Governments around the world are rushing to find ways to get ahead in the electric vehicle (EV) game.

But right now there is a real tug-of-war between intent and reality. During this year’s Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS), Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association (APMA) President Flavio Volpe discussed what our real electric future could and should look like.

“While governments are rushing to announce deadlines for zero-emissions vehicles, the car companies also are vying to get there first,” said Volpe in a morning keynote address. “Jaguar's going to get there in 2025, but Ford will already be done, GM will be there, and Volkswagen will also beat them. But then I wonder, who's going to plug them all in and where?”

That’s just one of the thought propositions Volpe expressed as the automotive world transitions from combustion engines to a zero-emission, augmented-reality vehicle platform. And while we don’t know exactly what this will look like, industry and government need to come together to ensure that we best prepare ourselves for whatever is next.

“We launched our own project building a Canadian showcase vehicle,” said Volpe. “We have everything in this country. We do the tooling, raw material manipulation, design engineering, supply of all kinds of different assemblies, and build vehicles. We can make everything in this country for a vehicle. And then it begs the question, why don’t we?”

APMA’s Project Arrow brought together partners from across the automotive space in Canada and challenged them to do better. With the help of a former Aston Martin chief engineer, the project worked to develop the latest Canadian technology and demonstrate the power and creativity of a vehicle of the future.

But Volpe noted that it’s not just vehicle production that the industry needs to contend with. Infrastructure itself needs to change. What will be the standard distance between charging stations? What if we all plug in at the same time? Power generation companies need to be a part of these electrification conversations.

And what about the battery?

“If you put a shovel in the ground in Northern Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, you'll find all the lithium needed,” said Volpe. “We need to get all the nickel, cobalt, [and] graphite out of the ground. How much are extraction costs? What about processing? We need to have a whole cluster of Canadian companies doing this for lithium. If we want to be leaders in this space, we need to find a way to make batteries at home. It’s going to cost money, but if we don’t do it, someone else will.”

The transition also is going to affect Canadian automotive giants like Martinrea, which currently employ thousands of Canadian workers. Without a solid business plan to transition to the EV space, another company may emerge as a leader and replace them. What happens to those employees then?

“We're working with Martinrea and a graphite company, NanaXplore, to set up a joint venture called Volta Xplore to make graphene-enhanced batteries,” said Volpe. “Will they work? I don't know, but we bet on Martinrea because they need to be part of this transition to 2035.”

The transition also will affect the tens of thousands of gas stations that will start to become obsolete over the next 15 years. That means there is a need to work with the people that own those businesses and those who are part of that driving network.

And with an 800-V system, it’s not necessarily going to be a local mechanic fixing the batteries, either. It's going to have to be a whole other group of people that have trained to work with high-voltage products.

“And what happens when we can't hear vehicles?” asked Volpe. “What happens when the batteries and motors are not where most people expect them to be in the vehicle? We are redefining what a vehicle is. And with connected, autonomous technology, the question is not whether it’s possible, but rather is it commercially viable in a scalable fashion, and when can we get new infrastructure players in place.”

The entire vision of what constitutes a vehicle has to change.

“There are so many people that need to be brought into this discussion, like the insurance business,” said Volpe. “This new concept will only work because it's got the most advanced sensors and dimension cameras interacting with infrastructure, wearables, the cloud, pedestrians, and the other cars. They many generate hundreds of thousands of terabytes of data in its lifespan. It's a security question. It's a privacy question. And it’s a question about the value of data.”

The data also is meaningless unless you can do something with it. And it will even affect city planning. For example, will we need streetlights if a human isn’t driving the car?

“This brings me to the relationship with the consumer,” said Volpe. “With the Arrow project, one thing we are looking at is the orientation of technology. What can we do with it? What if the vehicle has a caregiver orientation to it, where if a passenger has a health emergency, it can transport you to safe harbour. Or if you have a chronic condition or are a drinker, what will your relationship be with the vehicle? What will your relationship be with the company who sold you the car?”

This wave of innovation is pushing the automotive industry to think big and it sends ripples through many industries.

If we are talking about EVs and batteries, we need to think about who the suppliers are going to be. Canada has the capacity to be a leader in this space, it’s just a matter of asking the right questions, talking to the right players, getting investments, and getting the job done.

Volpe ended by posing the question, “Are we ready for tomorrow?”

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