Appendix A - Economic Development and Electric Infrastructure

Provided By: The WindsorEssex Economic

Development Corporation (WE EDC)

Report Date: Friday July 31, 2020

smackenzie@choosewindsoressex.com

 

To: Council

Subject: Economic development activities and electric infrastructure as per the WindsorEssex Economic development Corporation (WE EDC)

Request by the Council: “Asks Administration to prepare a report on policy and/or bylaw changes that require new construction projects in the City of Windsor to prepare for electric infrastructure including, at a minimum, the rough-in necessary to facilitate future transition to electric vehicles. In addition, report back on best practices or policies that would benefit existing buildings to convert as needed.”

Reasoning:

The WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation (WE EDC) is the leading economic development agency for the Windsor-Essex Region. In an effort to help diversify the Windsor-Essex Region, WE EDC has developed a strategy to help shift the economy from being Canada’s Automotive Capital to Canada’s Automobility Capital. Electrification of mobility (this includes the development and manufacturing of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and the community infrastructure to power these vehicles) is one of the four priority areas being pursued by WE EDC.

Electrification offers one of the areas of economic potential advancement for Canada, as the Government of Canada has mandated that by 2040 all new vehicles can no longer produce emissions. Twenty years is a limited amount of time to make the switch considering that there is currently no Canadian company that can fully produce a domestically made electric vehicle. To help spur the development and purchase of ZEVs, the Government of Canada has committed to invest $300 Million over 3 years on purchasing incentives for eligible ZEVs and $130 Million over 5 years for E-Vehicle and alternative fuel infrastructure deployment. Windsor has a unique opportunity to participate and lead developments in the electric vehicle space. WE EDC is fully committed to lead the charge and support Windsor’s electrification efforts.

  1. E-Vehicle Ramp-Up Factory
WE EDC is in discussions with a global consortium to establish an e-vehicle ramp-up factory. The goal is to create a Ramp-Up Factory that produces electric vehicles, designed built and assembled in Canada. It will be the first-of-its-kind in Canada and can be used to create electric vehicle fleets for governments and other organizations. The idea of an e-vehicle Ramp-up Factory offers various benefits including the reduction of product development and industrialization costs, provides access to prototyping and manufacturing infrastructure, allows facilitation of collaborations between start-ups, SMEs, OEMs and academia all under one roof and one shared vision. There is currently a feasibility study that