Canada’s innovative manufacturer of all-electric trucks and buses, Lion Electric has announced the upcoming construction of its battery manufacturing plant and innovation centre in the province of Quebec.
Expected to be operational by early 2023, the avant-garde factory will be producing battery packs and modules made from lithium-ion cells.
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The proposed construction is set to begin over the next few months. The location however is yet to be confirmed.
Lion’s investment for the project and its development amounts to approximately $148.29m (C$185m). The manufacturer will have the vital support of the federal and provincial governments to the tune of about $80.15m (C$100m).
Once the plant is constructed, Lion expects the cost of vehicle manufacturing to reduce considerably.
Presiding over the announcement were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Quebec Prime Minister François Legault, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne, and the Minister of Economy and Innovation, Pierre Fitzgibbon. They were accompanied by Lion Electric CEO and founder Marc Bédard.
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By GlobalDataCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared: “With today’s announcement, we are continuing to take steps to support our Canadian businesses, invest in innovation, and protect the environment. It is because of companies like Lion Electric that we are accelerating our transition to a resilient and competitive clean growth economy.”
As the battery happens to be an electric vehicle’s most expensive component, Lion’s Quebec facility will have direct impact on the manufacture of heavy-duty electric transportation, while also benefiting the economy and environment.
With annual battery storage expected to be 5GWh, Lion will be able to charge about 14,000 medium and heavy-duty vehicles every year.
The highly automated, cutting-edge factory will ideally produce one battery module every 11 seconds and a full battery pack every five minutes. Incidentally, Lion Electric will be Canada’s first manufacturer of medium and heavy-duty vehicles to have its own facility for making automated battery packs.
Quebec Prime Minister François Legault said: “In Quebec, we are fortunate to have leaders such as Lion Electric to help build a greener, more durable economy. With its new facilities at the cutting-edge of robotisation, the company will be able to increase its productivity and will further its contribution to the growth or our economy.”
Lion’s R&D-focussed innovation centre will be aiming to explore and achieve progress with respect to performance, range, energy capacity and development of the company’s unique products.
Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne commented: “Investments like the one announced today support job creation and our long-term prosperity, and position Canada as a leader in electric transportation. The electrification of transportation is a major driver for achieving our economic and climate objectives. That is why we are proud to support and assist Lion in this major milestone.”
Minister of Economy and Innovation Pierre Fitzgibbon said: “This new factory will contribute to the development of the battery sector, a priority for our government, and to the blossoming of Lion Electric. The company is gaining an increasing recognition in North America for its electric school buses and trucks while experiencing healthy growth, as demonstrated by notable contracts recently obtained from Amazon and CN, for example.”
Lion Electric CEO and founder Marc Bédard explained: “This factory will allow Lion to integrate a fundamental element to the supply chain of our electric vehicles. Thanks to the financing provided by the federal and provincial governments, we will now be able to manufacture in Canada what we previously imported. Lion, Quebec and Canada will gain from this, both on the economic and environmental fronts, to the great benefit of generations to come.”
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Canada’s innovative manufacturer of all-electric trucks and buses, Lion Electric has announced the upcoming construction of its battery manufacturing plant and innovation centre in the province of Quebec. Credit: Harrison Kugler/Unsplash.
