far this year.   

General Motors is courting potential mining partners for its new battery-materials plant in Bécancour, Que., as it works through early benchmarks such as land acquisition and permitting for the $500-million site.