Montreal, March 14, 2012 – As a founding partner of the Electric Circuit powered by Hydro-Québec, Metro today officially inaugurated the first public charging network for plug-in electric vehicles in Quebec and in Canada.
Supplied with clean and renewable energy, Electric Circuit stations have been installed and are available for recharging electric vehicles in several Metro parking lots, in the Quebec City and Montreal metropolitan areas. In all, approximately 120 stations will be set up until this summer in some parking lots of the founding partners. From that point on, the set-up rate will follow that of the arrival of electric vehicles on Quebec roads.
“As the leader of the Quebec food industry, Metro makes a point of being at the forefront of the new currents and realities that will make up the Quebec of tomorrow. People using electric vehicles will be able to drive with their minds at ease knowing that they have access to a network of public charging stations. By adding charging stations for electric cars to our parking lots, we are contributing to laying down the recharging infrastructure base required to support the arrival of rechargeable electric vehicles in Quebec”, said Marc Giroux, Vice-President, Marketing, Metro Inc.
Metro is particularly proud to be a partner in this Hydro-Québec initiative because it enables Metro to meet the new needs of its clientele and of the communities that it serves. The level of enthusiasm is that much greater when considering that this innovative project is part of the company’s corporate responsibility process, which takes social, economic and environmental concerns into account.
To use the services of the Electric Circuit, all you have to do is get yourself a prepaid card by making a request at www.lecircuitelectrique.com. We should point out that the Electric Circuit recharging service will be offered at a price of $2.50, for example $25 for 10 recharges, regardless of how much time the recharging takes.
Users also benefit from a 24-hour telephone assistance service, operated and managed by CAA-Québec, and a station locating service provided by Hydro-Québec. The Electric Circuit site will of course be updated on a regular basis so that drivers will be able to follow the network’s development.
METRO INC.
With annual sales of over $11 billion and over 65,000 employees, Metro Inc. is a leader in the food and pharmaceutical sectors in Québec and Ontario, where it operates a network of more than 600 food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C and Food Basics, as well as over 250 drugstores under the Brunet, The Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners.
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Pierre Tessier
Communications Infrarouge
pierre.tessier@cominfrarouge.com
514 233-1636
Marie-Claude Bacon
Senior Director
Corporate Affairs Department
mbacon@metro.ca
514 643-1086
List of Metro stores where charging stations will be installed
Kirkland | 3801 Saint-Charles Boulevard |
Laval | 1100, boulevard de l’Avenir |
Sainte-Thérèse | 214, boulevard René-A.-Robert |
Montréal | 1745, rue Fleury Est |
Québec | 2450, boulevard Laurier |
Québec | 2830, avenue Saint-David |
Repentigny | 150, rue Louvain |
Boucherville | 535, Samuel-de-Champlain Blvd. |
*Chambly | 1233, Périgny Blvd. |
* functional soon |