The installation of a new fast bike lane on Avenue Saint-Antoine has shut down 16 electric vehicle charging stations, among the city’s most widely used charging stations.

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“The stations are still there, but it’s impossible to use them,” laments Adam Mizera, a frequent user of street stations. For me, who lives outside of Montreal, it was a very convenient way to park downtown while recharging my car.”

The creation of a bike path since July 8 on Rue Saint-Antoine, as part of the new section of the Réseau Express Vélo (REV), is the reason for the closure of the 16 stations on the street.

“It is no longer possible to park on the left to use the stations, because with the bike path on the right, this lane is now used only for traffic, according to the details an employee of the Palais des Congrès administration met in the area. There were still quite a few people who came. To recharge their cars. I’ve always seen a car parked here.”

Lots of refills

16 stations were installed in 2015, located between Riopelle and Jeanne-Mance Streets, and were already among the most used stations in the city.

“On average, 70 recharges were performed per month at each station, which is higher than the overall rate on our network,” Jonathan Cotey, spokesperson for Hydro-Québec, the parent company of Electric Circuit, identifies public grid charging stations. It is also one One of the places with the most charging stations, because in general there is a maximum of 2 or 4 per site. »

When contacted, the City of Montreal said it was “aware of the inconvenience caused by the shutdown of terminals in the Saint-Antoine Street section,” while making it clear that it was “actively working to establish new charging locations.” It should be equipped “by the end of the year, but also in 2023, in order to increase the service supply in the sector”.

Existing stations will be removed “permanently”.

Not enough stations

According to Hydro-Quebec figures, more than 1,200 Tier 2 stations (full recharge in 2 to 3 hours) have been installed in Montreal. That’s not enough, according to Daniel Britton, president of Electric Mobility Canada.

“To say that we will make more bike space is no problem for me, he asserts, but that does not preclude a more ambitious plan to deploy the stations,” he continues.

“We need to set up shipping centers with a large number of stations, rather than having two centers here or four more there,” says Mr. Britton. We must hurry, because it is estimated that the number of electric vehicles in Quebec will double by 11 by 2030.”