Taiga Motors’ first all-electric snowmobiles have begun to be assembled, but in Montreal rather than Shawinigan, Mauricie, as expected.
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“The team is very proud to have started for the first time in the history of the world, the delivery of 100% electric snowmobiles”, boasted Samuel Bruneau, president and CEO of Taiga Motors and co-inventor of the electric snowmobile.
In July 2021, Taiga had however announced that the commercial plant would be built in Shawinigan. Construction was to start a month later. But to date, nothing has changed on the chosen ground.
Taiga assures that his plans for Shawinigan have not changed.
“We aim to build more than 50,000 units per year [de motoneiges et de motomarines] and that has to be done in Shawinigan,” insisted Samuel Bruneau.
The mayor of Shawinigan remains confident despite the delay in the project. “The land is purchased. Funding is attached. The resolutions are adopted”, confided Michel Angers.
For the construction in Shawinigan, Taiga had obtained financing in the form of loans of $40 million from Quebec and Ottawa.
“The valley of the battery, the valley of renewable energy I think I believe in it a lot”, launched the Minister of the Economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, to express his firm desire to see electric recreational vehicles be beautiful and well made in Shawinigan.
Minister François-Philippe Champagne also wants to be reassuring. “Listen, there is no stake. The funding is for the plant in Shawinigan,” hammered home the federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.