The prototype for what could be the “first all-Canadian zero-emission vehicle” has been unveiled at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Project Arrow, which claims to be the first zero-emission connected vehicle completely designed and built in Ontario, is the product of a collaboration between more than 50 Ontario innovators.
Led by the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA), Project Arrow’s objective is to demonstrate the capabilities of Ontario’s automotive supply chain on a global stage.
“The Ontario government challenged us to build this vehicle and they were the first to support us when we launched Project Arrow.”
– Flavio Volpe, APMA president
The vehicle prototype is the culmination of 58 Canadian industry partners working together starting in 2020, including companies like Michelin, Toyota Manufacturing Canada, and Autodesk, as well as academic institutions such as University of Waterloo and Ontario Tech University.
The National Post reported that Project Arrow has received $5 million from the federal government and $1.8 million from the Ontario government, with the Québec government helping some of the suppliers in its province participating in the project.
“The Ontario government challenged us to build this vehicle and they were the first to support us when we launched Project Arrow,” said Flavio Volpe, president of APMA.
Volpe previously said that each part in the prototype is commercially ready, and the project is looking to sell them to automakers, such as the likes of Tesla, Ford, and Lexus.
Project Arrow started as a design competition held by APMA in 2020 in which students from Carleton University’s School of Industrial Design beat out 25 other applicants across Canada. Ontario Tech University’s Automotive Centre of Excellence is leading the build.
RELATED: Ontario investing $80 million in autonomous vehicle innovation network
The project also enlisted the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation to engineer the virtual model in 2020, and to project a digital twin of its electric vehicle through virtual reality in 2021.
Project Arrow is part of a broader Ontario electric vehicle strategy that aims to bolster the development and manufacturing of zero-emission connected vehicles in the province. In December 2022, the Ontario government announced it is committing $19 million CAD, made through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network, to several regional tech hubs including ventureLAB, Communitech, and Invest WindsorEssex.
Featured image courtesy Government of Ontario.