The Canadian and Quebec Governments have announced a combined $100 million investment for a new electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Quebec. The plant is located north of Montreal in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec.
Owned by Lion Electric, the state-of-the-art automated battery-pack assemble plant will be the first of its kind in Canada. The company will use the battery packs produced in this $185 million plant in its vehicle production line.
The plant will make Lion Electric the first Canadian manufacturer of medium and heavy-duty vehicles with automated battery-pack facilities in the country.
In addition to the automated manufacturing facilities, the company will also establish a research and development facility on-site. This facility will test and refine products, including testing for the battery packs use in emergency vehicles. Further to this, the company will research and develop innovations to energy storage and battery performance in the North American climate.
The plant, which will finish construction in 2023, will create 125 jobs in Saint-Jérôme. A further 150 jobs will be created in the long-term.
This investment is in the form of $100 million in loans. Of which, $30 million is forgivable if the company meets specific criteria, including keeping jobs in Quebec.
