The Electric Circuit rolls into Gaspésie - The city of New Richmond and Hôtel Le Francis become the first partners in the region to join the extensive public charging system

MONTREAL, Aug. 14, 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 partnership agreements with the city of New Richmond and Hôtel Le Francis for the first public charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs). The municipality's station will be installed in the municipal parking lot at the intersection of Chemin Cyr and Boulevard Perron Ouest. The hotel's will be located in its parking lot at 210 chemin Pardiac in the fall.

"Joining the Electric Circuit is the natural next step for us, following our city council's adoption of our sustainable development policy in September 2011," said the mayor of New Richmond, Nicole Appleby. "For years, we have worked hard to be at the forefront on a number of issues. Our future depends on it. And that's what we're doing once again today. I would like to thank the significant contribution of our partners in this project: Mauger Ford, New Richmond Subaru, Carrefour de l'auto Volkswagen Kia, and, of course, Hydro-Québec."

"Hôtel Le Francis is proud to be the first hotel in the Gaspé to join the Electric Circuit," said Daniel Duchesneau, general manager of Hôtel Le Francis. "We have always had a strong environmental conscience—in fact, we became the first electric kitchen in the Gaspé thanks to a partnership with Hydro-Québec. Since then, we have attained RéserVert certification."

"We are very pleased to welcome the city of New Richmond and Hôtel Le Francis to the Electric Circuit and continue our expansion into eastern Québec," said Pierre-Luc Desgagné, Hydro-Québec's Vice President - Public and Government Affairs, on behalf of the Electric Circuit partners. "With nearly 200 charging stations in service throughout Québec, our network is expanding rapidly and we are working hard to develop electric charging in the Gaspé Peninsula, a region where interest in transportation electrification is undeniable."

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 Electric Circuit is the largest network of public charging stations in Québec with some 200 charging stations (240 V) currently in service in parking lots of the AMT, as well as those of many RONA stores, Metro grocery stores and St-Hubert restaurants throughout Québec. Since its launch in March 2012, 45 private and institutional partners have joined the Electric Circuit. It will continue to expand in order to offer 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, theelectriccircuit.com, is updated as new stations are installed or commissioned.

SOURCE: Electric Circuit

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

Mayor's Office
Ville de New Richmond
418 392-7000
[email protected]

Hôtel Le Francis
Daniel Duchesneau
General Manager
418 392-4485
[email protected]