Ontario bids for EV battery tech leadership in Canada

As Western automakers seek to end their over-reliance on China, Canada’s rich mineral wealth—particularly lithium, cobalt, copper, and nickel—may be enough to establish its future as a crucial North American electric vehicle (EV) battery material supplier. However, its native expertise could be the factor that ultimately secures its prestige.

The University of Calgary has been at the cutting edge of solid-state battery research since 2017, and Dalhousie University in Halifax plans to open the Canadian Battery Innovation Centre (CBIC) on its campus by Q3 2025. Meanwhile, two researchers from the University of Waterloo (UoW), Linda Nazar and Michael Pope, are spearheading a new facility for their province: the Ontario Battery and Electrochemistry Research Centre (OBEC).