As one of the top Toyota dealerships in Ontario, we're intensely interested in the local manufacturing economy - and things look good! While many people don't realize it - yet - Ontario is actually very well positioned to become a leader in manufacturing electric cars. With more manufacturers starting to look towards local manufacturing, or at least keeping it within the North American continent, we're very hopeful for Ontario's future!
Why would Ontario be great for building electric cars? Here are just a few reasons.
Significant Existing Factories and Infrastructure
The 500-mile corridor from Ottawa to Windsor actually has one of the highest concentrations of automotive factories and associated service businesses in the world. It features five separate automobile manufacturers and is second only to Michigan in overall North American car manufacturing.
So, there is already a large infrastructure in place, including power systems, roads, transportation systems, and more - all of which are focused on automotive manufacturing. It would be easy for this to shift from traditional cars to electric vehicles instead.
Many Natural Resources Suitable for Battery Manufacturing
One of the biggest challenges in building electric cars is sourcing and building the cutting-edge batteries needed to power them. The biggest issue is sourcing the minerals needed, such as cobalt, graphite, lithium, and nickel. The main reason such batteries are typically built in China is that China is rich in these resources.
Except, know who else has plenty of those minerals? That's right, Ontario. Canada is the only western-hemisphere nation with abundant resources needed to create large Lithium-ion batteries, so why aren't we more involved in the process?
An Excellent Workforce Ready to Go
Thanks to Canada's wonderful educational system, we have one of the most educated workforces in the world - almost 60% of the working population has a tertiary degree. This is vital, due to how new and different EV manufacturing is from older car manufacturing methods. A highly educated workforce is better suited to adapt to new techniques and keep up with technological change as it happens.
All this adds up to Ontario being in a unique position to take advantage of electric car manufacturing - if we decide to seize the opportunity. 1000 Islands Toyota will be following these issues carefully, and we'll be pulling for our province to be home to the next generation of EV manufacturing centers.
Meanwhile, if you're looking for great Toyota electric cars, come on by for a test drive!
