The Unobvious Ones is a monthly look at movers and shakers who fly below the radar in the Canadian auto industry.
SARAH HOUDE
LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR A NEW BATTERY INDUSTRY
Electric vehicles require specific supply chains, and Quebec is in on the ground floor with announcements of battery-materials plants in Bécancour, located equidistant between Montreal and Quebec City.
Getting stakeholders and governments together for such deals is Montreal-based Propulsion Quebec, a nonprofit “industrial cluster,” led by CEO Sarah Houde.
“It’s not just using electric vehicles, it’s about making them,” Houde said, adding that the goal is to grow the critical mass of suppliers and infrastructure needed for EV production.
“My external work is on strategic projects and I do a lot of lobbying to government. I’m also in charge of raising private money.
“Internally, I lead our executive committee and look after lines of communication within the organization.”
On March 4, Germany-based chemical company BASF announced a battery-materials plant in Bécancour. General Motors made a similar but unrelated announcement March 7.