Thank you, Madam Chair.
Good morning.
French is my mother tongue, so even though I can get by in English, I will be making my presentation in French.
I would like to thank Mr. Lemire, the member who represents the riding of Abitibi—Témiscamingue. It is thanks to him that I am appearing before the committee today.
Hydrogen is a vital ingredient in the electrification of transportation. I want to emphasize the electrification of transportation. Canada is already a leader in the heavy-duty vehicle and bus sector. Lion Electric was proud to announce recent investments in the area.
I am here today to talk about the role hydrogen can play in transportation.
Currently, the transportation sector relies on fossil fuels and diesel combustion engines, making it responsible for a large share of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. The contribution of Canada's transportation sector is much too big, and may be due to the vast distances being travelled and Canada's specific climate.
It's fair to say that the electrification of transportation overall will always be limited by the amount of energy in the vehicle's accumulator, the so-called battery. Despite advancements and the incredible work of Canadian researchers, the battery's weight and size limit the vehicle's carrying capacity, especially when it comes to trucks and passenger transportation vehicles, buses. The distances are always limited and not quite up to the industry's expectations.
For example, the amount of stored energy in the battery of a truck travelling from Abitibi to Montreal would be so great that the load capacity would be reduced. It would create a financial disadvantage for the operator. An unbelievable number of batteries would be required and the charging time would be an operational constraint for the company.
Battery technology is changing rapidly. Soon, we will see superbatteries with supercapacitors, which will help heavy-duty vehicle transportation and commercial transportation. Nevertheless, the hydrogen battery remains one of the best solutions. Allow me to explain what a hydrogen battery is.
It is simply a generator of electric energy, but without the combustion engine found in generators or systems that produce energy derived from fuel. Hydrogen batteries are manufactured in Canada, in the Burnaby area, by two leading companies, Ballard Power Systems and a joint venture between two big commercial vehicle manufacturers, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz. The two companies are already developing this new battery technology in Canada and Europe, which they announced with great fanfare.
Here's the best way to describe a hydrogen battery in a nutshell. It is a bit like the battery used to power the DeLorean in Back to the Future, which was fuelled by a can of beer and a banana peel. Instead, a fuel tank is installed and electricity is created. In an electric vehicle, such a battery would make it possible to transport very heavy loads and provide enough power to electrify the transportation sector.
The technology exists, so what are we waiting for?
The bus sector in Quebec and the transportation industry have been waiting for this. I would really like to see Canada work towards incorporating the technology into its heavy-duty vehicle industry.