As a show of support for made-in-Canada zero-emission vehicles the federal government sent Filomena Tassi, the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), to visit Myant Corp.
According to FedDev Ontario, Myant Corp is a Mississauga-based textile computing company where Tassi met with representatives from the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) to announce a $7 million investment for the expansion of Project Arrow 2.0 — version one (Project Arrow) being the first Canadian-made, connected and autonomous vehicle.
(A previous $5 million-plus investment from FedDev Ontario went towards the design and build of Project Arrow, of which Myant Corp provided knitted sensors and actuators for inside the fabric of the steering wheel.)
“Congratulations to APMA as they show the world once again what Canadian auto parts suppliers, manufacturers and tech companies can do when they work together!” said Tassi in a statement. “Today’s investment is advancing our country’s shift towards electrification in the automotive and manufacturing sectors while positioning Canada’s EV workforce for success.”
APMA President Flavio Volpe said in a statement the federal government’s support for Project Arrow allowed suppliers to tell their tech and advanced workforce story around the world. “The unprecedented demonstration platform’s expansion, in partnership with FedDev Ontario, will enable the APMA to open doors at global automakers for additional Canadian suppliers to help lead their global ZEV transition.”
The association will continue to work alongside Canadian suppliers, technology companies, and academia to build on the success of the first project. Project Arrow 2.0 is expected to create more opportunities for businesses to show their capabilities and components in the fleet.
