Plug at Work : 3 500 new Electric Chargers in Québec
(Picture from Lanouvelle.net)
On February 26, 2014, the province of Québec’s Ministry of Natural Ressources announced the program Branché au travail (Plug at Work). In the next three years, 3 500 new electric chargers will be installed.
Businesses, municipalities and organizations that purchase and install an electric charger are eligible to an incentive covering up to 75 % of the fees to a maximum of 5 000 $.
10 000 new electric chargers
The Transportation Electrification Strategy 2013-2017 plans to deploy 10 000 new electric chargers on the province of Québec’s territory. On top of the Plug at Work 3 500 electric chargers, 1 000 electric chargers will be installed at various government facilities and 500 within The Electric Circuit. Over 5 000 residential electric chargers are also added to the Drive Electric program.
Québec is leading Canada in Transportation Electrification ! Will Ontario and British Columbia follow Québec ? What are the other provinces strategies for electric vehicles ?
We need Ontario to follow suit. Green energy plan…..electric transportation just makes sense as the next step.
What is needed at most employee parking lots is a 110v outlet capable of 20 amps. An L2 charges way to fast, forcing the EV owner to leave their office to disconnect and move the car after its done charging. Another disadvantage to the L2 charger in Canada with our cold winters, EVs need to be plugged in to use their Cold Weather Battery Warmers installed in most Canadian EVs to keep the batteries at an optimal and efficient temperature. In addition, while the car is on a 110v outlet the car can be preheated to assist with battery and vehicle efficiency. The 110v outlet is much cheaper and easier to install than the costlier L2 chargers. Many parking ramps and outdoor lots already have many outlets available, the lots simply need to allow an EV owner to plug in possibly for an additional fee to assist with the cost of the electricity. It’s a simple solution.