Factual breakdown:
• Ownership: Yes, Clarios is owned by Brookfield Business Partners (part of Brookfield). They acquired it in 2019 (closed around 2020) from Johnson Controls’ Power Solutions division for about $13.2 billion. Clarios is a major global player in automotive batteries.
• Mark Carney’s connection: Carney joined Brookfield in 2020 as Vice Chair and Head of ESG/Transition Investing. He later became board chair and left in early 2025 to enter Canadian politics (he became Prime Minister). He had stock options and other financial ties to the firm, which have sparked debate about conflicts of interest.
• Clarios and batteries: Clarios is best known for low-voltage / 12V batteries (traditional lead-acid and newer lithium-ion versions) used in nearly every type of vehicle, including EVs (for auxiliary systems like electronics, door locks, etc., even when there’s a big high-voltage traction battery). They power 1 in 3 vehicles worldwide and have operations/partnerships in China.
The claim that they manufacture “all of the batteries for Chinese EV cars” is overstated. Chinese EV makers (and global ones) primarily use their own or other suppliers for the large high-voltage lithium-ion traction batteries. Clarios focuses on the supporting low-voltage systems and has had collaborations (e.g., with Chinese firms for tech), but they don’t dominate the main EV battery market.