Will Trump blow up Canada’s $50 billion EV sector?
Canada has secured more than $50 billion in EV-related investment over the past three years, all gearing up for US demand, with Canada’s economy “deeply intertwined” with the US – but Trump may throw a major wrench into the plan.
As newly elected president Donald Trump soon returns to the White House, Canada is now facing a mountain of worries and what-ifs, particularly in the auto sector, from possible new tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles to a breakdown in electrification policy, shifting the market completely. Plus the country could see 60 years of “cross-border automotive consensus” come to a screeching halt, reports Automotive News in an in-depth look at the issue.
“We’re so intertwined. Half of the vehicles made in Canada are made by American companies,” Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, told Automotive News. “If he cuts out Canada – pulls it out of the [United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement], puts up a tariff wall – he’s hurting General Motors, Ford and then assets of Stellantis … He’s hurting American parts companies, American materials suppliers.”
A lot of possibilities are at play, including a 10% tariff on global imports into the US, which would cut tens of billions of dollars out of Canada’s GDP, and those cuts will especially hurt the auto sector, the report said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau jumped into action to congratulate Trump after the win, nudging that two countries have “deeply intertwined” economies, with Ottawa now at work tackling critical cross-border issues.
Trump, who has been eager to denigrate EVs, has said that he’ll make quick work of rescinding Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which has put billions of dollars into battery supply chain projects. He has said too that vehicles made in Mexico would see as much as a 200% tariff, and vehicles from China, Europe, and elsewhere will likely see higher tariffs.
Of course, billions of dollars in investments into EV production under the IRA have been taking place in red states, such as South Carolina, Ohio, and Georgia, so it’s unlikely he’d be willing to take away investment and jobs from his core constituents.
After the election news yesterday, US EV makers Tesla, Lucid, and Rivian, and EV battery maker LG have all said that they are ready to work with Trump to ensure EV technology continues on pace – but that will mean or how it will work is not yet clear.
Of course, Musk’s role in all of this and his sway on Trump is yet to be determined, and that will have far-reaching impact on countries like Canada – “You might see some sort of moderating effect there that they can’t walk away from [EV supports] completely because that will make life really tough for Tesla,” said Brendan Sweeney, managing director of the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing.
Detroit’s Big Three – Ford, GM, and Stellanis – all have heavy footprints in Canada, with thousands of unionized auto workers there, so Trump’s decisions will impact not only those companies but a range of part suppliers as well.
This week, BYD has decided to stall its plans to enter Canada, likely deterred by the country’s 100% federal tariffs on EVs imported from China and looming decisions coming from the US. The move puts a pin on the plan after months of legwork over the summer, with BYD execs meeting with dealers across Canada to discuss a possible distribution network of the brand’s vehicle and talking with lobbyists on how to get the federal government on board.
Back in August, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that the government would follow the US’s plan to impose stiff tariffs on EV imports from China.
Of course, getting mines for critical minerals up and running on the home front is top of mind for Canada, to cut China out of the equation, said Brian Kingston, CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, according to the report. The goal here is to prove that Canada is doing its part to “decouple” from China to avoid tariffs, which he says won’t be easy, but “we have to show the Americans that we are ready to go.”
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![Stig drifts 2,000 hp electric Ford Supervan around Top Gear test track [video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/stig_vs_supervan.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
The Top Gear TV show might be over, but its tamed racing driver – a masked, anonymous hot shoe known only as “the Stig” – lives on … and his latest adventure involves pitching the 1,400 hp electric Ford SuperVan demonstration vehicle around the famed Top Gear test track. Sideways.
Whether we’re talking about record lap times at hallowed motorsports grounds like Bathhurst or the Hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, we’ve been covering the 1,400 hp SuperVan project for some time – but the big boxy Transit-ish racing van with hypercar-slaying performance never seems to get boring.
In this video from the official Top Gear YouTube channel (is Top Gear just a YouTube show, now?), the boxy Ford racer seems to have sprouted an additional 600 peak horsepower in its latest “4.2” iteration, for a stout 2,000 hp total. For his (?) part, the Stig puts all of those horses to work in what appears to be a serious attempt to take the overall track record.
I won’t spoil the outcome for you, but suffice it to say that even the most die-hard anti-EV hysterics will have to admit that SuperVan is a seriously quick machine.
