#EST is the ONE OF THE FIRST industry in North America to mobilize and engage its ecosystem with a roadmap of specific actions and a participatory tool that allows everyone to track the progress of 225 project initiatives.
Quebec is a step ahead of the rest of North America in the electric and smart vehicle transition for land transportation, natural resources, technology and innovation, public policy, and testing and experimentation.
Our region is noteworthy for its expertise in the subsectors of rail transportation, recreational vehicles (RVs), special purpose vehicles, and medium and heavy vehicles.
In order to sustain and expand this lead, Propulsion Québec, the electric and smart transportation industry cluster, has developed, with Deloitte, Ambition EST 2030, an acceleration plan that will make Quebec a world leader in electric and smart transportation by 2030.
This project was made possible with the support of Ministère de L’Économie et de l’Innovation, Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, Desjardins, Hydro Québec, IVEY Foundation, Communauté Métropolitaine de Montréal, Deloitte and ISEQ.
« The Propulsion Roadmap charts a new pathway for decarbonization and economic development in Quebec. It offers a compelling vision of Quebec as a world-leader in the industries that will shape our net-zero future. Its scope and ambition — covering smart transportation, electric vehicles, and the battery value chain — is unrivalled. Canada needs this work. The roadmap provides a powerful example of how to do industrial strategy in Canada. Other net-zero industries have much to learn from the vision and the bold action plan on display here. »
Bentley Allan
Associate Professor of Political Science,
Johns Hopkins University/Resident Fellow,
Transition Accelerator
Want to get involved?
Organizations in Quebec and across Canada already are.
The electric and smart transportation (EST) ecosystem roadmap will be a chance for Quebec to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improve transportation and mobility for Quebecers, make Quebec businesses more competitive, and boost a key sector of the economy.
Meet our huge local need for electric and smart transportation by 2030 by improving our trade balance with locally produced strategic infrastructure and vehicles.
Help our neighbors meet their needs and allow Quebec to benefit economically. Exporting EST goods and services world renowned for their quality and innovation will help secure Quebec’s place as an industry leader.
Play a key role in approaching North American climate targets so we can improve our environmental record and position Quebec as a trailblazer.
We did a strategic assessment that involved mapping our ecosystem and extensively consulting our members, stakeholders from Quebec’s EST industry, and Deloitte’s network of global experts. We did this by identifying drivers of success for sectoral and regional economic development in competitor jurisdictions (Israel, Singapore, U.K., Michigan, Ontario, and California) and reviewing past actions in Quebec’s history.
We identified 8 key strategic themes for promising niches in our industry and then broke them down into 225 initiatives on an interactive dashboard.
493 organizations identified including 308 private companies.
THEME 1 – Developing a world-class talent pool
THEME 2 – Promoting innovations with strong commercial potential
THEME 3 – Spearheading North America’s EV transition
THEME 4 – Fast-tracking infrastructure rollout
THEME 5 – Promoting secure collaborative data management
THEME 6 – Improving simulation, experimentation, and testing capability to become a global benchmark
THEME 7 – Faster access to capital and financing opportunities
THEME 8 – Using the battery industry to support EST growthThe Ambition 2030 EST roadmap is divided into eight strategic themes or key action areas that provide an effective way to structure our ecosystem
With its Horizon 2050 study, published in 2020, and its En Route! La destination carrières en transports électriques et intelligents project, Propulsion Québec has been sounding the alarm for several years now about current and future labor shortages in the EST sector.
Develop training programs, specialized education, and distinguished research chairs.
Run a targeted campaign to recruit international researchers.
Implement Cité de la mobilité durable, which will provide a space to promote and grow the number of innovative research projects so we can attract the best talent.
1.1.1.1 - Offer mobility scholarships and research projects to students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM): Attract domestic and international students at different levels by setting up graduate scholarships and research projects in collaboration with RSRI, MITACS, and private partners. Organizations participating in this initiative may offer opportunities on their own or as part of a collaborative effort.
1.2.3.1 - Create research chairs in ecosystem growth sectors: In partnership with universities, encourage the establishment of research chairs specific to Quebec’s growth sectors to fuel R&D and accelerate the commercialization of mobility innovations.
Quebec needs to define its R&D strategy for our sector. Ambition 2030 EST has helped identify and prioritize markets with strong commercial potential in certain key sectors and recommends over-investing in R&D in these sectors to maintain and improve our competitive advantage:
Set up an annual R&D forum for the EST sector and develop support tools to help organize R&D consortiums.
Build strategic partnerships for promising niches in Canada and abroad.
Position Quebec as the champion of intellectual property management and ensure EST innovation spinoffs stay in Quebec.
2.2.1.4 - Develop support and guidance tools for the creation of R&D consortiums: Encourage companies with complementary expertise to form consortiums by providing appropriate tools so they can respond to calls for tenders with high-value-added integrated system solutions.
2.2.2.1 - Organize an annual R&D forum for the EST industry: Give ecosystem players an opportunity to discuss cross-cutting collaborative themes, including emerging needs and solutions for the advancement of the industry. at an annual event organized by Propulsion Québec in collaboration with other adjacent sectors (e.g., Cargo M, the aerospace, ICT, AI, and multimedia industries).
