Windsor, Sarnia part of project on boosting vehicle innovation
The federal government will invest $8 million and create 345 jobs to launch pilot projects in Windsor, Sarnia and Toronto aimed at supporting more than 40 companies to help in the development and commercialization of new transportation technologies and innovation in southern Ontario.
The Windsor and Sarnia programs will focus on cross-border and multimodal scenarios while Toronto will study urban transportation. Both projects are aimed at commercializing more than 40 new technologies predominantly related to zero-emission and connected autonomous vehicles.
Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario Minister Filomena Tassi announced Thursday at the Canadian International Auto Show that the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) will oversee the two pilots.
“Southern Ontario plays a vital role in driving economic growth, especially when it comes to CAV and Ev-related innovation and production,” Tassi said in a news release.
“OVIN'S Pilot Zones in Toronto and Windsor/sarnia will support the testing and validating of cleaner and more efficient mobility technologies, which will help make a brighter future for us all.”
In addition to the technology pilot zones promoting commercialization, the projects aims to break down barriers to entry and testing in real-world environments.
While no start date for the pilots was released, Automobility and Innovation Centre interim director Ed Dawson said his organization would be involved in providing access to a digital twin of border crossings and in supporting companies developing their technology. The automobility centre is one of OVIN'S seven regional tech centres.
“The tunnel and the Gordie Howe bridge are the facilities I think will be involved in Windsor and the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia,” Dawson said. “They'll be looking at the different crossings, different logistics, different flow of goods and how people move.”
Tassi said southern Ontario is the logical location for the pilot programs with the region having emerged as a hub of zero-emission and autonomous-vehicle research. The region will be home to battery plants in Windsor and St. Thomas and is attracting businesses and entrepreneurs eager to tap into the expanding and increasingly green automobility supply chain.
In the past three years, the automotive and battery sectors have committed more than $28 billion worth of investment in the province. Vic Fedeli — Ontario's minister of economic development, job creation and trade — expects that figure to increase in 2024.
“It is essential that (small and medium-sized businesses) across Ontario are equipped with the tools and resources necessary to ensure their success,” Fedeli said. “The Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network's Technology Pilot Zones will play a key role in fostering innovation, economic growth and supporting job creation.”
Southern Ontario also provides the real-world environments desired for the project with two of Canada's busiest border crossings.
Around a quarter of all traffic annually between Canada and the United States crosses the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor and nearly $10 billion worth of trade each month. Sarnia's Blue Water Bridge is the country's second busiest commercial crossing and the two bridges account for more than 40 per cent of trade flow with the U.S.