MONTREAL — A Jean Coutu drug store in Longueuil, Quebec, plans to deploy a public charging station for electric vehicles (EVs).
Electric Circuit, a major initiative in the rollout of charging infrastructure for plug-in vehicles in Quebec, said Friday that the EV station will be installed this summer in the parking lot of a PJC Jean Coutu store in Greenfield Park, a borough of Longueuil.
"We are very pleased to be associated with Quebec’s leader in public charging and give our customers the opportunity to fill up with clean and renewable energy when needed," René Gagné, owner-pharmacist of the PJC Jean Coutu store, said in a statement. "The economic and environmental advantages of driving with electricity are undeniable and, as a corporate citizen, it was important that we take part in this evolution."
The PJC Jean Coutu location is the first drug store to offer an Electric Circuit EV station. Electric Circuit said it now has about 160 charging stations (240v) in parking lots of the AMT (Agence Métropolitaine de Transport) and RONA hardware stores, Metro grocery stores and St. Hubert restaurants throughout Quebec. Electric Circuit was launched in March 2012.
"We are delighted to welcome owner-pharmacists René Gagné and Marcel Proulx as partners of the Electric Circuit," stated Pierre-Luc Desgagné, vice president of public and government affairs at Hydro-Québec, on behalf of the founding partners of the Electric Circuit. "Integrating this first pharmacy to our service offering demonstrates one of the strengths of our network, namely to offer top-up service in a variety of places. Electric vehicle drivers can travel worry-free knowing that a network of public charging is available if necessary."
