Top 5 stories of the week: NextStar plant on time; Pacifica ban; Unifor on Oakville plan; more

Stories with ties to electrification dominated the automotive headlines in Canada this week. News that the NextStar electric-vehicle battery plant, a joint venture between Stellantis and LG Energy Solution in Windsor, Ont., would begin output this fall was the most read article of the week. Stellantis was also part of the second most-read story because a Canadian ferry operator banned transportation of the automaker’s hybrid Pacifica minivan because of a fire risk.

Here's a quick rundown of those and the other stories that were our top five by reader interest:

1. NextStar on time

NextStar Energy is on track to begin producing electric-vehicle battery modules in Windsor, Ont. this fall, as the company nears completion of its $5-billion battery manufacturing complex that will supply assembly plants in Canada and the United States. 

The Stellantis and LG Energy Solution joint venture said July 19 — in our top story of the week — that construction and equipment installation for the battery-module building is “nearly” finished. Crews are also 90-per-cent done the exterior of the neighbouring cell-production building and have begun installing machinery inside. 

NextStar built its first sample battery module in Windsor in February and plans to start full-scale output in “early” fall. Cell production will follow at an unspecified time in 2025.

2. Pacifica hybrids banned

A Canadian ferry operator has banned from their vessels certain Stellantis vehicles because they could catch fire, as reported in our second most-read story. 

The Owen Sound Transportation Company (OSTC), which owns and operates five ferries servicing a number of islands in Ontario, says it has banned transportation of Chrysler Pacifica Plug‑In Hybrids from the model years 2017-2021 until a service recall on the vehicles is complete.

3. Unifor on Ford Oakville plan

Ford Motor Co.’s revised plan to build F-Series pickups at its Oakville Assembly Complex instead of electric vehicles is a course correction as the EV transition hits some “bumps in the road,” not an abandonment of the long-term trend toward electrification, according to Unifor President Lana Payne. 

The major production shift means more “flexibility” for the plant and its workforce as consumer demand for large EVs remains limited and the industry works through its largest-ever transition, she told Automotive News Canada in our third most-read story of the week.

4. iZEV claims surge

Federal electric-vehicle rebate claims more than doubled in the first half of 2024, as car buyers continued to snap up battery-electrics and plug-ins despite lingering concerns about sticker prices and charging infrastructure. 

We’ve got all the data in our fourth most-read story here.

5. Umicore stops construction

Umicore has slammed the brakes on its $2.76-billion battery materials plant in Eastern Ontario as it continues an ongoing review of its business amid “substantially” scaled-back expectations for the electric-vehicle market. 

The Belgium-based company broke ground on the site in Loyalist Township, just west of Kingston, Ont., in October 2023, but said July 26 that it would delay construction spending on the site “pending the outcome of this review.”

The story, which broke on the morning of July 26, took just two hours to crack the Top 5 of most-read stories.