The establishment of the first overseas factory to produce batteries for the German car manufacturer “Volkswagen” will be the share of the province of Ontario.

Today, Volkswagen, the largest car manufacturer in Europe, announced that its subsidiary PowerCo will establish an electric vehicle battery production facility in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada.

Following this announcement, the Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, and the Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Vic Fedeli, made the following joint statement:

“Earlier today, Volkswagen announced that it had chosen St. Thomas, Ontario, to establish its first overseas battery production plant. This is a strong and important sign of confidence in Canada and Ontario and in our joint efforts to make the country and the province leaders in the electric vehicle supply chain.

This is a historic investment that affirms the strength of the ecosystem in Canada for battery manufacturing, in addition to the competitive business environment in Ontario. We are the preferred destination that provides companies with everything they need to invest and grow. In addition, Canada and Ontario provide a stable environment for their trading partners, especially with a highly skilled workforce, clean energy sources, abundant critical minerals, access to markets, and thriving automotive and battery sectors.

This investment is also an important step as we seek to build a clean transportation sector to meet the demand in North America and the world for zero-emission vehicles.

We will continue to build on this progress by developing our electric vehicle production ecosystem and supporting clean technologies to create good-paying jobs, drive economic growth, and ensure prosperity for future generations.”