Volkswagen EV Battery Plant Coming to St. Thomas

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Tuesday, 14 March 2023 06:33

Volkswagen is going to open its first overseas EV battery plant in St. Thomas, with production scheduled to begin in 2027.

ST. THOMAS - Volkswagen has announced plans for its first overseas gigafactory in the Railway City.

Volkswagen Group and it's battery company PowerCo will establish an EV battery plant in St. Thomas and production is supposed to begin in 2027.

Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne issued the following joint statement with Ontario's Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli yesterday

"Earlier today, Volkswagen announced that it has selected St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, as the location to build the company’s first overseas battery cell plant. Today’s news is a major vote of confidence in Canada and Ontario, and in our shared work to position the country and the province as a global leader in the electric vehicle supply chain.

This historic investment is a testament to Canada’s strong and growing battery ecosystem and Ontario’s competitive business environment. With a highly skilled workforce, clean energy, an abundance of critical minerals, access to markets, and a flourishing automotive and battery sector, we are an attractive investment destination with everything companies need to grow. In addition, Canada and Ontario offer stability and predictability to their business partners.

This investment is another significant step forward as we build a clean transportation sector to meet global and North American demand for zero-emission vehicles.

“We will continue to build on this success by growing our EV ecosystem and supporting clean technology to create well-paying jobs and spur economic growth and prosperity for future generations."

Flavio Volpe, the president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association, says this is all thanks to the hard work by both the federal and provincial governments.

We are thrilled to share that Volkswagen Group and PowerCo will be building a battery cell factory in St. Thomas, Ont, putting Canada and its workers in the fast lane of Volkswagen’s global shift to electric mobility. Find out more at https://t.co/I7qpOA9xHY pic.twitter.com/CMSTSIU2M4
— Volkswagen Canada (@VWcanada) March 13, 2023

It’s official: @VWGroup has chosen Canada as the site of their first-ever overseas battery cell factory – good news for our workers, our environment, and our economy. We’ll keep working to attract investments like this as we grow our electric vehicle supply chain.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 13, 2023

Another vote of confidence in our plan to build.

We’re unlocking the economic potential of critical minerals and investing in clean steel. We’re getting people into the skilled trades. We’re building the cars and batteries of the future.

Volkswagen, welcome to Team Ontario.
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) March 13, 2023