This third annual conference brings together industry leaders shaping Canada’s electric vehicle supply chain and advanced manufacturing.
Images from previous editions of the EV Innovation & Technology Conference
Tickets have sold out for the 2024 conference. Join us in 2025!
“Every vehicle is being rethought, not just in terms of design, but in terms of supply chain.”
Linda Hasenfratz, Linamar Corporation, at the 2023 EV Innovation & Technology Conference
Previous Speakers
Robert Weggässer
Senior Director Finance and Interim Chief Financial Officer
Volkswagen St. Thomas Gigafactory
Johnna Muinonen
President
Dumont Nickel
Simon Thibault
EV Critical Materials Leader, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain
General Motors
Luc Hovan
Vice President, Integration & Infrastructure
Northvolt North America
Hon. Vic Fedeli
Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
Government of Ontario
Saga Williams
Senior Advisor, External Relations
First Nations Major Projects Coalition
Sarah Goldfeder
Director, Government Relations and Corporate Affairs
General Motors Canada
Rick Borns
Director of Engineering, Structures Group
Linamar
Michael Metzger
Herzberg-Dahn Chair for Advanced Battery Research
Jeff Dahn Research Group
Alla Kolesnikova
Head of Data and Analytics
Adamas Intelligence
Moe Kabbara
Vice President
The Transition Accelerator;
Senior Advisor
Accelerate
Mark McArthur
Director, Research & Development
NOVONIX Battery
Technology Solutions
Robert Mastrotto
Vice President, Projects
Next Generation Manufacturing Canada
Narayan Kar
Director, CHARGE Lab and Canada Research Chair in EVs
University of Windsor
Michelle Llambías Meunier
Chief Executive Officer
Propulsion Québec
Eric Desaulniers
Chief Executive Officer
Nouveau Monde Graphite
Sean Grixti
Director, Circular Partnerships
Cyclic Materials
Samantha Espley
Senior Advisor – Mining, Minerals and Metals, Canada
Stantec
Khadija Yazda
Product Manager, High Voltage Battery Systems
Electrovaya
Flavio Volpe
President
Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association
Emma Jarratt
Executive Editor
Electric Autonomy
Matthew Fortier
President and Chief Executive Officer
Accelerate
Mona Eghanian
Assistant Vice-President, Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network
Ontario Centre of Innovation
John Laughlin
Chief Technology Officer
Next Generation Manufacturing Canada
Conference program: Building the ecosystem
Recent growth in Canada’s electric vehicle and battery supply chain sectors has been nothing short of phenomenal. But industrial transformation is a long game. Maintaining or surpassing the scale and economic impact of our current automotive sector is the challenge that’s on the table.
Critical to this transformation is assuring that the companies, projects and relationships now emerging — in critical minerals, battery resources, advanced manufacturing, vehicle components, battery making, EV assembly — come together to produce an ecosystem that is greater than the sum of its parts.
That’s the focus of the EV Innovation & Technology Conference 2024 and why we’re gathering Canada’s leaders in this emerging value chain. Will you join us?
