NextStar 'full speed ahead' with Ontario EV battery production amid Trump tariff uncertainty
CBC
Windsor, Ont.,'s massive electric vehicle battery plant expects to start producing cells by July — amid uncertainty surrounding possible automotive-related tariffs imposed by the U.S., as threatened by Donald Trump during his election campaign.
According to NextStar's chief operating officer Joe Araujo, things remain "full speed ahead."
"Our two parent companies, Stellantis and LG Energy Solutions have had relationships with both the governments of the United States and here in Canada, and they'll continue to collaborate with the leaders of those two countries," he told CBC News.
Araujo says they're also not worried about jobs being affected by the shift in U.S. government.
"There's no concern from our end. By the end of next year, we'll have everything in place to run."
In October, the EV battery plant announced it had begun module production at the southwestern Ontario factory — labelling it as a "pivotal landmark" for its operations.
Modules are groups of battery cells. The cells themselves are currently being shipped in from Poland but by next summer they're expected to also be produced in-house in Windsor.
"In July of 2025 we will be producing cells which go into those modules," said Araujo.
He says the modules currently being produced in Windsor remain in their "launch phase," and are being delivered to Stellantis assembly lines across North America.
"They're flexible for any vehicle that we build."
Eventually, he says, their modules will also end up going to the Windsor assembly plant.
Araujo says he expects Stellantis to inform the public what plants are using the modules "when the timing is right."
The Windsor EV battery factory is expected to be physically complete by mid-2025, according to Arajuo. Equipment will continue to be installed in phases.
So far, he says, roughly 570 people have been hired across a range of mainly engineering and technician positions. And that number is expected to grow to more than 600 as the calendar flips into the new year.
CBC Newfoundland and Labrador is kicking off its annual holiday campaign, helping to raise money to support local food banks.
If all goes according to plan, at 6 a.m. AT on Saturday people working at the IWK Health Centre will become the test case for a generational change to Nova Scotia’s health-care system.
One month after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced what he called "generational" military spending, New Brunswick’s defence ecosystem is on high alert.
Miranda Mirlycourtois, 34, looks directly at the camera and makes a confession.
Saskatoon city hall says police spending is projected to be $2.6 million over budget this year. That pushes the city into a $1.2-million deficit position, according to a report that will be considered by city council next week.
Students at the University of Regina are days away from deciding whether a newly formed student association should become their official representative body.
All public schools on P.E.I. are closed Friday and thousands of Maritime Electric customers are without power as strong winds create hazardous travel conditions across the province.
Prince Rupert, B.C., residents are celebrating the holidays this year with coastal flair.
In the four years Chelsey Simmonds has worked at the Eva Rothwell Centre, she has seen the need increase every year at the centre’s community food pantry.
CBC is once again looking to make the holiday season kind in Windsor-Essex.
Acute Care Alberta has extended its contract for another year with a private surgical facility at the centre of probes into health procurement and contracting.
As food bank use continues to climb across the province, front-line workers in Thunder Bay, Ont., are working to improve both food security and education.
More ads could soon be coming to Toronto’s subway system.