Hydro-Québec and the Gouvernement du Québec have opened a center of excellence in transportation electrification and energy storage, with the mission of maintaining and enhancing Québec’s global position in the field of battery materials.

The center of excellence will commercialize Hydro-Québec technologies, protected by 800 patents. It will also create new research partnerships and develop new technologies.

With 70 employees, including 27 researchers, its 2018 operating budget is of $20 million, sourced entirely from outside revenue, generated chiefly by the sale of licenses to use its technologies.

For 40 years, Hydro-Québec’s research institute (IREQ) has been recognized around the world for its technological expertise and its portfolio of intellectual property, especially in the area of lithium-ion, lithium-sulfur and lithium-air batteries. This is the portfolio that the center of excellence will commercialize and expand.