The investment will add another link to Canada’s electric vehicle battery supply chain and catapult Eastern Ontario into a sector long dominated by automotive nerve centres in the southwestern part of the province and nearby states.
The plant in nearby Loyalist Township will cover two of the key steps required to prepare metals for use in lithium-ion battery cells. It will blend inputs such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese into precursor cathode active materials , before converting the precursor to battery-ready cathode active materials .The company claims the planned facility is the first-of-its-kind in North America to combine the PCAM and CAM processes on an industrial scale.
CAM is used for a battery’s positive electrode, which typically accounts for about half of an EV battery cell’s cost. A cathode is combined with a negative anode, separator and electrolyte to form a complete battery cell. Cells are then grouped into modules and packs, and a typical EV battery consists of thousands of individual cells.Umicore CEO Mathias Miedreich said putting down roots in Canada will complete the rollout of the company’s EV battery supply chain, which spans three continents.
General Motors, Honda and Stellantis committed billions to retooling southwestern Ontario assembly plants for hybrid or battery-electric vehicles this spring, while a joint venture between battery firm LG Energy Solution and Stellantis announced in March plans to build a roughly $5 billion battery cell plant in Windsor, Ont. The Canadian auto investment tally, which totals more than $13 billion, also includes a pair of CAM plants in Bécancour, Que.