Quebec adding 367 electric vehicle charging stations at 131 sites

The Quebec government is investing nearly $60 million to increase its current network of direct current charging stations (DCS) for electric vehicles by 30 per cent to more than 1,200.

In a news release, Environment Minister Benoit Charette said Monday that 367 charging stations of 100 kilowatts or more will be distributed across 131 sites in the province and will be added to Hydro-Québec's Circuit électrique network.

The Quebec government believes that this initiative is in line with the Plan for a Green Economy 2030 (PEV 2030), which foresees 1.6 million electric vehicles (EVs) registered in 2030.

Charrette added that the addition of 367 public charging stations is a further step towards the presentation of the government's next strategy on electric vehicle charging, which will be launched soon.

The government estimates that with the addition of these new stations, the equivalent of 40 per cent of all public BRCCs currently available in Canada will be located in Quebec.

Charrette is participating in the International Summit on Electric and Intelligent Transportation (TEI) on Monday. The summit is being held until Wednesday at the Palais des congrès de Montréal.

$6 MILLION TO FLO

The Quebec government also awarded a $6 million grant to FLO, formerly known as AddÉnergie.

This funding will support the $23.8 million development of a new generation of high-powered rapid charging stations and a new platform of Level 2 charging stations for electric vehicles, the government said.

15-MINUTE CHARGE

At a news conference, FLO president and CEO Louis Tremblay explained that these new generation FLO ultra charging stations offer 320-kilowatt hours of power, which will allow an electric vehicle to be charged to "80 per cent in 15 minutes."

The Shawinigan-based company has deployed more than 80,000 charging stations in North America since 2014.

 Charette said that this investment "is a fine illustration" of the "support for innovation" provided for in Quebec's Plan for a Green Economy (PEV).

"The $6 million grant will allow the company to develop its production capacity, but also allow Quebec to reach its greenhouse gas reduction targets," said the Environment Minister.

"Our government is committed to leading the energy transition and developing Quebec's strategic sectors. Today, that's exactly what we're doing by supporting a growing Quebec company that produces high-performance, reliable and popular electric charging stations," said Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy. 

This report by The Canadian press was first published in French on March 13, 2023.