Quebec leads the rest of North America in public policy in this area and is known for its electric transition expertise for trains, RVs, special purpose vehicles, and medium and heavy vehicles.
Over-invest in our ecosystem to boost production capacity, identify vital and strategic parts of our value chain, and, where possible, develop local alternatives, new alliances, or new products to help limit our dependence.
Develop tools to track fleet electrification.
Accelerate and support the large-scale electric transition of Quebec’s private and public sector fleets, and aggressively promote it to North American stakeholders to boost industry sales.
3.1.6.1 - Identify gaps in manufacturing capacity in the industry: Analyze unmet needs in the electric vehicle supply chain and identify foreign partners with the potential to support ecosystem growth and help meet demand in Quebec and the rest of Canada.
3.2.1.2 - Develop the tools needed to monitor fleet electrification: Develop tools to monitor the evolution of fleet electrification to validate targets and identify vehicle segments more conducive to the electrical transition.
Electric and smart vehicles are invariably rolled out in tandem with infrastructure. We cannot reach our economic and environmental targets if we don’t have enough EST charging infrastructure.
Track new charging infrastructure technology on an ongoing basis and promote and support this high-value knowledge in our region.
Help Quebec municipalities by drawing up infrastructure rollout plans and developing planning tools for different types of municipalities.
Promote a comprehensive, safe, smart infrastructure rollout in Quebec and around the world and actively promote visionary urban planning for new mobility solutions.
4.1.1.1 - Revisit the public charging business model: Consider new relevant business models, including data monetization, for publicly accessible charging infrastructure to permit more widespread deployment of charging stations and charging capacity better suited to users’ needs.
4.2.2.1 - Develop templates for municipal deployment plans: Help establish a vision and identify mobility needs and solutions for Quebec municipalities by creating planning tools applicable to different archetype municipalities.
Montreal is a renowned global hub for data management, and Quebec’s expertise in AI is an invaluable asset the EST sector should make the most of.
Identify data monetization models that align with the transportation sector, and conduct business model case studies.
Bring the first integrated mobility projects to various Quebec cities.
Set standards and create data management models with fair, transparent, and secure governance to manage mobility data.
5.2.3.1 - Explore opportunities for pilot projects on intermodal freight logistics: Set up demonstration projects on freight transport integration (e.g., port, rail, road), logistics optimization with AI, and service sharing (e.g., vHub).
5.2.3.3 - Consolidate public and private sector mobility service offerings on a digital platform in urban centres: Create a working group made up of various mobility service providers to seek alignment on potential governance models and on conditions for stakeholder participation in a unique digital platform designed to centralize transportation service managemetn in urban centers.
Quebec’s vast geography and unique climate have given rise to organizations with testing expertise and helped make Quebec the perfect terrain to develop EST for every type of environment.
Increase the number of experimental and testing spaces and solutions throughout Quebec and offer comprehensive support services for simulation, experimentation, and testing through Cité de la mobilité durable.
Identify existing skills, equipment, and capabilities at Quebec’s testing centers.
Make the most of Quebec’s virtual simulation strengths and use them for EST.
6.3.2.5 - Create a digital twin of an urban lab environment: Design a virtual representation of an urban laboratory environment, including infrastructure, available modes of transportation, and existing technologies to simulate the introduction of new technologies and correlate virtual results to those of real-world tests.
6.3.3.1 - Document success stories in certification by virtual simulation in Canada and internationally: Determine how international case studies apply to Quebec and analyze the processes that would enable simulation-based certification in Canada in certain cases (e.g., heavy vehicles, aeronautics).
Organizations in the EST ecosystem operate in a competitive environment. Quebec stakeholders are at a disadvantage in relation to their U.S. counterparts when it comes to financing since Quebec financing rounds often last longer and raise less money.
Attract local and foreign businesses and investors with an improved Quebec funding chain at each growth stage. One way to do this is by creating an investment fund to support start-ups and maximize their chance of becoming champions.
Educate ̂local investors on opportunities, business models, and innovative valuation methods in the EST sector.
Update and promote the EST business case to engage potential foreign co-investors.
7.2.1.1 - Update and promote the business case for the EST industry: Develop rationales for different types of investors and promote the business case to investment promotion agencies in the EST industry.
7.2.2.1 - Create and maintain an information document on local and international funding sources: Identify sources of growth stage funding available for EST companies and update this information on a regular basis.
A battery represents 50% of an electric vehicle’s cost. The raw materials used to make batteries are currently exported from Quebec, so we miss out on the added value generated from processing them. Quebec’s ability to compete across the chain will have a key impact on the whole EST ecosystem.
Promote the value proposition of Quebec batteries abroad Organize annual events and conferences for the local and global automotive industry.
Conduct a study on the strategic advantages Quebec could bring to the European and American supply chain so it can become part of their value chains.
Expand the Quebec ecosystem’s reach into Ontario, the rest of Canada, the U.S., and Europe to help cement the reputation of our ecosystem stakeholders as green, reliable, secure suppliers of battery materials and components.
8.1.4.4 - Capitalize on existing expertise and infrastructure to launch a center of expertise and innovation in battery mineral processing: Leverage Corem’s expertise and facilities to establish a center of expertise and innovation in battery mineral processing through a program managed by Corem.
