Canada and Volkswagen announce “megafactory” of electric batteries

The Canadian government and the German car manufacturer Volkswagen will invest almost US$ 15 billion (R$ 75 billion at current prices) to build an electric battery factory in the city of St. Thomas, in the province of Ontario, in the south of the country.

“This project alone will create 3,000 direct jobs and over 30,000 indirect jobs”said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the announcement of the project on Friday (April 21, 2023).

According to Trudeau, the factory will be the largest in the country and will bring a positive impact of 200 billion Canadian dollars (R$ 738 billion) on the country’s economy in the coming decades.

This will be the first battery plant built by Volkswagen’s battery subsidiary, PowerCo, outside Europe. Ontario is Canada’s most populous province and is close to the northernmost states of the US. The expectation is that the works will begin in 2024 and that production will come into force from 2027, according to the news agency. Reuters.

The industrial park will occupy a total area of ​​600 hectares and will have a production capacity of up to 90 GWh (Gigawatt-hour), enough to produce batteries for 1 million electric vehicles.

Disclosure/Volkswagen AG

The factory will occupy an area of ​​150 hectares, equivalent to 210 soccer fields

Disclosure/Volkswagen AG

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the announcement of the new Volkswagen factory

Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne said the factory represented “a vote of confidence in Canada as a priority green energy supplier” not world.

“Gigafactory St. Thomas opens the door to an important market for electric mobility and battery cell production. Our goal is to make PowerCo a global player in the industry and pave the way for clean and sustainable mobility.”, said Volkswagen in a note. Here’s the fullin English (2,9 MB).