The recent budget tabled by the Government of Quebec provides significant amounts for the fight against climate change and the electrification of transportation which will allow, among other things, the installation of 800 new charging stations in Montreal and a hundred in Quebec. To ensure rapid and viable deployment of this plan, the government would do well to put in place conditions conducive to the contribution of a multitude of partners, including those in the private sector.
Posted yesterday at 4:00 p.m.
The Government of Quebec has set itself a specific objective: to end the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. However, as is the case with any new technological transition, it is useful for governments to propel change through incentives and public policies, especially when breaking more than a century of habits of making and moving goods and people.
However, in order to make a real shift, it will be necessary to create inviting conditions for companies that have the expertise and resources to significantly increase access to charging stations.
Concrete solutions are within Quebec’s reach, such as offering incentives to businesses and municipalities to develop local charging networks or reviewing the development of laws and regulations to facilitate the integration of terminals in multi-unit residences – an initiative that is currently extremely complex to set up for tenants and co-owners.
Foster access through competition
Promoting competition is another practice that is already widespread in Europe and elsewhere in North America, where electric vehicle (EV) drivers can choose from several charging service providers.
It is facilitated in particular by roaming partnerships, which increase drivers’ access to charging stations tenfold by promoting competition and cooperation between the charging networks of private companies. At the same time, it accelerates the deployment of these networks.
In fact, roaming allows drivers to use a single subscription to quickly find, initiate and pay for charging their vehicle at any partner charging station, in the same way that a bank card can be used to withdraw money from ATMs around the world.
Thus, a host of means are available in Quebec to allow the various private suppliers of charging stations to serve our vast territory together, in collaboration with existing partners.
From words to deeds
Quebec is the Canadian leader in terms of the number of charging stations, but there is still a lot of work to be done in several regions to acquire a network consistent with the elimination of the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles. in a few years: the number of terminals as well as the speed and scale of the new investments required are significant.
In this regard, the cooperative and competitive model is perfectly transposable to the Quebec reality. This is a natural next step to improve the experience of the growing number of EV drivers on Quebec roads.
The invitation is out: several private sector players, such as retailers, grocery chains and refueling station operators, are ready to invest in Quebec and work with the government to develop a deployment plan as ambitious as her goals.