AddEnergie to develop the future of electric vehicle charging with a $6.7 million contribution from Natural Resources Canada

AddEnergie, the Canadian leader in electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions, is announcing major financial backing from Natural Resources Canada to develop innovative charging technologies that will support transportation electrification in the country now and in the future.

Natural Resources Canada will contribute $6.7 million to this $16.9 million initiative, while AddEnergie will invest $7.3 million. The initiative will also benefit from a $748,000 contribution from the Quebec Ministry of Economy, Science and Innovation and $1.9 million from various private partners.

Ultimately, the projects made possible by this funding will enable the creation of 86 permanent jobs in Canada over five years and prevent emissions of over 880,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs). They will also see more than 1,000 new charging stations (residential, commercial and public) installed across Canada by 2019, which will in part contribute to the expansion of the Canada-wide FLO charging network, operated by AddEnergie.

The announcement was made this morning during a visit by Catherine McKenna, federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and François-Philippe Champagne, federal Minister of International Trade and member of Parliament for Saint-Maurice—Champlain, at the AddEnergie production plant in Shawinigan.

“We are pleased that the federal government is trusting us to develop and implement the technology that will be required to power the next generation of electric cars in Canada,” says Louis Tremblay, president and CEO of AddEnergie. “This support will strengthen our leadership position and allow us to work with other innovative companies to shape the future of transportation.”

Solutions to the challenges of electrification

This support will allow AddEnergie to develop the next generation of fast-charging stations for EVs, to serve the greater variety of EV models that will be available to consumers in the next five years.

It will also enable AddEnergie to continue developing a new and innovative business model that will help Canadian consumers and businesses access charging services on a monthly subscription basis, much like cable television service. This formula will address the cost barrier involved in acquiring and installing charging infrastructure in both the residential and commercial markets.

Finally, AddEnergie will use the federal funding to install charging stations designed especially for curbside use in five major Canadian cities, using the expertise developed during the rollout of several hundred such stations in Montreal in partnership with Hydro-Québec and the city administration.