The University of Victoria (UVic) and two Vancouver Island companies have been awarded a $200,000 grant for their work on electric vehicle (EV) battery packs.
Rainhouse Manufacturing Canada Ltd., based in Victoria, and Parksville’s Canadian Electric Vehicles will be joining UVic for a project to “design, test and certify battery packs for the manufacturing of electric and hybrid electric vehicles.”
“This multi-sector initiative will help increase manufacturing diversity in B.C., boost the emerging market of battery technology, drive the local economy, and support green technologies in many areas, including electric vehicles, marine transportation, ocean research and off-grid storage,” said Rainhouse president Ray Brougham in a press release.
The grant awarded for this initiative was one of 24 awarded across the province over the weekend, and are part of the provincial governments Supply Chain Resiliency Grant Program. The program awarded more than $6 million to help strengthen the supply chain in the provincial manufacturing sector.
The funds come from the BC Government’s $1.5 billion StrongerBC plan which focuses on rebuilding the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated the importance of our manufacturing sector for the critical made-in-B.C. goods it delivers and jobs it provides in every region of the province,” said Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s minister of jobs, economic recovery and innovation.
