The head of the trade group representing Canada’s automakers said the country needs to “level the playing field” and prevent any further delays in issuing subsidy payments in order to compete for next-generation electric vehicle manufacturing with the U.S.
“The Inflation Reduction Act has put battery production in Canada at a significant disadvantage and corresponding action is required to level the playing field,” Kingston said in an emailed statement. Kingston’s comments come following an impasse between automaker Stellantis NV and battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd. on a battery plant under construction in Windsor, Ont. Construction of the facility was halted earlier this week after both Stellantis and LG Energy sought to obtain the same subsidies offered to rival carmaker Volkswagen AG for a similar battery plant in St. Thomas, Ont.