The Government of Canada announced a $5-million FedDev Ontario investment in the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) to support Project Arrow.

Project Arrow is the automotive industry’s first Canadian-made, zero emission concept vehicle.

As Canada moves closer to a zero emissions future, there is a growing need to manufacture and supply made-in-Canada solutions for its automotive sector.

The Government of Canada is setting a mandatory target for all new light-duty cars and passenger trucks sales to be zero-emission by 2035, accelerating Canada’s previous goal.

Irek Kusmierczyk, Member of Parliament for Windsor–Tecumseh, highlighted the regional impacts it will have in Windsor-Essex.

“Windsor-Essex is capitalizing on this once-in-a-generation shift unfolding in the auto sector and the jobs that come with it, positioning our region as the automobility capital of Canada. With FedDev Ontario support, APMA is leading the charge to accelerate Canada’s transition to a net zero future,” said Kusmierczyk.

With a membership accounting for 90 percent of all independent automotive parts manufacturers in Canada, APMA will utilize its longstanding connections in the automotive manufacturing industry to bring together key industry and academic partners in southern Ontario to facilitate Project Arrow.

The partners will work together to design, engineer and build a connected and autonomous zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) concept car and its digital twin, which will be used as a virtual platform for testing and validating connected and autonomous (CAV) technologies before they are integrated into the physical car.

FedDev Ontario’s investment in this project will support 80 jobs, leverage over $6.6 million in other funding, support at least 40 automotive suppliers and technology firms, and generate $50 million in additional investment.

The FedDev Ontario funded Virtual Reality CAVE at Invest WindsorEssex will be home to some of the key project activities surrounding the digital concept vehicle.

The concept vehicle will be used as a virtual platform for testing and validating connected and autonomous (CAV) technologies before they are integrated into the physical car.

The concept vehicle will also act as a blueprint for battery development and integration, tech transfer and intellectual property development.