The first BrightDrop Zevo 600 rolled off the line at CAMI’s factory on Monday, marking the reopening of the facility that was temporarily closed in May to be re-engineered from making internal combustion engines to one that makes electric vehicles. “We are fully committed to an all-electric future,” GM Canada president Marissa West told CBC News. “We’re seeing really high customer demand.” Representatives from the provincial and federal governments, which each chipped in $259 million to help the automaker upgrade the facility, were on hand for a press event to celebrate the opening. The total price tag for upgrading the facility was $1 billion, GM previously said. BrightDrop is a unit of GM that focuses on commercial customers.
Banks in the electric future
After decades as a key hub in the North American auto industry, Canada’s position as an auto manufacturing powerhouse has waned in recent years as major automakers have slowly scaled back production at facilities scattered across southern Ontario. The latest round of union negotiations in late 2020, however, made it clear that both sides see the future of the industry as electric, and Monday’s unveiling is likely the first in a long line of Canadian-made electric vehicles. “We really think we’re at an inflection point where EVs are becoming much more mainstream,” West said.
growing market
Although it’s niche right now, electric vehicles are taking up more and more space on Canadian roads. Up to five percent of all vehicles in Canada are either fully electric or hybrid, and this proportion is expected to increase in the coming years. By 2035, the government insists all new vehicles in Canada will be electric, an ambitious goal just over 12 years from now, but Monday’s announcement brings that one step closer. General Motors Canada president and CEO Marissa West says the company expects its entire fleet to be zero-emissions by 2035. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) According to West, GM has a similar timeline for its operations around the world, with the company predicting that its entire global fleet will be zero-emissions by 2035. Jacquie Richards, the facility’s quality launch manager, says the future is now when it comes to electric vehicles. The vehicle itself, the BrightDrop Zevo 600, will be used primarily by commercial customers, including FedEx, Walmart, Verizon and others. “I’m excited to see this vehicle we’re building delivering packages in our neighborhood,” Richards said. Production will start slowly, with only a few thousand vehicles per year, but this is expected to rise to 50,000 per year by 2025. After a tough few years for the industry, Mike Van Boekel, president of Unifor Local 88, which represents hourly factory workers, said it’s nice to be positive about the future again. He said about 700 people who worked at the CAMI facility have taken voluntary retirement over the past two years, but the new work means anyone who had a job there before and wants one now can have one. The plant was idled in May for the renovation, but as of Monday, there were about 400 workers on the line — with more to come. “We should actually be hiring for the third shift, which is good news for job seekers as well,” he told CBC News. With the news from GM and other initiatives around critical mines and battery facilities, Canada’s auto industry is pinning its future hopes on electrification, and automotive consultant Sam Fiorani says that’s a smart move. About 400 people currently work on the electric truck assembly line at CAMI’s Ingersoll plant, but that is expected to increase in the coming months and years. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) Countries like Norway and others are well ahead of North America in electric vehicle adoption, but consumer appetite is growing, said the founder of Auto Forecast Solutions. “The US, Canada, and much of the rest of the world will be behind them. But we’ll get there in the next 20 years.” A big problem facing the industry right now is not demand, but supply. “The supply of vehicles has been so limited that dealers can offer whatever they want,” he said. “I’ve been into dealerships where they put $5,000 on the list price of a car; it’s just outrageous right now.” But as inventory slowly builds up, there will be more and more vehicles for consumers in the base $20,000 to $40,000 price range, so things will really take off. And Fiorani says Canada is poised to earn more than its share. “With the market in the U.S. moving very quickly toward electric vehicles, the Canadian industry will be very well positioned to supply many vehicles for the U.S.,” he said. “They’re in a good position to get more than their share. I think Mexico might be back right now.” Have a question about climate change and what is being done about it? Send an email to [email protected]
