News
Feds invest in first made-in-Canada electric vehicle

Canada’s federal government is investing $5 million in the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) to support Project Arrow, the automotive industry’s first Canadian-made, zero emission concept vehicle.

The investment is being made through FedDev Ontario.

In a FedDev Ontario news release, the agency says that Toronto-based APMA, which represents about 90 per cent of all independent automotive parts manufacturers in Canada, will “utilize its longstanding connections in the automotive manufacturing industry” to bring together key industry and academic partners in southern Ontario to facilitate Project Arrow. “The partners will work together to design, engineer and build a connected and autonomous zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) concept car and its digital twin, which will be used as a virtual platform for testing and validating connected and autonomous (CAV) technologies before they are integrated into the physical car,” FedDev Ontario said.

FedDev Ontario says its investment in this project will support 80 jobs, leverage over $6.6 million in other funding, support at least 40 automotive suppliers and technology firms, and generate $50 million in additional investment.

The FedDev Ontario funded Virtual Reality CAVE at Invest WindsorEssex will be home to some of the key project activities surrounding the digital concept vehicle, which will be used as a virtual platform for testing and validating CAV technologies before they are integrated into the physical car. “The concept vehicle will also act as a blueprint for battery development and integration, tech transfer and intellectual property development,” FedDev Ontario said.

The project will lead the transformation of Canada’s automotive sector from traditional fuel vehicle development to zero-emission vehicle development, showcasing the capabilities of the Canadian automobility and digital technology sectors to compete on the global stage. It will also help to create a robust electric vehicle supply chain in Canada, increasing Canada’s domestic electric vehicle development capacity in everything from electric powertrains and CAV systems to battery production.