Canadian prototype EV Project Arrow vehicle unveiled at CES in Las Vegas

The big gamble by the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) is playing out in Las Vegas this week.

Project Arrow, the high-tech concept vehicle produced with content from 50 parts suppliers in Canada, was unveiled at the consumer electronics show known as CES on Thursday.

“It came out exactly the way we wanted it to and we think we finished on the exterior end, on the technology, the way it operates, and how all those systems operate together have come according to plan — on budget and on time,” said Flavio Volpe, president of the APMA.

For now, there are no plans to mass produce the vehicle. The Arrow was built to showcase the Canadian auto industry’s ability to manufacture electric vehicles.

Being part of this national and worldwide-scale event is really helping companies like mine and a lot of the other suppliers get our stuff out there into the public view.– Pat Troy, Ettractive Inc. in Oldcastle, Ont.

Pat Troy, chief technical officer of hardware and software company Ettractive Inc. in Oldcastle, Ont., is one of several Windsor-Essex companies that supplied parts for the Arrow.

“Being part of this national and worldwide-scale event is really helping companies like mine and a lot of the other suppliers get our stuff out there into the public view,” Troy said.

About a third of the 50 suppliers are located or have a presence in the Windsor area.

Troy, who is in Las Vegas for the launch, said exposure like this helps grow his company.

The Arrow is fully electric and a Level 3 autonomous vehicle, meaning it has the same autonomous capabilities as are currently available in other cars.

The Arrow was produced over the past three years with a $5-million investment through FedDev Ontario and $1.8 million through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN).

Both Volpe and Troy said Canada needs to start producing more semi-conductors so manufacturers are not reliant on overseas producers. Some components of the Arrow had to be sourced from Asia.

Ninety-seven per cent of the Arrow’s content is Canadian.

The car will be on display in Las Vegas at the four-day CES show that began Thursday. It will then be featured at the 2023 Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto next month.

Volpe said the Arrow will be brought to Windsor sometime in the near future.