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Ford announced an investment of Can$1.8 billion (US$1.3 billion) Tuesday to retool its Canadian assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario to make electric vehicles and batteries for the North American market.

The complex “will be a high-volume manufacturing hub for North American EV production, repurposing existing buildings into a state-of-the-art facility that leverages Oakville’s experienced workforce,” the company said in a statement.

Its transformation, which is expected to lead to thousands of new hires, is scheduled to start in mid-2024 and start producing EVs at the beginning of 2025.

The 487-acre site currently includes three body shops, one paint building, and an auto assembly building.

The transformed campus will feature a new 407,000 square foot on-site battery plant that will utilize cells and arrays from BlueOval SK Battery Park in the US state of Kentucky.

Oakville workers will take these components and assemble battery packs that will then be installed in vehicles assembled on-site.

Canada has been making a big push into batteries for electric vehicles, touting tax incentives, bountiful critical minerals and clean energy to attract auto makers.

Volkswagen announced in March that its first North American battery factory would be built in St. Thomas, Ontario.

Automaker Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler) and LG Energy Solution have also partnered on a new battery plant in Canada, while French tire manufacturer Michelin is expanding its local facility.

And General Motors has signed a long-term agreement with Brazilian mining giant Vale for supplies of Canadian nickel for use in EV batteries.

“The partnership between Ford and Canada helps to position us as a global leader in the EV supply chain for decades to come,” Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a statement.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)