Where to recharge your vehicle

To identify the terminals of the various charging networks, electromobilists can consult one of the mobile applications offering this service. The most used in Quebec are the application of Electrical circuit which identifies its terminals and those of partner networks and the application Load which includes the terminals of all public networks.

Where to recharge your electric car ?

Recharge of an electric car: inventory of current charging points.

Going from a thermal car to an electric car forces you to organize your trips differently. Before taking the road, you will have to take into account the autonomy of your electric vehicle and the presence on your accessible charging points route. The question is then where to recharge your electric car outside your home to avoid the dry breakdown. electricity.

With the increase in the number of electric cars, the number of electric recharge points also increases. Today, there are just over 100,000 electric recharge points accessible to the public on the territory.

But it is true that faced with this multitude of recharge points, it can be difficult to navigate and plan your trips accordingly. It is therefore important to inquire and identify the different types of charge points, whether “open to the public” or “not open to the public”. So do not hesitate to inform yourself to find the charging solutions most suited to your driving needs and habits.

Free access charging infrastructure.

The charging infrastructure open to the public are electric terminals that allow you to recharge your electric car in free access. They can be installed in the public domain and in private areas.

The charging stations located on roads are managed by municipalities, inter -municipal groups or energy unions. To access these charging stations for your electric car, you usually need to have an access card, which can be paid or free depending on the cities.

The charging stations located in the public car parks linked to shops and in the parking lots of shopping centers constitute another alternative to recharge your electric car. In general, you only pay the price of the parking space.

You can also find free access charging stations to recharge your electric car in urban, peri-urban and highway service stations. The managers of these stations provide you with several charging stations, owners as is the case with Tesla superchargers, or standard as in the ionity network. These networks offer chargers (alternating and continuous current) in normal, fast and accelerated charging speed (reduced recharge time) compatible with all electric vehicles. These charging stations are open to all motorists and the price of the recharge which is billed to you depends on the terms set by the operator (it is he who determines the price of KWH, the costs of access to the act or as part of a subscription).

The charging infrastructure reserved for specific audiences.

The places where you can recharge your electric car with limited access also participate in the organization of the charging network, although they are reserved for very specific users. For example, the electrical terminals installed in the parking lots of private residential buildings are only accessible to residents. The electric charging stations located in corporate car parks are also reserved for employees or visitors. Maintenance or repair workshops not accessible to the public are also places where you can recharge your electric car, provided you are allowed to access these charging points.

Recharge your electric car simply thanks to mobile applications.

To take full advantage of the advantages of an electric car, you can install different applications on your mobile to locate the charging points for your electric car. Some of them are free and allow you, for example, to trace your route in France and in Europe according to the location of the charging stations. These solutions easily plan and secure your journey by entering your electric car model (and therefore its autonomy), your starting and arrival point, as well as many other criteria.

These applications also give you access to a lot of information such as the availability and operating state of the terminals, the power delivered and the type of taking. You can consult the different prices, by act or by subscription if you are subscribed. You can also benefit from other services such as comparison of charging costs depending on the stations, the possibility of booking a time slot to recharge your electric car and pay online your charging session online. Hyundai also gives you access to one of the largest public load networks in Europe thanks to its Myhyundai load application. With 52,3810 load terminals available, recharging your electric car is child’s play.

Where to recharge your vehicle

Recharge an electric vehicle is easy. Discover the different charging options for your electric vehicle: the types of charging station for the home and how to find and use the terminals of the public charging networks.

At home: 120 V or 240 V

Loading your car when you get home is as simple as loading your phone or computer.

Two charging options are possible: use of the portable charger that is part of the vehicle equipment, connected to a 120V socket, or purchase and installation by an electrician from a 240 V charging station.

It’s like having your own service station at home. But the cost of recharge at home is only a fraction of the cost of gasoline. On average, about $ 2 in electricity residential will allow drive 100 km.

A domestic socket (120 V) can do!

The equipment of the rechargeable vehicle always includes a portable charger of 120V which is connected to a standard domestic socket.

This method allows a recharging speed of up to 6 km per hour (variable depending on the car model). Vehicles whose battery is less than 20 kWh, which is the case for rechargeable hybrids and some small first generation electric cars, can generally be recharged in 3 to 12 hours with a 120V terminal.

The 120 V terminal will be enough to provide a full daily load if the electric vehicle travels less than 100 km per day. If the use is more intense, the 240 V recharge should be considered to ensure full load at least once a day.

Good to know : the 120 V terminal is not designed for a permanent installation and the electromobilist will generally have to store it in the vehicle before leaving. If the electromilist rather chooses to leave the 120 V terminal at home, there is no more terminal in the car if necessary, which is an important function of this basic equipment of the car.

The 240 V recharge is up to 5 times faster

The main advantage of a 240 V terminal is the charging speed of three to five times higher than the 120 V recharge. The vehicle will gain up to 40 km of autonomy per hour of recharge with such a terminal.

Most electromobilists therefore opt for recharging 240 V at home. The recharge duration will be 3 hours or less for the smallest batteries (20 kWh or less) and up to 12 hours for the largest batteries (40 to 100 kWh).

The other big advantage of 240 V recharge is to be able to enjoy the Winter preheating. With remote start, you can disgust and preheat the plug -in vehicle without starting the battery reserve, because the required energy will be provided by the terminal.

