(Quebec) The financial situation of Quebec manufacturer Lion Électrique is disappointing, deplored the Minister of the Economy Pierre Fitzgibbon, who hopes that Ottawa will quickly announce a subsidy program for the purchase of electric buses allowing the company to fill its order book.
“Lion would like to be able to sell electric school buses outside Quebec,” Mr. Fitzgibbon explained to the National Assembly on Thursday.
The Quebec manufacturer of medium-heavy and heavy-duty electric urban vehicles Lion Électrique announced Thursday that it will cut 120 jobs as part of a restructuring aimed at “further rationalizing its operating expenses and aligning its cost structure with the dynamic current market conditions”.
In a press release, the CEO and founder of Lion, Marc Bédard, himself pointed out “the delays encountered with the Canadian Federal Fund for Zero Emission Public Transit”, which causes “negative impact persistent on our school bus deliveries.”
“We have a program here in Quebec to support subsidies for electric school vehicles. This program does not yet exist at the federal level,” explained Mr. Fitzgibbon.
Satisfied
“What they produce works. Quebecers who use electric buses are satisfied. They increased the autonomy capacity with a fourth battery.
We are satisfied in Quebec with the adoption of electric buses. We would like to see the federal government do the same thing,” he said.
The minister stressed that Quebec orders “500 vehicles per year”. “If the federal government follows, it will help. They need orders from the federal government, they need orders from other provinces. There are no other Canadian companies producing electric buses, I think they have a good chance,” he explained.
He added that for the moment, the Quebec government did not intend to inject more money into Lion Électrique.
With The Canadian Press