Rivière-du-Loup becomes the first city in the Bas-Saint-Laurent to join the Electric Circuit

MONTREAL, May 8, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - The founding partners of the Electric Circuit—Les Rôtisseries St-Hubert, RONA, METRO, the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) and Hydro-Québec—are pleased to announce the signing of a partnership agreement with the city of Rivière-du-Loup for the installation of a public charging station for electric vehicles (EVs) in the parking lot of city hall by this summer.

"This project is perfectly in line with the philosophy of our integrated sustainable communities plan, S'engager pour un futur stimulant, adopted by Rivière-du-Loup in 2012. In addition, these charging stations will help lay the groundwork for when the city replaces certain municipal vehicles with electric models," said Mayor Michel Morin.

"The Electric Circuit wants to take off in the Bas-Saint-Laurent. Rivière-du-Loup is demonstrating its leadership by becoming the first municipality in the region to join the vast public charging network," said Pierre-Luc Desgagné, Vice President - Public and Government Affairs at Hydro-Québec, on behalf of the founding partners of the Electric Circuit. "Our network continues to grow, and we are pleased to have a presence in a city that we have targeted, which is at the heart of our deployment in eastern Québec."

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 network already has a charging station in eastern Québec, at the Auberge Internationale du Témiscouata, which has been in service since September 2012.

The Electric Circuit now offers almost 160 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 on March 30, 2012, 29 other 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.

While EV owners do most of their charging at home and at work, drivers can travel worry-free, knowing they can top up their batteries on the road if they need to. Electric Circuit users also 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, www.theelectriccircuit.com, is updated as new stations are installed or commissioned.

SOURCE: HYDRO-QUEBEC

Nathalie Vachon
Hydro-Québec for the Electric Circuit
514 289-2441
[email protected] 

Geneviève Pigeon
Manager - Environment and Sustainability
Ville de Rivière-du-Loup
418 867-6665
[email protected] 

Communications Department
418 867-6706