Program recharging

With the dashboard or the mobile application of the vehicle, it is possible to program the charging hours allowing, among other things, to optimize the temperature of the battery according to the scheduled departure time.

With this function, we can also avoid peak periods according to the recommendations of Hydro-Québec, during the very cold winter.

Purchase and installation of a 240 V terminal

Whether you live in a house or a condo, it is almost always possible to install a residential charging station.

Some owners of rental buildings even offer this service to their tenants, because it is an increasingly sought after advantage.

The Quebec government, some municipalities and even some employers offer financial assistance to encourage rechargeable vehicle owners to install a charging station at home.

At work: terminals reserved for employees

More and more companies install charging stations for employees with parking spaces reserved for electric cars in recharge.

The Roulez Vert program offers financial assistance to companies who wish to offer employees recharge.

For owners of electric vehicles, the charging stations at work are practical, especially in winter for preheating. For people who are thinking of acquiring an electric car, it allows you to envisage a less expensive vehicle with a smaller battery since the vehicle is fully loaded when returning home. The owners of rechargeable hybrids also find their account there by avoiding even more the use of their petrol engine.

For companies, this is an investment that can be paid. This is an interesting advantage to attract and keep employees. In addition, it is a visible environmental commitment that improves the image of the company.

On the road: public terminal networks

For most electromobilists, recharging on public networks is punctual. It is usually used only for long trips that exceed vehicle autonomy.

Today, it is very easy to get almost anywhere in Quebec by electric car. The terminals are located in a wide variety of places, near shops and services.

Recharge on the road

For recharge en route, the informed electromobilist synchronizes his breaks according to the recharge on a public terminal. Tourist stop, breakfast or quick snacks become so many opportunities to connect. Public charging networks include three types of terminals: 240 V terminals, rapid direct current terminals (BRCC) and Tesla Supercharters.

Find public limits

To identify the terminals of the various charging networks, electromobilists can consult one of the mobile applications offering this service. The most used in Quebec are the application of Electrical circuit which identifies its terminals and those of partner networks and the application Load which includes the terminals of all public networks.

These two applications also offer a journey planning function, useful for the longest trips. The electromobilist between its destination and the application identifies the charging options on the route, taking into account the vehicle registered. These applications also make it possible to verify the condition of the targeted terminals (available or in use, for example).

An expanding network

The network grows constantly. In the summer of 2022, there are more than 7,000 public charging stations in Quebec, including more than 1,200 rapid terminals. The Hydro-Québec electrical circuit network alone has 917 rapid terminals, while the Tesla supercharger network has 250.

The main networks are:

Note also the new network Recharged, launched at the end of 2020 in partnership with IGA supermarkets.

Types of public terminals

Depending on its trips, the planned stops and the compatibility of its vehicle, the electromobilist will choose between a 240 V terminal, a rapid direct current terminal (BRCC) or, for Tesla vehicles, a supercharger.

240V public terminals

• Compatible with all rechargeable vehicles.
• Two prices: session (between $ 0 and $ 10) or on time ($ 1 to $ 3).
• Recharge speed of 30 to 40 km per recharge hour.
• Recharge called “Destination”, generally for a stop of more than an hour.
• During recharging: shopping, restaurant meals, cinema, visit to a tourist site, night at the hotel, etc.
• There are sometimes also such terminals in incentive parking lots for public transport.

• Compatible with fully electric vehicles with a fast load port.
• Rechargeable hybrid vehicles are not compatible with BRCCs, except the Outlander Phev of Mitsubishi.
• Recharge speed of 150 to 200 km per recharge hour. More and more ultra-rapid terminals are emerging, with almost 300 km per recharge hour. However, only a few very recent models can take full advantage of it for the moment.
• For a stop generally less than an hour, during great trips.
• During recharging: snack, shopping or walking in the surroundings.

Tesla Supercharger

• Compatible with Tesla vehicles only.
• Variable pricing depending on the models and packages.
• Recharge speed of 300 to 400 km per recharge time.
• For a stop generally less than an hour, during great trips.
• During recharging: snack, shopping or walking in the surroundings.

Good practices on public limits

Spaces near the charging stations are reserved for electric recharge vehicles. Once the charging session is completed, you must move the vehicle to release access to the terminal.

Spaces reserved for recharge. It’s the law !

Since May 18, 2018, article 388.1 of the road safety code stipulates that “only electric road vehicles and […] rechargeable hybrid can be immobilized in an area reserved for energy recharge […] if they are connected to the charging station”. Offenders are sentenced to a fine of $ 100 to $ 200.

There is no need to stay close to the vehicle during recharge. The electromobilist notes the estimated end of recharge time indicated by the car or in the application of the terminal, to make sure to come back before the end. But once the charging session is completed, you have to move your vehicle to release access to the terminal.

Recommendation: maximum 80 % on a BRCC

At the DC charging terminals (BRCC), it is recommended to stop the recharging when the battery level is around 80 %, because the charging speed decreases by approaching this point.

As public charging is billed per minute, it becomes more and more expensive beyond 80 %.

If you need more energy, it may be more advantageous to continue recharging on a 240 V terminal. If another BRCC is accessible on the journey, an effective option is to continue on its way to recharge again further. Thus, rapid recharging is done under optimal conditions, at the same time reducing the total duration and the cost.