By Jack Wilson
Local Journalism Initiative
Minister of Heritage and Quebec Lieutenant Pablo Rodriguez announced $1.4 million in federal funding for a Sherbrooke company’s research into batteries for electric vehicles July 17. Calogy Solutions, the startup receiving the funding, is developing technology to maintain batteries at optimal temperatures, with the goal of improving their safety, durability and battery life. The technology will have applications for electric airplanes. The funding is part of a $32 million federal package for Quebec’s aerospace sector and comes in the form of reimbursable contributions.
Electric aircraft “are not science fiction, it’s where we’re at,” Rodriguez said. “We’re heading more and more toward renewable energy, toward transportation electrification,” he said. “We’re talking about a sector that’s creating good jobs, that’s creating wealth across the country.”
“We wanted to create something with a positive impact on the community,” said Calogy Solutions president Mahmood Shirazy. He said the technology his company is creating is unique in the world and that he hopes to take on more employees as a result of the funding.
“Our technology essentially helps remove obstacles against the general adoption of electric vehicles,” Shirazy said. Batteries need to stay between around 15°C and 35°C, “similar to the human body,” he said. “Higher or lower temperatures create security and ageing problems.”
