The AMT launches its first public charging stations of The Electric Circuit

As a founding partner of The Electric Circuit, the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) is proud to launch public charging stations for electric vehicles at its park-and-ride facilities. Twenty charging stations are now installed at the following ten park-and-rides in the greater Montréal area: the Chambly, Chevrier and De Montarville lots, at the Terrebonne terminal, as well as the Bois-Franc, Saint-Jérôme, Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Sainte-Thérèse, Roxboro-Pierrefonds and Sunnybrooke train stations. Additional charging stations will follow: a total of forty will be available in twenty AMT park-and-ride facilities by the end of the year.

“The AMT is proud to rely on hydropower to electrify its bus network and commuter trains,” said Paul Côté, interim president and CEO of the AMT. We are spearheading numerous large projects that focus on energy efficiency and increase the share of renewable energy to operate public transit networks. These new charging stations confirm our desire to use clean, renewable energy, like the fully electric Deux-Montagnes commuter train line, the third of the Train de l’Est line that will run on electricity, and our participation in the CLIC electric car sharing project.”

“We are very pleased to highlight the rollout of charging stations with the AMT, one of the founding partners of The Electric Circuit,” added Pierre-Luc Desgagné, Senior Director – Strategic Planning at Hydro-Québec, on behalf of The Electric Circuit’s partners. “These charging stations will allow owners of plug-in electric vehicles to take advantage of the AMT's network and of its park-and-ride facilities with peace of mind.”

The Electric Circuit is Canada and Québec’s first public charging network for electric vehicles. Owners of electric vehicles will be able to use the AMT's park-and-ride lots to charge their cars and enjoy the advantages of intermodal transportation by taking a bus, the metro or a commuter train. Through quick and simple payment, charging will cost a flat fee of $2.50, which will include the cost of the electricity and access to a prime parking spot.

The Electric Circuit

The Electric Circuit is a major milestone in the rollout of the charging infrastructure needed to support the arrival of plug-in electric vehicles in Québec and is in line with the Québec government’s 2011-2020 Action Plan for Electric Vehicles.

Nearly 70 240-volt Electric Circuit stations are already available in parking lots of the AMT, and 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-V and even faster (400 V) charging stations will expand as more electric vehicles hit Québec roads.

Electric vehicle owners do most of their charging at home and at work, but The Electric Circuit allows 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, www.theelectriccircuit.com, is updated as new stations are deployed.

About the AMT

The Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) is a metropolitan government agency whose mission is to plan and develop public transit services in order to improve the efficiency of commuting in the greater Montréal area. The AMT is currently operating five train lines, 51 stations, one metropolitan express bus line, 51 park-and-ride lots, 16 metropolitan terminals and 85.2 km of reserved lanes. Annual ridership on AMT commuter trains is close to 17 million trips, which places the greater Montréal area sixth in North America. For further information, visit our website at www.amt.qc.ca.