Photo: Mario Cywinski.
It brought together the industry to look at and move forward the electric vehicle manufacturing space in Canada.
Industry heavyweights were on hand to discuss how to move forward. Vehicle manufacturers were represented by Marissa West, President and Managing Director, GM Canada, and Jean Marc Leclerc, President and CEO, Honda Canada; parts suppliers by Linda Hasenfratz, Executive Chairman and CEO, Linamar Corporation, and Ahmed Elganzouri, Sustainability Director, Magna International Inc.; The Honourable Victor Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, represented the Government of Ontario, while representatives from associations, unions, suppliers, and others we also on hands.
Photo: Mario Cywinski
“NGen partnered with Electric Autonomy to host the largest conference of EV specialists that has been held in Canada to date – and it is only the beginning,” said Jayson Myers, CEO, NGen. “It brought together industry leaders from across the EV value chain to discuss the future of the industry and what needs to be done to address the significant innovation and skills challenges that still lie ahead. Two key themes emerged – the importance of collaboration and the need to move fast to take advantage of the changes that are transforming the auto industry worldwide.
A panel on Retooling the Manufacturing Landscape, was the highlight of the day, as it included West and Hasenfratz, who were joined by Lana Payne, National President, Unifor, Rachel Doran, Director of Policy and Strategy, Clean Energy Canada, and moderator John Stackhouse, Senior Vice-President, Office of the CEO, RBC.
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Photo: Mario Cywinski
Keynotes for the day were presented by LeClerc, who presented to closing keynote (about the need for industry cohesion to tackle issues such as infrastructure, having more urgency, and developing a skilled workforce), as well as a keynote on EV Future Market Readiness, by John Laughlin, Chief Technology Officer, NGen, and Matthew Fortier, President and CEO, Accelerate.
Other panels looked at Building a Sustainable Supply Chain: Canada’s ESG Edge, A Leap Forward: Next-Generation Batteries, and Bridging the Talent Gap. While fireside chats discussed Investment Landscape for EV-Sector Businesses, and What does the IRA mean for Canada?
Photo: Mario Cywinski
The conference concluded with a cocktail reception featuring a fireside chat with Fedeli and Myers.
“NGen’s mission is to focus on strategic opportunities for Canada,” said Myers. “We will soon be launching a new call for proposals for leading edge collaborative projects across the EV value chain. Interested companies should keep an eye on www.ngen.ca.”
Also, part of the conference was an exhibitor section as well as an electric vehicle ride and drive.
For more on the conference, visit Electric Autonomy.
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