EV owners can rely on the Electric Circuit to travel around Québec at reasonable cost

With the arrival of the summer holidays, the founding partners of the Electric Circuit—Les Rôtisseries St-Hubert, RONA, METRO, the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) and Hydro-Québec—would like to congratulate vacationers who have chosen to use electricity, a clean and renewable source of energy, to travel around Québec. Not only are these drivers helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but they also benefit from a flat fee which helps them achieve substantial savings.

“With approximately 200 charging stations in several Québec regions, the Electric Circuit helps vacationers drive their electric vehicles with peace of mind, by giving them the option of fueling up on the road at a very reasonable cost,” noted Pierre-Luc Desgagné, Vice President – Public and Government Affairs at Hydro-Québec, on behalf of the partners of the Electric Circuit.

When comparing an electric vehicle to a conventional compact sedan, running a car on gas is about nine times more expensive than it would be to run it on electricity. That represents annual savings of close to $2000 for someone who drives 18,000 kilometres per year.

Although EV owners do most of their charging at home and at work, the public charging infrastructure plays a crucial role during vacation travel, when people leave home for several days. Available in 12 Québec regions, the Electric Circuit allows drivers to travel worry-free, knowing they can top up their batteries on the road for a flat fee of $2.50, regardless of charging duration. The flat fee includes a 24/7 telephone help line run by CAA-Québec, preferred parking spots, and a charging station locator service.

EV owners who want to plan their trips can visit the Electric Circuit Web site, theelectriccircuit.com to learn more about charging station locations and availability. The Web site is updated as new stations are installed or commissioned.

The Electric Circuit
The Electric Circuit is a major initiative in the rollout of charging infrastructure needed to support the arrival of plug-in vehicles in Québec.

The Electric Circuit now offers close to 200 charging stations (240 V) in parking lots of the AMT, as well as those of many RONA hardware stores, Metro grocery stores and St-Hubert restaurants throughout Québec. Since its launch in March 2012, 42 private and institutional partners have joined the Electric Circuit. It will continue to expand in order to provide greater geographical coverage and serve more EV drivers in several regions of Québec.

For information:

Nathalie Vachon
Hydro-Québec, for the Electric Circuit
514 289-2441
vachon.nathalie@hydro.qc.ca