The Financial Post reports in its Friday, Oct. 9, edition that Canada has potential to become a preferred supplier of cleaner nickel to power electric vehicles (EV). The Post's Jeff Lewis writes that miners from industry giant Vale to junior explorers Canada Nickel and FPX Nickel are touting low-carbon nickel in hopes of wooing automakers that need key metals used in batteries. Canada Nickel hopes to develop a "zero-carbon footprint" nickel-cobalt project in Northern Ontario. Canada Nickel's planned Crawford project would tap hydropower and store carbon emissions in waste rock, although how much and at what rate requires further study. Construction of the $800-million (U.S.) to $1-billion (U.S.) mine and mill is slated for 2023 pending financing and permitting. FPX Nickel has similar plans for its early stage Baptiste project in British Columbia. Such efforts are viewed by smaller companies as a competitive edge as automakers race to lock in supply and the world's top miners replenish their project pipeline. But plans hinge in part on partnerships with automobile companies and others in the burgeoning EV supply chain which remain reluctant to invest in mines, executives said.