EV charging station

Canadian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Pierre Arcand has inaugurated the first curbside charging station for electric vehicles (EVs) in downtown Montréal.

The station is part of one-year pilot scheme, which will enable the city and Québec’s charging network, the Electric Circuit, to determine the nature and scope of curbside-charging needs.

The project’s double 240-V stations are available to EV drivers passing through downtown.

In order to use a station, drivers will have to pay the charging fee of $1 an hour at the plug-in station using their Electric Circuit access card, and they must also pay for parking at the Stationnement de Montréal station during chargeable hours.

"Electric mobility creates significant environmental benefits and we want to leverage it to help improve Montrealers’ quality of life."

Montréal’s executive committee member in charge of transportation Aref Salem said that the city is at the forefront in transportation electrification in Québec and will take steps to enhance our strategic position on the world stage.

"Electric mobility creates significant environmental benefits and we want to leverage it to help improve Montrealers’ quality of life," Salem said.

"In addition to contributing to our fight against climate change, this project ties into our efforts to make Montréal a centre for sustainable mobility, strongly anchored in the 21st century."

The curbside stations have been designed and manufactured entirely in Québec by AddÉnergie Technologies.

The new stations are identical to the off-street 240-V stations, but the cable has been modified to facilitate maintenance of the both the stations and their surroundings.

They also feature a retraction system to keep the power cable from touching the ground, so it does not interfere with street and pavement maintenance.

Image: Pierre Arcand, Aref Salem and Electric Circuit representative Thierry Vandal. Photo: courtesy of Electric Circuit.