The Transition Accelerator’s newest report is a call to action for a bold national strategy from the Battery Metals Association of Canada (BMAC) in partnership with Accelerate, Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Supply Chain, and the Energy Futures Lab.
A newly released report outlines a national strategy roadmap to create a made-in-Canada battery metals value chain. The roadmap outlines concrete actions, policy recommendations and cross-cutting initiatives that if implemented, have the potential to position Canada as a global competitor in electric vehicle (EV) production.
In order to retain its global position, meet its climate goals, and keep pace with growing demand, Canada will need to produce 1.3 million zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2030. Addressing the importance of battery metals to meet these needs, the report proposes a shift in the status quo. While upstream mining and downstream manufacturing are well established, the report positions midstream operations, i.e. chemical processing of mined materials into battery active materials, as the crux of a competitive, integrated supply chain driving demand for upstream mining as well as supply for fabrication.
While the development of an electric vehicle ecosystem represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to support long-term Canadian prosperity, getting there will require deliberate, strategic action from government and industry. If Canada wants to lead the way to a net-zero world and be a competitor in its economy, we need to set bold targets, clear timelines, and collaborative goals. This report and the roadmap it provides are the first steps on the way to that robust national strategy.
Bentley Allan, Ph.D, Lead Author and Resident Fellow at The Transition Accelerator
The development of an EV ecosystem industry represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Working collaboratively in partnership with BMAC, the Energy Futures Lab and Accelerate, the report was led by Transition Accelerator’s Resident Fellow for Green Industrial Policy, Bentley Allan, who proposes that “Canada needs a roadmap that provides these targets, timetables, and priority actions to guide and align investments. A roadmap is, in turn, the foundation of a national industrial strategy that positions the industry in the broader domestic and international landscape”.
To accelerate Canada to net zero, the roadmap illustrates the need for a collaborative effort:
- Reaching targets will require a public-private-Indigenous partnership
- The formation of an independent organization and an autonomous government agency or task force
- Guidance for said agency/task force in the form of clear targets and an adaptive set of policy tools to meet the challenge at hand.
The roadmap for Canada’s Battery Value Chain is just that, a mechanism to be brandished for action to provide prosperity on the path to net zero. Find the full report and executive summary here.