VMAC announced its new High-Voltage Electric Vehicle (HVEV) air brake business during a VIP event at its facility in Nanaimo, B.C. The launch celebration on June 27 featured a tour of VMAC's 44,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and was attended by industry leaders and local, provincial, and federal government officials.
"VMAC's new venture is helping the world transition to a zero-emission future with commercial electric vehicle air brake compressors for electric and zero-emission commercial vehicles, including school buses, city buses, and semi-trucks," said Tod Gilbert, president of VMAC.
The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, minister of Emergency Preparedness and minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (PacifiCan), announced via news release over $3.1 million in funding for VMAC through PacifiCan's Business Scale-up and Productivity program.
"Today's announcement demonstrates PacifiCan's commitment to nurturing local businesses and helping them compete globally. This investment will give VMAC the resources it needs to meet the demand for its innovations and create good quality jobs here in B.C.," said Minister Sajjan.
VMAC's HVEV business has also received funding and support from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), the B.C. Manufacturing Jobs Fund, and the Canada Trade Commission's CanExport SMEs. Representatives from each organization spoke at VMAC's event.
"VMAC is grateful for the local, provincial, and federal support that allows us to expand into new markets, grow exports, create new manufacturing jobs, invest in innovative technology and equipment, and enhance processes to develop B.C.-manufactured clean technology for heavy-duty electric vehicles," said Gilbert.
