MONTRÉAL, March 31, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The Electric Circuit and the VERnetwork, two large networks of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, have announced that they will soon offer total interoperability. Drivers with an access card for either system will soon be able to use it on both. Electric Circuit members will gain access to the 150 VERnetwork stations in Québec, on top of the 400 stations in their current network.
"This is excellent news for EV drivers. The two biggest charging networks in Canada will be available to anyone having an access card for either one of them: users will have access to almost 1,000 charging stations. The VERnetwork provides charging in all types of parking areas, whether at home, at work or in public places, from British Columbia to the Maritimes! It was crucial to us and our customers to enter into an agreement with the most extensive public charging system in Québec, the Electric Circuit," said Louis Tremblay, president and chief executive officer of AddÉnergie.
"We are extremely pleased to offer our members more charging opportunities. With the addition of 150 VERnetwork public charging stations, our 4,000 members will now have access to 550 charging stations across Québec, in addition to those in neighboring provinces," said France Lampron, Hydro-Québec's Director – Transportation Electrification, on behalf of the Electric Circuit partners. "Since its launch in March 2012, the growing popularity of the public charging network with the community of EV drivers has encouraged us to continue to expand the network to meet their needs. In offering all members of both networks access to both the VERnetwork and the Electric Circuit, we are taking another step in the right direction."
The interoperability of the two networks will be implemented in 2015 in three stages.
1. In June, members of both networks will be able to use their cards to charge their vehicles at both Electric Circuit and VERnetwork stations.
2. In July, the Electric Circuit and VERnetwork mobile apps will be able to display the stations in both networks and provide all the features currently available in either of the applications (log-in, start-up, real-time tracking of charging, and more).
3. In the fall, all the stations and their status will be displayed on both the Electric Circuit and the VERnetwork Web sites.
Each network will maintain its rates for its stations.
| Electric Circuit |
VERnetwork |
|
| 240-V stations |
$2.50/charge |
$1.00/hour or free, depending on location |
| 400-V fast-charge stations |
$10.00/hour, billed by the minute |
|
| Curbside stations |
$1.00/hour |
Big plans for 2015 and 2016
The Electric Circuit intends to continue its expansion in the months to come, chiefly by stepping up the opening of fast-charge stations. Earlier this year, Nissan Canada announced that it would support the expansion of the public charging system by helping set up 25 sites with 400-V DC stations. The Nissan partnership agreement is part of a new stage in the development of the Electric Circuit, which aims to have 50 fast-charge stations on main highways and in big cities in Québec by the end of 2016.
The Electric Circuit will also continue to roll out the network of 240-V stations and plans to have 725 in operation by the end of 2016. On January 16, Les Rôtisseries St-Hubert announced that there would be public charging stations at all its restaurants by the end of 2015. That means more than 50 new stations in addition to the 28 already in operation at St-Hubert restaurants.
About the Electric Circuit
The Electric Circuit is the largest public charging network in Québec. It is a major initiative providing the charging infrastructure required to support the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in Québec, with close to 400 stations, including 8 fast-charge stations, in parking lots of the AMT, RONA stores, Metro grocery stores and St-Hubert restaurants throughout Québec. Since its launch in March 2012, more than 100 private and institutional partners have joined the Electric Circuit.
Plug-in EVs are usually charged 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 app for iOS and Android are updated as new stations are commissioned.
About the VERnetwork
The VERnetwork is the largest charging network in Canada, having more than 700 stations, both public and private, connected and managed remotely. It is designed for clients that want to offer a quality charging service for plug-in electric vehicle drivers who visit their parking lots. The network, entirely managed by AddÉnergie, aims to ensure that Canadian electric vehicle drivers can charge their cars in any type of parking lot. For more information, visit www.reseauver.com/index.en.html.
About ADDÉnergie
AddÉnergie is the Canadian leader in smart charging solutions for electric vehicles. The company develops, manufactures and operates charging solutions for all market segments: public, employers, multi-residential, fleets, residential, etc. The company provides the charging infrastructure for the Electric Circuit and the VERnetwork, the two largest charging networks in Canada, with more than 1,000 stations. For more information, visit www.addenergietechnologies.com/en.
SOURCE Electric Circuit
Louis-Olivier Batty, Hydro-Québec, for the Electric Circuit, 514 289-4214, [email protected]; Véronique Faucher-Allen, ADDÉnergie, for the VERnetwork, 877 505-2674, ext. 226, [email protected]
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