Hydro-Quebec & Others Team Up To Provide 4,500 EV Charging Stations
Hydro-Québec and The Electric Circuit (Le Circuit Electrique) are working with municipalities to install 4,500 electric vehicle charging stations by 2028. This initiative is being conducted via a grant program offered exclusively to municipalities. Hydro-Québec is providing up to $12,000 in assistance for each charging station. The grant is only for regions in Quebec that lack adequate home charging stations. This ensures that electric vehicle chargers are installed where they’re needed most.
Participating municipalities must provide access to the curbside charging stations 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Free parking must be offered in front of the curbside station from 9 PM to 7 AM, and daytime charging must be offered downtown and near shops. 3G cellular service at a minimum is required (or an optional Ethernet connection) as well so that the stations can communicate with their servers. The 4,500 charging station grant program is expected to both incentivize the adoption of electric vehicles and assist existing EV owners that need to recharge.
The ability to recharge easily makes a huge difference if you’re considering an electric vehicle purchase. Ubiquitous charging stations could also benefit Quebec economically because of electric vehicle drivers that may consider passing through the area so they can recharge. They may also go shopping at local businesses while they wait for their cars to recharge — this will become increasingly helpful to local businesses as electric car adoption increases.
The Electric Circuit’s mobile app compliments this initiative nicely by providing a mobile app that can find the nearest charging stations for you and help you plan your trip around available charging stations. It also allows you to pay for charging. That’s especially useful if you’re an electric vehicle driver trying to find charging stations in a region with few of them. The combination of modern technologies and well-targeted initiatives like these will surely help to spur electric vehicle adoption.
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