Cambrian College receives financial boost for new electric vehicle lab
Sudbury’s Cambrian College received a financial boost on Thursday to put towards its Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) lab, which is currently under construction.
BESTECH donated $50,000 for the college to put towards its 5,600-square-foot lab.
BESTECH makes $50K donation to Cambrian College's new battery electric vehicle lab in Sudbury. May 4/23 (Amanda Hicks/CTV Northern Ontario)
The company is a multidisciplinary engineering firm with a focus on the mining industry. It’s been operating for 25 years and has a longstanding partnership with Cambrian College.
Mike Commito, director of applied research and innovation at Cambrian, said the donation will equip the lab with additional tools to offer increased hands-on experience for students.
"The students will work on those projects with those partners to help them get the information they need to make modifications or improvements or just to better understand how those vehicles will operate underground," Commito said.
BESTECH President Patrick Fantine said the partnership was a natural fit and that BEVs are the future of the mining industry.
"When you look at battery electric vehicles we just see it as a replacement of existing vehicles, but it does a lot more than that," Fantine said.
Additionally, the introduction of BEVs in the industry will allow companies to mine deeper with the elimination of diesel particulate and the biggest improvements in the health and safety of mining workers.
"Noise, just the air we breathe in an underground environment is going to be improved with battery electric vehicles," Fantine said.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Cambrian is gearing up to host its second annual Mines to Mobility Conference on May 31 to June 1. Commito said it’s geared toward those in the auto and mining sector and is about working together to seize critical minerals that are in high demand.
"The key difference between this year and last is the conversations," Commito said.
"So that we don’t miss out on this generational opportunity."
Cambrian’s BEV lab is expected to be unveiled sometime this fall.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman's life
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.