Federal Government to fund research and development of zero emission vehicles

The government of Canada is launching a new program called the e-Auto Challenge that it hopes will speed up the growth of Canada’s EV and zero-emissions vehicle economy.

This program aims to research next-generation electric motors, advanced power electronics, optimized battery systems, charging infrastructure and connected/autonomous vehicle systems.

To do this, the program will collaborate with stakeholders in Canada’s existing automotive and EV markets and academics in the field to help accelerate the development and deployment of EV technologies in Canada. The program is looking for input and asks anyone with ideas to email them at e-auto-auto-a@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.

The new Auto Challenge program operates under the National Research Council (NRC) and will provide funding to help fill the gaps in Canada’s EV supply chain. In a statement to Electric Autonomy Canada, acting director Eddy Zuppel claims that there have been lots of anchor investments made in the country related to batteries and EV manufacturing, but there are sill gaps that need to be filled to round out the whole system.

The e-Auto Challenge will officially open in mid-2025 and will accept its first round of proposals in 2026. Electric Autonomy Canada mentions that there will be around two to three million dollars available every year to support ideas to help Canada’s EV chain grow.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: NRC Canada, Electric Autonomy Canada