The installation of a new express cycle lane on rue Saint-Antoine has forced the removal of 16 charging stations for the city’s most-used electric vehicles.
“The terminals are still there, but they’re impossible to use,” blamed Adam Mizera, who frequents the street stations. For me, who lives outside of Montreal, it’s a very convenient way to park downtown while recharging my vehicle.
The reason for the closure of the 16 terminals on the street is the installation of a cycle path on rue Saint-Antoine from July 8 as part of a new section of the Réseau Express Vélo (REV).
“It is no longer possible to park on the left to use the terminals, because, with the cycle path on the right, this lane is now used only for traffic, details met by a Palais des Congress management employee on the spot. Still very few people come to recharge their vehicles. I have always parked a car here I saw it done”.
Installed in 2015, the 16 terminals between the streets Riopelle and Jean-Mans are actually the most used in the city.
“On average, 70 recharges per month were made at each station, which is above the general average in our network,” said Jonathan Côté, spokesman for Hydro-Québec, the parent company of Electric Circuit’s public network of charging stations. It is also one of the places with the most charging stations, as there are usually 2 or 4 at most per site. »
When contacted, the city of Montreal said it was “aware of the inconvenience caused by the withdrawal of terminals in the rue Saint-Antoine section”, while explaining that it was “actively working to set up new charging sites”. These are to be installed “by the end of the year, but also in 2023” to increase the service offering in the sector.
Current terminals are “permanently” removed.
Archival photo
Making room for bicycles makes Daniel Breton of Electric Mobility Canada happy, but not when it comes to the dangers of electric cars.
According to Hydro-Québec statistics, more than 1,200 Level 2 terminals (full recharge in 2 to 3 hours) have been installed in Montreal. Not enough, according to Daniel Breton, president of Electric Mobility Canada.
“To say that we are going to make more space for the bicycle, it does not cause me any problem, he emphasized, but it does not prevent us from having a more ambitious plan for the expansion of the terminals”, he continues.
“We need to create charging centers here with more terminals than two or four other terminals,” said Mr. Breton said. We must accelerate because the number of electric vehicles in Quebec is expected to multiply by 11 by 2030.
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