EV research to take place in Quebec

DAVOS, Switzerland—Canadians will develop next-generation solutions for electric vehicles as a result of a $90-million investment by Swiss engineering firm ABB, which is establishing a new headquarters and research and development centre in Montréal.

The new Montréal headquarters, set to open in 2017, will maintain 700 jobs and consolidate ABB’s research and development, manufacturing, assembly and testing facilities under one roof. The new facility will also house the company’s North American Centre for Excellence in e-Mobility, which will focus on developing energy-management solutions for electric buses and trains.

This investment will put Canada on the map in a number of emerging technologies, such as robotics and Internet-connected devices, that will power the industrial systems of the future.

“As a pioneering technology leader, ABB is helping its customers unlock value from digitalization and the Energy and Fourth Industrial revolutions,” said Ulrich Spiesshofer, president and CEO, ABB. “With its excellent universities and associated ecosystem, Canada provides all the right ingredients for research and development needed to develop global technology platforms. There are huge opportunities in making transportation systems smarter and greener. At ABB, we want to run the world without consuming the Earth.”

ABB (ASEA Brown Boveri), a Fortune 500 company, is a multinational engineering firm headquartered in Switzerland. The company is a top Swiss investor in Canada, generating annual revenues of $2 billion and employing more than 4,500 Canadians in 50 locations across the country.