Bécancour, a charming Canadian city located along the St. Lawrence River, is gaining attention as a key player in the electric vehicle (EV) supply chain in North America. A consortium led by Ford Motor Co, as well as South Korean companies EcoProBM and SK On Co Ltd, is investing 1.2 billion Canadian dollars to set up a production plant for materials for electric vehicle batteries in Bécancour. The goal is to produce 45,000 tons of cathode active materials (CAM) per year, specifically for Ford’s electric fleet. Ford plans to produce higher-grade nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) materials that provide improved performance and longer range for electric vehicles. The facility will provide materials for Ford’s future electric vehicles, particularly trucks.

Bécancour has already attracted the interest of other automotive giants. GM and South Korea’s POSCO Future M have announced plans to expand production capacity at a battery materials plant in the city. The German company BASF SE is also joining the Bécancour bandwagon. The Canadian government is supporting this move towards electric vehicles through conditional loans, tapping into the country’s rich mineral resources such as lithium, nickel and cobalt.

This move to Bécancour underscores Canada’s commitment to a greener future and its involvement in the global electric vehicle supply chain. Ontario, a traditional auto hub, is also seeing investment from companies like Volkswagen and Stellantis. The EV battery game is not just about technology, but also about geopolitical dynamics and industrial hotspots. Bécancour and other cities in Canada are emerging as dark horses of the energy transition.