CAMI Ingersoll fires up EV assembly line with new onsite battery plant

Unionized workers at the GM CAMI BrightDrop EV plant in Ingersoll, Ont. are back on the job after a six month layoff.

“We went off middle of October, that’s when the plant shut down, so yeah, it’s great to finally welcome people back,” said Unifor 88 Plant Chair Mike Van Boekel.

Approximately 900 workers will be on two week rotations, which began this week.

Van Boekel said roughly 450 workers are on the first rotation, with another 450 starting in the next rotation.

He said skilled trades workers have also returned to the job.

“Our skilled trades are all hands on deck,” said Van Boekel.

Production of the all electric BrightDrop delivery van was suspended last fall due to delays in getting batteries. A new onsite battery plant just opened last week at CAMI, with 200 workers.

Van Boekel said it’s hoped that the new plant will help resolve some future supply issues.

An all electric BrightDrop delivery van as seen at the CAMI official re-opening ceremony on Dec. 5, 2022. (File)

“It’s a huge deal, it’s the first one in Canada so there’s a lot to learn,” Van Boekel explained. “A lot to do with our skilled trades. A lot to do with engineers. It’s coming but it’s slow, we’re getting there. There’s always speed bumps. But it’s state-of-the-art technology, everything’s new, but hopefully we can get this under our control fairly soon, and hopefully full production soon.”

While sales of passenger EVs have been on the decline, Van Boekel said they’re hoping the saving grace for CAMI is that it’s making a commercial electric vehicle, designed for a specific purpose.

“They’re just going around doing deliveries, doing a set path of two or three hundred kilometres or much less, and it’s just simply one charge. Charges at night and just keep her going,” he said.

Van Boekel said he expects CAMI to be back up to full production “within the calendar year.”