More than 3,600 Members and New Fast-Charge Stations - A successful year for the Electric Circuit at the Montréal Auto Show and pick up the pace in 2015

MONTRÉAL, Jan. 27, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The Electric Circuit had a great Montréal Auto Show this year. During the ten days of the show, the Electric Circuit announced ten new partners and the commissioning of 117 public charging stations to be installed in 2015.

Off to a very promising start
With the announcement of ten new partners in as many days at the Montréal Auto Show, the Electric Circuit is off to a spectacular start of 2015, when we will see an acceleration of the rollout of fast-charge stations. To underscore this commitment, Nissan Canada has already announced it will be supporting the expansion of the public charging network with a major investment in the creation of 25 additional sites offering 400-V direct current stations. The partnership agreement is part of a new stage in the development of the Electric Circuit, which aims to have as many as 50 fast-charge stations on main highways and in major urban centres by the end of 2016.

The Electric Circuit is also continuing to expand its network of 240-V stations. On January 16, Les Rôtisseries St-Hubert announced that all of its restaurants will have public charging stations by the end of 2015. That means that more than 80 new stations will be added to the 25 already in operation at St-Hubert restaurants.

The Electric Circuit has also announced a number of new partnerships:

• Collège Ahuntsic (Montréal)
• Cégep de Sorel-Tracy (Montérégie)
• The municipality of Sainte-Adèle (Laurentides)
• The municipality of Saint-Sauveur (Laurentides)
• The city of Richelieu (Montérégie)
• The MRC de Haut-Richelieu (Montérégie)
• Industrial Alliance (Québec)
• The municipality of Saint-André-d'Argenteuil (Laurentides)
• The city of Shawinigan (Mauricie), which is the Electric Circuit's 100th partner.

The addition of these 117 new public charging stations announced during the auto show is excellent news for electric vehicle (EV) drivers, who are the first to reap the benefits of an improved offering from the Electric Circuit.

A busy 2014
In 2014, the network welcomed 40 new partners and can now count on 100 visionary companies, institutions and municipalities who demonstrated their strong commitment to transportation electrification in Québec by purchasing charging stations and assuming the installation costs.

Speaking on behalf of the Electric Circuit's founding partners, France Lampron, the new Director – Transportation Electrification at Hydro-Québec, said, "We are delighted to see the road we've traveled. More and more owners of plug-in electric vehicles have Electric Circuit cards, they are more and more satisfied with the services offered and they are using the public charging stations more and more often. The growing popularity of the Electric Circuit among EV owners confirms its raison d'être and encourages us to continue to expand the network in order to meet their needs."

Throughout the year, the service was improved by adding 111 new 240-V stations and 7 new 400-V fast-charge stations. A total of 368 stations are now in operation, including 8 fast-charge stations, throughout 15 regions of Québec.

The network also welcomed close to 2,000 new members in 2014, bringing the total to 3,600, which means that 70% of electric vehicle drivers in Québec have Electric Circuit cards.

In a single year, the number of monthly charges on the system has risen from just under 1,500 to over 2,700, an increase of about 75%. The all-new fast-charge stations deployed last fall are especially popular, each accounting for an average of 70 charges per month.

In a November user satisfaction survey, 81% of the 1,004 respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the service of the Electric Circuit, up 7% over 2013.

"The Electric Circuit owes its success to the excellent cooperation of its private and institutional partners, who offer over 360 charging points, along with their commitment to users of plug-in electric vehicles," said Pierre-Luc Desgagné, Hydro-Québec's Vice President of Public and Government Affairs.

About the Electric Circuit
The Electric Circuit is Canada's first public charging network and the most extensive in Québec. It is a major initiative providing the charging infrastructure required to support the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in Québec.

Charging is mainly done at home, where cars are parked most of the time. The Electric Circuit offers an excellent top-up charging service for drivers who would like to extend the range of their vehicles.

Electric Circuit users 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, theelectriccircuit.com, and the mobile application for iOS and Android are updated as new stations are commissioned.

SOURCE Hydro-Québec

Louis-Olivier Batty, Hydro-Québec, for The Electric Circuit, 514 289-4214, [email protected]