Previous Agenda (2024)
| 7:45am | Registration and Breakfast |
| 8:45am | Conference Begins Welcome, Land Acknowledgement and Introductions Speakers: • Nino Di Cara, Founder & President, Electric Autonomy Canada • John Laughlin, Chief Technology Officer, Next Generation Manufacturing Canada |
| 9:00am | Opening Keynote: PowerCo Powers Up The biggest storyline in Canada’s EV supply chain in 2023 was the unveiling of two new battery gigafactories. The largest of these, from Volkswagen, through its battery arm PowerCo, is a 90-GWh battery cell factory on a 370-acre site in St. Thomas, Ont. Scheduled to open in 2027, the Volkswagen St. Thomas Gigafactory — VW’s first in North America and largest outside of Germany — will create 3,000 direct jobs, up to 30,000 indirect jobs and produce one million batteries per year. With site preparation now complete, senior director of finance and interim chief financial officer Robert Weggässer will share the project’s latest details and next steps, including its supply chain development and integration with the regional and national industry ecosystem. Speaker: • Robert Weggässer, Senior Director of Finance and Interim Chief Financial Officer, Volkswagen St. Thomas Gigafactory |
| 9:35am | Presentation and Panel: Priorities for Maximizing Canada’s EV Supply Chain This stage-setting session will identify the key issues industry, labour and policy makers must tackle to fully realize Canada’s EV opportunity. Moe Kabbara, who leads Accelerate’s Battery Innovation Roadmap project, will open with an overview on the current status of Canada’s EV/battery ecosystem. Panelists will then engage in a candid discussion identifying current strengths and gaps in Canada’s developing EV ecosystem and sharing their insights on critical next steps to achieve long-term success. Talking points will be drawn, in part, from Accelerate’s recent CEO report, “Seizing Canada’s Opportunity: Defining and Building a Successful ZEV Industry.” Speakers: • Moe Kabbara, Vice President, The Transition Accelerator; Senior Advisor, Accelerate • Robert Mastrotto, Vice President, Projects, Next Generation Manufacturing Canada • Narayan Kar, Director, CHARGE Lab and Canada Research Chair in EVs, University of Windsor • Michelle LLambías Meunier, Chief Executive Officer, Propulsion Québec (Moderator) |
| 10:30am | Networking Coffee Break This coffee break is sponsored by 3Degrees |
| 10:55am | Panel: New Materials Supply: Critical Minerals Sourcing Integration The race is on to develop Canada’s critical minerals resources and to supply the new precursor and battery plants. Mines are coming online, sourcing deals with battery companies, CAM producers and automakers are being put into place. Of all the parts of the Canadian EV/battery ecosystem, this is the newest frontier. What are the linkages between these players? What is missing/required behind the scenes to put sourcing deals/production in place? What is Canada’s full potential in this space? Speakers: • Simon Thibault, EV Critical Materials Leader, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, General Motors • Johnna Muinonen, President, Dumont Nickel • Saga Williams, Senior Advisor, External Relations, First Nations Major Projects Coalition • Alla Kolesnikova, Head of Data and Analytics, Adamas Intelligence • Eric Desaulniers, Chief Executive Officer, Nouveau Monde Graphite • Samantha Espley, Senior Advisor, Mining, Metals, Minerals – Canada, Stantec (Moderator) |
| 11:55am | Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) Project Announcement Speakers: • Mona Eghanian, Assistant Vice-President, OVIN, Ontario Centre of Innovation |
| 12:05pm | Lunch |
| 1:10pm | Panel: Next-Generation Manufacturing: Process Innovation Gigacasting. Rare earths. Battery components. This panel features elite companies in different segments of the EV/battery supply chain with a key trait in common: all are creating new EV-sector opportunities with world-leading process innovations. The session will highlight each firm’s innovation and the strategies they are using to move them into the broader supply chain. What challenges and obstacles are involved? What support is needed? How does each become part of the new EV ecosystem? What are the lessons learned? Speakers: • Rick Borns, Director of Engineering, Structures Group, Linamar • Mark McArthur, Director, R&D, Novonix Battery Technology Solutions • Sean Grixti, Director, Circular Partnerships, Cyclic Materials • Mona Eghanian, Assistant Vice-President, OVIN, Ontario Centre of Innovation (Moderator) |
