"the government is now looking to demands for batteries of a different sort to sustain it. Ford and the federal government negotiated to bring three electric vehicle battery plants to Ontario investments worth billions of dollars and had hoped to not only to see those batteries go into EVs made in the province but also to have them made with parts produced in Ontario and with minerals mined and refined in the province."
"A few years after laying out the idea, though, its initial promise has waned. Honda, which was set to build an EV battery plant and assemble electric vehicles in Alliston, delayed the project due to dwindling demand. Umicore put its plans for a cathode plant in eastern Ontario on hold. General Motors ended production of its BrightDrop electric delivery van in Ingersoll. Ford delayed plans to build electric vehicles in Oakville in favour of its F-Series gas-powered pickup trucks."
"The auto industry in Ontario is further threatened, the premier believes, by a new deal between Canada and China that will see 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese EVs all but removed in exchange for China dropping tariffs on canola. However, some experts say giving Canadians access to less expensive Chinese EVs could help stimulate general demand for the green vehicles and therefore boost the domestic industry in the long term."
Ontario pursued an end-to-end electric vehicle supply chain centered on battery plants, locally produced parts and domestically mined and refined minerals. Negotiations brought three battery-plant investments worth billions, but several projects have been delayed or paused: Honda postponed an Alliston battery and EV assembly project, Umicore suspended a cathode plant, General Motors ended BrightDrop van production and Ford delayed Oakville EV plans in favor of F-Series trucks. The premier sees a Canada-China deal reducing Chinese EV tariffs as a further threat, while some experts say lower-cost Chinese EVs could stimulate consumer demand. Domestic demand is also weakened by rebate uncertainty and unclear federal mandates.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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