Published July 27, 2012
By Philippe Crowe
The province of Quebec’s Electric Circuit announced today the signing of a partnership agreement with Discount Car and Truck Rentals for the rollout of public electric vehicle charging stations.
The stations will be installed in the cities of Québec, Boucherville, Blainville and Montréal by the end of 2012.
"As a rental company concerned with environmental issues, the installation of these five first public charging stations is part of an important phase that began with the addition of two Chevrolet Volt electric vehicles to our rental fleet. As the demand for this type of vehicle is growing in urban areas, it is natural for us to continue to meet the needs of consumers with public charging stations. We are particularly proud to be associated with the founding members of The Electric Circuit, powered by Hydro-Québec", said Robert Lalonde, Vice President of Discount.
"We are delighted to welcome a new member to The Electric Circuit and continue to increase our service," added Pierre-Luc Desgagné, Senior Director - Strategic Planning at Hydro-Québec, on behalf of The Electric Circuit's founding partners. "The fact that a well-known car rental company such as Discount is willing to support transportation electrification is a significant step that demonstrates the growing interest in this field."
The Electric Circuit
The Electric Circuit promotes the creation of the charging infrastructure needed to support the arrival of plug-in electric vehicles in Québec and is in line with Hydro-Québec's Strategic Plan 2009-2013 and the Québec government's 2011-2020 Action Plan for Electric Vehicles.
Close to 50 240-volt Electric Circuit stations are already available in parking lots at many RONA hardware stores, Metro grocery stores and Rôtisseries St-Hubert locations in the greater Montréal and Québec areas. There will be more than 120 charging stations in Québec by fall 2012. After that, the roll-out of 240-volt and even faster (400-volt) charging stations will expand as more electric vehicles hit Québec roads.
Electric vehicle owners do most of their charging at home and at work. The Electric Circuit’s goal is to allow drivers to travel worry free, knowing they can top up their batteries on the road. Users of the public charging network also have access to a 24/7 telephone help line run by CAA-Québec as well as a charging station locator service. The Electric Circuit Web site, is updated as new stations are deployed.
