NGen calls for projects in $40M zero-emissions automotive manufacturing challenge

Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) has launched a call for projects as part of a new challenge to advance the development zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and their components.

NGen, the industry-led organization behind Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster, will invest $20 million in projects with a 50 per cent industry match resulting in $40 million of new innovation spending.

The North American production of traditional powertrain components is expected to decline significantly by 2030. Production of EV powertrain components, on the other hand, is expected to grow from US$6B in 2019 to US$26B in 2030, partially offsetting the losses in traditional components.

“The new production capabilities must be the cutting edge, the most efficient, the highest quality and the greenest if we are to enter this market, gain share and stay competitive,” says John Laughlin, CTO, NGen.

The opportunities fall into key categories such as ZEV manufacturing, ZEV systems and components and batteries.

Recent announcements by Ford, GM, and Lion Electric have helped lay the groundwork, but more mandates are needed to assemble ZEVs, including passenger vehicles, buses and heavy trucks, says NGen.

The organization says that supporting companies such as Magna, Linamar and Martinrea as they adopt the latest advanced manufacturing technologies to manufacture EV systems and components is critical.

Canada is home to a well-developed automotive supply chain that features such globally competitive companies as Magna, Linamar, and Martinrea and hundreds of innovative SMEs capable of producing motors, power electronics, and other EV systems and components.

The country also has the opportunity to develop a vertically integrated EV battery supply chain.

In the coming months, NGen will release the findings from a collaborative study of the ZEV landscape in Canada done in conjunction with Porsche Consulting, the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing, and the APMA.

This initiative will help develop an understanding of the opportunities and risks associated with the transition to ZEVs, and provide a roadmap for manufacturers to deploy the advanced manufacturing technologies required of ZEV production.