Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard announces a new electric vehicle charging corridor on June 20, 2016, in Montreal.Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press
Quebec is adding more quick-charge electric-vehicle stations along Highway 20, one of the province's busiest corridors.
Agreements for the installation of quick-charge stations have been signed with the Belle Québécoise restaurant in Daveluyville as well as the Tim Hortons in Laurier Station, the provincial government said on Monday. The stations are in addition to those already in service in Sainte-Julie, Drummondville and Lévis.
A sixth station will be opened in the fall at the St-Hubert restaurant in Saint-Hyacinthe.
Later this year, a second phase of the electrification of Highway 20 – east of Quebec City – will be completed with the addition of quick-charge stations in Montmagny, Rivière-du-Loup, Trois-Pistoles and Rimouski. Stations are already up and running in La Pocatière and Mont-Joli. Quebec currently has 640 EV charging stations across the province.
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said expansion of the charging-station network is part of a broader strategy to transform the province into a globally recognized centre for electric-vehicle technology.
"By developing our network of charging stations, we are advancing this industry, which is poised to be a strong vehicle for growth in Quebec in coming years," Mr. Couillard said at a news conference at the Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exhibition in Montreal.
"What we want to build in Quebec is not only a place where people buy and drive electric vehicles, but also a place where there is an electric-vehicle industrial sector just as we have an industrial sector for aerospace," Mr. Couillard said.
A strong talent pool, manufacturers and component-makers who specialize in electric transportation, as well as an ample supply of hydroelectricity, availability of capital and a competitive fiscal environment are among the features making Quebec an ideal place to develop a thriving EV technology sector, Mr. Couillard said.
One promising area is commercial and public-transit EVs such as taxis, delivery trucks and buses, added Mr. Couillard.
The network is part of the Quebec government's ambitious goal to have 100,000 electric and hybrid vehicles registered in the province by 2020.
Quebec currently has about 10,000 such vehicles registered.
Mr. Couillard's Liberal government said last October that it plans to spend $420-million by 2020 to boost sales of electric and hybrid vehicles.