Quebec and Canada have their hands on the wheel of the electric car and have only one destination: the electrification of transportation.
Electromobility seems to be THE solution in the short to medium term adopted to achieve national and provincial greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction objectives. Initially, the Government of Canada wanted to reach 10% of light-duty vehicle sales by 2025, 30% by 2030 and 100% by 2040 (Government of Canada, 2020a.), but the momentum is building and on June 29, the Government of Canada would require that 100% of passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold be zero-emission vehicles by 2035 (Government of Canada, 2020b.). More recently, on July 28, the federal government announced an additional investment of $9.5 million in partnership with Hydro-Québec for the installation of fast charging stations in Quebec (Les Affaires, 2021). The Quebec government is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050 by focusing on the electrification of transportation to achieve its goal of reducing GHG emissions by 37.5% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels (Government of Quebec, 2020).
Municipal initiatives for the deployment of the charging network
At the municipal level, daily travel by motor vehicle is the main source of GHG emissions. Fortunately, there are many financial incentives from governments, not just for car owners. Municipalities, companies and businesses are also involved. In fact, we must aim for a broad base to extend the charging network and involve as many players as possible in the ecological transition. To name a few: Transition Énergétique Québec (Drive Green, Transport Green), the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (Capital Project), the Electric Circuit (4,500 charging stations) and Natural Resources Canada (PIVEZ) are governmental organizations that offer simple and advantageous financing programs specific to the electrification of transportation (charging stations, equipment, installation, etc.).
In addition to financing, a municipality needs tools to estimate the need for electric charging stations on its territory. Valuable information can be found in the report on the state of the art and the challenges of deploying fast charging stations in Quebec by the HEC Montreal Energy Management Chair (Chaire de gestion du secteur de l’énergie, 2021) and we should also consider the data provided by the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ, n.d.) on vehicles in circulation. Site selection should be based on strategic locations in terms of ridership and land use.
In order to ensure the inclusion and participation of as many stakeholders as possible in your electric charging station deployment project, it is possible to hold a public consultation session to gather the opinion of citizens, consult and gather the support of environmental and community organizations. Then, in addition to the social aspects, put most of the effort into assessing the technical feasibility and challenges that may be encountered in implementing and installing the charging stations.
A growing number of municipalities are adopting sustainable development plans and, with the evolution of technologies and the needs of electric car owners, the installation of fast charging stations on the territory is becoming more and more widespread. Here is a table outlining the characteristics of the different technologies for electric charging stations.
References (APA)