Minister: Quebec Should Reduce Energy Consumption Before EV Growth

The energy minister of Quebec has urged residents to keep track of their energy consumption and make lifestyle adjustments in preparation for the province’s growing fleet of electric cars (EVs).

By the end of the decade, the province of Quebec intends to have two million electric vehicles on the road.

Pierre Fitzgibbon, minister of the economy, innovation, and energy, predicts that two million electric vehicles will put a major strain on the grid.

“Needless to say, the two million EVs that (Environment Minister) Benoit Charette has put as a rule is putting a lot of pressure on Hydro-Quebec,” said Fitzgibbon on Friday.

However, political analyst and former environment minister David Heurtel claims the administration is concealing exactly how much power this will require.

“We just don’t have enough energy to cover all the demand for power over the next few years,” he said.

Quebec’s hydro is less expensive than Ontario’s, and “Quebec has been very good at attracting a lot of investment” for that reason, he added.

“Plus, also remember Hydro-Quebec has concluded major export projects to the U.S. over the last few years.”

In order to keep up with the growing demand for affordable transportation, the government of Quebec has made a large investment of $2.7 million to improve its infrastructure for a new fleet of vehicles. This will provide the necessary support for the rapidly increasing number of vehicles on the road.