Montréal, September 7, 2023- Propulsion Québec, the electric and intelligent transportation (TEI) industry cluster, welcomes the unveiling of the Québec Strategy for Electric Vehicle Charging, announced today by Québec Premier François Legault, the Minister of the Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, Benoît Charette, and his parliamentary assistant, Mathieu Lemay. This strategic announcement, which provides $514 million in funding over 5 years, will accelerate the deployment of public and private recharging infrastructures for various types of vehicles, particularly heavy-duty vehicles. The cluster is very pleased to note that financial assistance programs for the acquisition and deployment of charging infrastructures have been maintained and enhanced, and that the innovative induction charging project for electric ambulances coordinated by Propulsion Québec has been confirmed. However, we would like to reiterate the importance of collaborating with the industry to identify the needs of businesses and ensure the success of the transition to sustainable mobility.
The deployment of electric and intelligent vehicles and charging infrastructures inevitably go hand in hand. The Quebec government is aiming to do just that by :
- Aiming to reach 6,700 public fast-charging stations and 110,000 public level 2 charging stations across the country by 2030;
- Dedicating a budget of $35 million to accelerate the installation of public charging stations for heavy vehicles along major highways;
- Funding $24 million in new financial assistance to support the electrification of heavy transportation and fleets;
- Planning to adopt regulations requiring the installation of charging infrastructures in new multi-unit buildings, in addition to providing financial assistance for buildings already constructed.
"With bold targets, intelligent urban planning for the mobility of the future, and substantial investment, the TEI ecosystem will be able to make an economic and environmental difference for Quebec. The Strategy addresses many of the issues identified by our industry, such as interoperability, cybersecurity, regulation, the role of the private sector and municipalities, and energy management. With this announcement, the government is showing us that it has taken into account the demands and needs expressed by our sector over the last few months, which is very encouraging", says Sarah Houde, President and CEO of Propulsion Québec.
Fostering innovation to contribute to energy efficiency
Experimentation and demonstration will be the key to developing intelligent infrastructures and interoperability projects, to better understand the impact of recharging on buildings, and to encourage the development of new connected recharging solutions, particularly bidirectional ones. We are pleased to note that financial aid for charging, energy management and support has been maintained and increased.
Propulsion Québec's Collaborative Mobility Innovation Center (CIM) plans to develop two innovation platforms to facilitate the demonstration of typical electric infrastructure installations for medium and heavy-duty vehicles. It will provide a single, agnostic pool of infrastructure and charging solutions for interoperability testing, energy management solutions and bi-directional (V2G) pilot projects. We are reaching out to the Quebec government to collaborate and disseminate the learnings from these innovation platforms.
Train the workforce to support electrification
Accelerating the deployment of charging infrastructures will require a better match between workforce skills and the transition to sustainable mobility. The Quebec government must therefore consider the electric and intelligent transport sector as a priority in its strategy to combat labor shortages. Propulsion Québec applauds the $600,000 earmarked to improve training opportunities, as well as the government's willingness to take steps to promote the attractiveness of the workforce in the research sector. It's a step in the right direction, but we need to go further by identifying training standards and skills to be developed, and highlighting the quality of career opportunities in the sector to better meet the needs of electrification.
"The Quebec strategy for electric vehicle charging has been eagerly awaited by the entire TEI ecosystem, and we salute the leadership of the Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs. In a context where the Quebec government wants to ban the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles as early as 2035, all the measures announced come at just the right time. It will be essential to pay particular attention to the recharging needs of medium- and heavy-duty transport, and to encourage a modal shift towards public transport, active transportation and shared mobility. In this respect, Propulsion Québec wishes to offer its full cooperation to the Quebec government and to contribute to the work of the advisory committee," concludes Sarah Houde.
About Propulsion Québec
Quebec's electric and intelligent transportation cluster mobilizes all players in the industry around concerted projects with the aim of positioning Quebec among the leaders in the development and implementation of ground transportation modes that promote electric and intelligent transportation. Created in 2017, Propulsion Québec today has nearly 250 members from different sectors and deploys its resources in seven distinct workstreams aimed at developing and supporting innovative projects. The cluster is financially supported by the Government of Quebec, the Government of Canada, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM), Quebec City, Mouvement Desjardins, Fasken, Hydro-Québec, Québecor and CDPQ.
Cover image: vectorjuice on Freepik