| 2:00pm | Presentation: Project Arrow 2.0: A Flagship for Canada’s EV Ecosystem Project Arrow 2.0 is the just-announced APMA-led successor program to the original Project Arrow, aka “Canada’s car,” which was unveiled in early 2023. Project Arrow 2.0’s goal is to produce a series of 10 to 20 vehicles featuring upgraded technology and new suppliers in a program designed to help solve Canada’s EV ecosystem challenges. With Project Arrow 2.0’s RFP open until spring, APMA president Flavio Volpe will discuss the project goals and outline how members of Canada’s EV value chain can contribute and benefit in the process. Speaker: • Flavio Volpe, President, Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association |
| 2:30pm | Networking Coffee Break This coffee break is sponsored by 3Degrees |
| 3:10pm | Fireside Chat: The Future of Batteries: Facts, Fiction and Fearless Forecasts This session is sponsored by Neo Battery Materials Inc. Building better batteries is a global arms race in the EV sector. The Jeff Dahn Research Group lab at Dalhousie University, with its strong ties to Tesla, is responsible for many breakthroughs in this space. Michael Metzger, one of two research chairs who joined the lab in 2021, is a world leader in battery physics. In this fireside chat with Electric Autonomy’s Emma Jarratt, he’ll discuss some of the advances he and his colleagues are working on and offer his views on the near-term future of battery technology – chemistries, speeds, opportunities, challenges. Speakers: • Michael Metzger, Herzberg-Dahn Chair for Advanced Battery Research, Jeff Dahn Research Group • Emma Jarratt, Executive Editor, Electric Autonomy (moderator) |
| 3:45pm | Closing Panel: New Production Hubs: OEMs and Battery Makers This session is sponsored by Linde Canada Inc. Assembly plants are where the vehicles of today and tomorrow come together, but the production networks they rely on consist of hundreds of companies and many thousands of workers and communities. As the industry pivots from ICEV assembly to BEVs and PHEVs, many of those connections are being created anew, posing critical economic, commercial and policy challenges. For the vehicle makers and new battery plants at the centre of these hubs, building these new networks is one of their most important strategic concerns. This session brings together senior OEM and battery sector leaders to discuss how those new supply chains are being built. What lessons does their experience hold for the ecosystems currently forming in Canada? Speakers: • Luc Hovan, Vice President, Integration & Infrastructure, Northvolt North America • Sarah Goldfeder, Director of Government Relations and Corporate Affairs, General Motors Canada • Khadija Yazda, Product Manager, High Voltage Battery Systems, Electrovaya • Matthew Fortier, President and CEO, Accelerate (Moderator) |
| 4:30pm | Fireside Chat: The Honourable Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Government of Ontario Speaker: • Hon. Vic Fedeli, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Government of Ontario |
| 5:00pm-7:00pm | Cocktail Reception |
Who should attend?
- Automotive industry professionals
- Researchers and innovators in the electric vehicle sector
- Strategic investors
- Government and policymakers
Tickets are limited.
Note that the 2023 edition was a sold-out event.
Media attendance
Media who would like to report on the event may apply to attend by sending a request to evit@electricautonomy.com
- Understand the latest innovations across the EV value chain
- Meet Canadian companies working on cutting-edge technology
- Collaborate to develop a national capability for advanced manufacturing
Date: February 6, 2025
Venue: York University
Second Student Centre, Second Floor, 15 Library Lane, North York, ON M3J 2S5
This LEED gold certified building features modern conference facilities. Register for transit and on-site parking details.
Conference pass rate: $389. Your one-day conference pass includes access to all speaker sessions, lunch, coffee breaks and a networking cocktail reception in the evening.
Sponsorship packages are available for industry-relevant organizations. Please contact us for more information.
The EV Innovation & Technology Conference is brought to you in partnership with NGen
NGen is the industry-led, non-profit organization leading Canada’s Global Innovation Cluster for Advanced Manufacturing. It is founded on the principle that digital transformation in advanced manufacturing will enrich the lives of Canadians, delivering better products and good jobs while generating the economic growth essential to a better future.
The EV Innovation & Technology Conference is powered by Electric Autonomy
Electric Autonomy is an independent media and events company reporting on the transition to zero emission vehicles and autonomous mobility. Its mission is to accelerate change by bringing together thought leaders across industry, government and research through editorial, events, education and other innovative programming.
