Nissan and Hydro-Québec partner to expand the public charging network in Québec; 20 DC Fast Charging sites in 2015, 5 in 2016
16 January 2015
At the Montreal International Auto Show, Nissan announced it will support the expansion of the public charging network “the Electric Circuit” with an investment in 25 DC Fast Charging sites. The partnership agreement is part of a new phase of development of the Electric Circuit, which targets up to 50 sites in high-traffic, major road corridors and large urban centers.
Québec City based AddÉnergie will supply the chargers which will be manufactured at AddÉnergie’s plant in Shawinigan. Equipped with both CHAdeMO and SAE Combo plugs, the DC Fast Chargers will accommodate charging the Nissan LEAF and most electric vehicles. In under 30 minutes a fully depleted Nissan LEAF battery can be charged to 80%.
The agreement aims to help finance the commissioning of 20 fast charging sites for the Electric Circuit in 2015, with five more planned for in 2016. Targeted sites will coincide with short stops like restaurant chains, and convenience stores, making their use simple and convenient. The roll-out plan targets a number of roads such as:
- Highway 20
- Highway 10
- Highway 15
- Highway 50
- Highway 35 towards Vermont
The first DC Fast Charging sites are already confirmed for:
- Drummondville (Highway 20)
- Lévis (Highway 20)
- Magog (Highway 10)
- St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Highway 35)
The Electric Circuit is Canada and Québec’s first public charging network. The network has more than 360 public charging stations in operation in Québec, including eight fast-charge stations in operation since December 2014. Inaugurated in March 2012, the Electric Circuit has almost 3,700 members, more than 90 private and institutional partners, including five founding partners, and covers more than 90 cities and 15 administrative regions.
As the sole e-energy supplier, Québec-Hydro (and the Québec government) could and should install 10,000+ quick charge stations to replace current gasoline stations during the next 10 years or s so.
Québec-Hydro has enough unused surplus electricity (and could produce more clean electricity for 5,000,000+ electrified vehicles) when required. It could become part of future Q-H growth.
Of course, electricity used to charge e-vehicles would have to be taxed at the same level as gasoline, i.e. about 30% instead of the current 15%.
Posted by: HarveyD | 18 January 2015 at 08:23 AM