After electric vehicles on our roads, will we see airplanes in the sky powered by the sun’s energy? The arrival of the Swiss H55, which inaugurated its battery pack production facility in Saint-Hubert today, raises hope.
Starting next year, the H55 production line will produce batteries.
Courtesy of H55
On Wednesday afternoon, a handful of dignitaries, including Canadian Transportation Minister Pablo Rodriguez and Quebec Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, traveled to Longueuil for the traditional groundbreaking ceremony.
“By investing to support scientific innovation in the aviation sector, we are ensuring that we can further expand the expertise we have developed in Quebec, while supporting the development of technologies that will help us green our transition energies,” said Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport, in a press release.
H55 co-founder André Borschberg. Photo Francis Halin / Le Journal de Montréal
“The H55 project will help strengthen our aerospace expertise while leveraging our ecosystem for the electrification of transport,” added Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon.
The mayor of Longueuil, Catherine Fournier, was also present.
“The arrival of H55 in Longueuil not only strengthens our positioning in the aerospace sector, but also represents an important milestone in our journey towards the establishment of an innovation zone duly recognized by Quebec,” she stressed.
$100 million in investments
In total, H55 plans to invest a good $100 million in production as well as research and development over the next five years with its partners Pratt & Whitney Canada, CAE and Harbor Air.
The Saint-Hubert facility will have a production site, engineering offices and research and development resources with customer service.
The company is in discussions with Quebec to seek public support.
H55 is based on the Solar Impulse project of André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, who flew around the world in a solar-powered electric plane.
Its general manager is Quebecer Martin Larose, formerly of Novabus.
Martin Larose. Courtesy of H55
$68 million round
In mid-September, H55 announced that it had raised $68 million in a round led by ND Capital, Tippet Venture Partners and RTX Ventures.
Last June, H55 opened a new office in Toulouse, France.
Three months earlier, Ottawa had given the company a repayable contribution of $10 million for “the development and manufacture of its products.”
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