Under the bright lights of a production line, a shiny black Dodge Charger Daytona sits plugged into a charger. Then one worker unplugs the car while another in a neon vest drives it away. The loudest noise it makes is the squeak of rubber tires on the factory floor.
Millions of vehicles have rolled out of the Stellantis assembly plant in Windsor, Ont., during its 96-year history, but this car is different. It’s electric, and it marks the beginning of a new era for these workers, the city, the province, the country, the Canadian auto industry and, if all goes according to plan, our climate goals.
“It feels historic. It really does. You can feel that energy with everybody on my team, and the people we’re working with,” said Audrey Moore, chief engineer responsible for the launch of the new Charger.
Getting to this moment – the first mass-produced electric passenger car made in Canada – is the culmination of years, arguably decades, of work by governments, unions, auto workers, suppliers and car company executives, not to mention tens of billions of dollars in government subsidies for companies all along the EV supply chain.
