Taiga collects $50M in public funding for new Quebec plant
- Details
- July 14, 2021
Click image to enlargeTaiga Motors Corp., a manufacturer of electric off-road vehicles has raised a combined $50M in support from federal, provincial and municipal governments for its Shawinigan Mass-Production Assembly Facility.
The facility planned for in Shawinigan, Que., will produce electric snowmobiles and watercrafts, along with their associated battery packs and powertrain systems.
The project represents a total investment of approximately $125,17 million. Taiga will receive $10 million in federal funding, $30 million in provincial funding and $10 million in municipal funding.
Taiga says this funding will accelerate production of its off-road vehicle platforms and powertrains while simultaneously optimizing and automating the battery production.
"This factory will allow Taiga to become the first Canadian EV manufacturer to integrate both automated powertrain assemblies and electric vehicle platforms under one roof,” says Samuel Bruneau, CEO and co-founder of Taiga. “Thanks to the financing provided by the federal, provincial and municipal governments, we will be able to rapidly increase manufacturing capacity while continuing to drive innovation so that Quebec and Canada can remain leaders disrupting the global powersports market towards a more positive future of outdoor exploration without compromise."
The facility will use a vertically integrated and modular approach, leveraging proprietary software and hardware technology across vehicle builds for increased economies of scale and reduced development times for new vehicles.
Advancements in automated manufacturing have allowed Taiga to innovate in electric powertrain production processes that will drive down costs to accelerate electrification in the off-road sector.
The highly advanced high-volume powersport production facility is expected to become operational in the second half of 2022 with manufacture of Taiga personal watercrafts and snowmobiles, alongside built-in flexibility for new off-road vehicles as they are brought to market. In parallel with vehicle production, the Shawinigan facility is capable of an annual production of three (3) gigawatt hours-worth of battery modules and packs.
The projected is expected to create 370 high quality jobs and to develop a local supply chain of materials and components.