The Quebec government has announced an investment of almost $60 million to install 367 DC fast charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs), brining the number of stations in the province to over 1,200.
Environment Minister Benoit Charette stated that 367 charging stations will be 100 kilowatts (kW) or more and will be added to Hydro-Québec’s Circuit électrique network at 131 sites in the province. This is in line with the government’s Plan for a Green Economy 2030 (PEV 2030), which aims to have 1.6 million electric vehicles registered in 2030.
Charette said that the addition of the 367 public charging stations is a further step towards the government’s next strategy on electric vehicle charging, which will be launched soon. According to the government, the new stations will account for 40 per cent of all public DC fast chargers currently available in Canada.
The Quebec government has also awarded a $6 million grant to FLO, formerly known as AddÉnergie, to 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.
FLO president and CEO Louis Tremblay said that the FLO ultra charging stations will offer 320-kilowatt hours of power, enabling an electric vehicle to be charged to “80 per cent in 15 minutes.” Charette praised the investment as an example of the support for innovation provided for in Quebec’s Plan for a Green Economy (PEV), stating that it “will allow the company to develop its production capacity, but also allow Quebec to reach its greenhouse gas reduction targets,” said Charette.