SuperVan 4.2: How fast can a 2000 hp transit go?
[SPOILERS AHEAD] Even with 2,000 hp, instant torque, and over 4,000 lbs. of aerodynamic downforce, the SuperVan wasn’t able to beat the long-standing 1st and 2nd place spots held by the Renault R24 (a legit Formula 1 race car) and the Lotus T125 Exos (a track-only special that sure looks like a legit Formula 1 race car), but after crossing the line with a time of 1:05.3, the Ford claims third place on the overall leaderboard.
That 3rd place is likely to be a permanent spot on Top Gear‘s leaderboard, as well – as the track itself is likely to be demolished somewhat sooner than later.
You can check out the video (above) and watch the whole segment for yourself, or just skip ahead to the eight-minute mark to watch the tire-shredding sideways action promised in the headline. If you do, let us know what you think of Ford’s fast “van” in the comments.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Top Gear.
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Swedish multinational Sandvik says it’s successfully deployed a pair of fully autonomous Toro LH518iB battery-electric underground loaders at the New Gold Inc. ($NGD) New Afton mine in British Columbia, Canada.
The heavy mining equipment experts at Sandvik say that the revolutionary new 18 ton loaders have been in service since mid-November, working in a designated test area of the mine’s “Lift 1” footwall. The mine’s operators are preparing to move the automated machines to the mine’s “C-Zone” any time now, putting them into regular service by the first of the new year.
“This is a significant milestone for Canadian mining, as these are North America’s first fully automated battery-electric loaders,” Sandvik said in a LinkedIn post. “(The Toro LH518iB’s) introduction highlights the potential of automation and electrification in mining.”
The company says the addition of the new heavy loaders will enable New Afton’s operations to “enhance cycle times and reduce heat, noise and greenhouse gas emissions” at the block cave mine – the only such operation (currently) in Canada.
Electrek’s Take
From drilling and rigging to heavy haul solutions, companies like Sandvik are proving that electric equipment is more than up to the task of moving dirt and pulling stuff out of the ground. At the same time, rising demand for nickel, lithium, and phosphates combined with the natural benefits of electrification are driving the adoption of electric mining machines while a persistent operator shortage is boosting demand for autonomous tech in those machines.
The combined factors listed above are rapidly accelerating the rate at which machines that are already in service are becoming obsolete – and, while some companies are exploring the cost/benefit of converting existing vehicles to electric or, in some cases, hydrogen, the general consensus seems to be that more companies will be be buying more new equipment more often in the years ahead.
What’s more, more of that equipment will be more and more likely to be autonomous as time goes on.
We covered the market outlook for autonomous and electric mining equipment earlier this summer, and I posted an episode exploring the growing demand for electric equipment on an episode of Quick Charge I’ve embedded, below. Check it out, then let us know what you think of the future of electric mining in the comments.
More EVs means more mines, equipment
SOURCE | IMAGES: Sandvik, via LinkedIn.
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European logistics firm Contargo is adding twenty of Mercedes’ new, 600 km-capable eActros battery electric semi trucks to its trimodal delivery fleet, bringing zero-emission shipping to Germany’s hinterland.
With over 300 miles of all-electric range, the new Mercedes eActros 600 electric semi truck was designed for (what a European would call) long-haul trucking. Now, after officially entering production at the company’s Wörth plant in Bavaria last month, the eActros 600 is reaching its first customer: Contargo.
With the addition of the twenty new Mercedes, Contargo’s electric truck fleet has grown to 60 BEVs, with plans to increase that total to 90. And, according to Mercedes, Contargo is just the first.
The German truck company says it has plans to deliver fifty (50) of the 600 kWh battery-equipped electric semi trucks to German shipping companies by the close of 2024.
Contargo’s 20 eActros 600 trucks were funded in part by the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport as part of a broader plan to replace a total of 86 diesel-engined commercial vehicles with more climate-friendly alternatives. The funding directive is coordinated by NOW GmbH, and the applications were approved by the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility.
Electrek’s Take
Electric semi trucks are racking up millions of miles in the US, and abroad. As more and more pilot programs begin to pay off, they’re going to lead to more orders for battery electric trucks and more reductions in both diesel demand and harmful carbon emissions.
We can’t wait to see more.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Contargo, via Electrive.
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