Germany’s Scholz kicks off Canada visit focusing on minerals, energy
- Canada will ink MOUs with Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz to develop supply chains for critical minerals that are used in EVs
- On Tuesday, the two countries will sign an agreement to develop clean hydrogen for export to Germany by as early as 2025
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday morning in his first meeting of a three-day trip focused on cultivating alternative sources of critical minerals for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy.
Canada will ink Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with Volkswagen, a Canadian government source said, and with Mercedes-Benz Group, according to sources in Canada and Germany, to develop supply chains for critical minerals like nickel, lithium and cobalt that are used in EVs.
Both will be announced on Tuesday in Toronto, the Canadian source said.
The MOUs “will show the partnership that these two companies see in Canada”, the Canadian source said. “The companies will be moving along in partnerships, and signings and things like that with Canadian companies in the very, very near future”.
03:10
China's Baidu unveils its latest autonomous vehicle, steering wheel optional
State Secretary for Economic Affairs Franziska Brantner, who is travelling with the German delegation, said on Monday the German car industry could invest in Canada to process lithium there right away.
“Canada has almost all the raw materials that Russia has – but it is democratic, offers reliable legal frameworks,” Brantner said.