Recently, Canada’s shift to electric vehicles has gained momentum. With Canada’s plans for 100 per cent of all new vehicle sales to be fully electric by 2035, and concerns about climate change and sustainability mounting, the production and adoption of EVs present an exciting opportunity for the country. Over the past 20 years, Canada’s global auto-assembly ranking has steadily fallen along with vehicle assembly and parts manufacturing employment.
To be a leading contributor to the global EV supply chain, advancements in all aspects of EV technologies are required. Unfortunately, unlike the battery supply chain, an electric powertrain supply chain is very limited in Canada. All levels of government need to invest in creating electric motors, power electronics, and motor controller supply chains using locally sourced minerals and materials to advance Canada’s EV sector.