Accelerating Innovation and Training on Vehicle Electrification for Canada's Electric Vehicle Future

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A transition from conventional fossil-fuel vehicles to zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) is essential if Canada plans to achieve emissions reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement. Problematically, data for 2019 shows Canada making no real progress, with transportation emissions continuing to rise across the country (ECCC 2021). Given the magnitude of the task at hand, significant additional efforts are required (White 2021; Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development 2021). At the same time, Canada faces intense emerging competition that is largely beyond our control, including the potential to constrain domestic businesses and job development, e.g., tax incentives luring mainstream manufacturing of electric passenger vehicles to the U.S. and away from Canada (Markusoff 2021). These combined pressures emphasize a need to develop novel opportunities based significantly on specialized applications, for which Canadian businesses can build leadership opportunities over at least the medium term, enhance relevant training and upskill our workforce. This proposal is built around three main themes described later in more detail, with all three relating to the existing novel strengths of RRC Polytech. The first theme involves research on niche-oriented vehicle electric conversions as future domestic business markets and ways to repurpose already used electric vehicle batteries. The second theme involves researching novel charging approaches to cost-efficient vehicles and not overstressing the existing electrical infrastructure. The third theme involves researching the initial implementation of standardized conversion packages as a cost-efficient means to implement broader training and direct experience opportunities for students to understand and work on electric vehicles. None of these involve mainstream priorities and are not subject to intense competitive pressures yet represent niche-oriented opportunities initially applicable on a local/regional basis but potentially with important national implications.