Québec’s Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy
According to government targets, two million light electric vehicles will be on Québec roads by 2030. To keep pace with the exponential growth in the number of electric vehicles and their charging needs, charging infrastructure deployment will need to accelerate across Québec also.
Québec’s Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy 2023–2030—Summary (PDF 1.24 Mb)— lists the measures set out in an ambitious and scalable action plan for equipping Québec with an accessible, reliable and high-performance charging infrastructure to meet electric vehicle drivers needs by 2030 and beyond.
Québec’s Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy 2023–2030—Summary (PDF 1.24 Mb)— lists the measures set out in an ambitious and scalable action plan for equipping Québec with an accessible, reliable and high-performance charging infrastructure to meet electric vehicle drivers needs by 2030 and beyond.
Targets for 2030
The strategy revolves around two targets to be achieved:
- By 2030, 35% of parking spaces in multiple dwelling buildings will be adapted to allow the installation of charging stations, constituting 600,000 parking spaces.
- By 2030, Québec will have a total of 6,700 public fast-charging stations and 110,000 Level 2 public charging stations.
Adapt parking spaces in multiple dwelling buildings
Typically, 80% of charging time for personal electric vehicles takes place at the owner’s home. For the 3.2 million people in Québec living in multiple dwelling buildings, access to a charging station at home can be a major challenge. Those who can’t charge their electric vehicle at home, regardless of their type of building, are colloquially known as “charging orphans.”
The Strategy aims to remove this barrier to the adoption of electric vehicles by encouraging the upgrading of 350,000 parking spaces in existing multiple dwelling buildings. This improvement, in addition to the 250,000 new parking spaces that will be equipped with charging connections when they are built, will make it possible to reach the target of 600,000 spaces adapted to allow the installation of charging stations in multiple dwelling buildings.
The Strategy aims to remove this barrier to the adoption of electric vehicles by encouraging the upgrading of 350,000 parking spaces in existing multiple dwelling buildings. This improvement, in addition to the 250,000 new parking spaces that will be equipped with charging connections when they are built, will make it possible to reach the target of 600,000 spaces adapted to allow the installation of charging stations in multiple dwelling buildings.
Accelerate the deployment of the public charging network
Québec is in an enviable position with respect to its public charging infrastructure, with:
The availability of public charging stations will be increased by 2030, with one public charging station available for every 16 electric vehicles on the road, compared with the current ratio of one for every 23 electric vehicles.
To achieve the objectives set out in the Strategy, private operators will be invited to play a greater role in the installation and operation of new public charging infrastructures. To guarantee user satisfaction, network interoperability and the accessibility of charging stations on all Québec roads will remain a priority.
- More than 9,200 public charging stations already in service, including nearly 1,400 DC fast-charging stations, also known as BRCCs in Québec.
- By March 2022, 39% of all public charging stations in Canada were already located in Québec.
- 47% of Level 2 public charging stations are currently operated by Hydro-Québec’s “Circuit Électrique” partners. Also, 60% of BRCCs are operated by the “Circuit Électrique”, and the Plan for a Green Economy forecasts that Hydro-Québec will have installed 2,530 of these stations by 2030.
The availability of public charging stations will be increased by 2030, with one public charging station available for every 16 electric vehicles on the road, compared with the current ratio of one for every 23 electric vehicles.
To achieve the objectives set out in the Strategy, private operators will be invited to play a greater role in the installation and operation of new public charging infrastructures. To guarantee user satisfaction, network interoperability and the accessibility of charging stations on all Québec roads will remain a priority.
One strategy, three focus areas
The Strategy proposes a structured plan built around three focus areas:
In order to adapt the Strategy’s measures to a market in constantly evolution, updates will be made on a recurring basis, either through enhancements or by the addition of new actions. These improvements take place as part of the annual implementation updates to the Plan for a Green Economy.
- Deploy a charging infrastructure for all types of users
- Create a favourable business environment
- Ensure efficient, coordinated and integrated development of charging
In order to adapt the Strategy’s measures to a market in constantly evolution, updates will be made on a recurring basis, either through enhancements or by the addition of new actions. These improvements take place as part of the annual implementation updates to the Plan for a Green Economy.
