Canada Wants a Bigger Piece of the Battery Pie

While we may have debunked the myth that Canada invented the battery, there's no denying that the US's neighbor to the north has played a strong supporting role in the battery industry. The problem is, too much of that support has been unsung, according to some.

An recent report, Canada's Battery Innovation Roadmap, put out by Accelerate, a trade group formed by Canadian players in mining, batteries, fuel cells, vehicle manufacturing, and other sectors that seeks to promote the country's zero-emissions vehicle supply chain, bemoaned Canada's habit of "losing winners" in the space. For example, a Quebec-based consortium allowed its patent for a novel coating procedure to increase the conductivity of LFP batteries to be used without licensing fees in China. That technology, the report argues, was ultimately critical to the success of Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL), now the world's top battery maker.

To make up for that and other disappointments, Accelerate proposes an ambitious plan for Canada to take a bigger bite out of the battery pie. Over the next 10 years, the group aims for the country to increase the number of domestically-owned players in the battery sector tenfold and contribute one-fifth of the battery value chain, including materials, components, and technology.

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That might sound ambitious, but it's backed by a three-part plan that includes proposed policies for pushing supply, pulling demand, and establishing public-private coordination.

Among those proposals included in the roadmap are the following:

A partner of next month's Advanced Design & Manufacturing Expo in Montréal, QC, Accelerate is also taking part in the newly launched Fabrication de Batteries event, which includes a full-day conference and exhibitors from Québec’s battery manufacturing industry. The group's director of policy, Andrew McKinnon, will participate in a fireside chat Thursday, November, 14, on investment trends and opportunities in Canada's battery supply chain. Up for discussion will be how the country's natural resources, manufacturing prowess, and government policies make it fertile ground for battery innovation, as well as the challenges Canada faces as it seeks to assert itself as a player in the global industry.

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