NB Power and Irving Oil unveil first electric vehicle fast-charging station in New Brunswick

Publication date

July 6, 2017

Saint John (NB) – NB Power and Irving Oil are pleased to announce commissioning of the first fast-charging station for electric vehicles (EV) in New Brunswick at Irving Oil’s Big Stop in Lincoln. The Lincoln installation is the first of seven fast-charging stations to be hosted at Irving Oil locations throughout the province.

Fast chargers are capable of recharging all-electric vehicle batteries up to 80 per cent in approximately 30 minutes. In addition to the Lincoln location, fast-charging stations will be available to customers at Irving Oil Big Stops in Aulac, Salisbury and Grand Falls (St. Andre), as well as Irving Oil sites in Youngs Cove, Woodstock (Murray’s Irving), and Moncton (Magnetic Hill).

“We’re proud to partner with NB Power in offering this technology to our customers,” said Darren Gillis, General Manager, Sales & Marketing Operations for Irving Oil. “We’re committed to continually evolving our business to better serve our customers and communities, and help put New Brunswick on the map for sustainable transportation solutions.”

Charging stations at Irving Oil sites will form part of a fast-charging corridor of stations located at 65-kilometre intervals along the TransCanada Highway. The fast-charging corridor is part of NB Power’s eCharge Network – a public charging program for electric vehicles. Electric vehicle owners can now sign up to become members of the NB Power eCharge Network online at www.echargenetwork.com, load credits to their account and locate charging stations across New Brunswick.

“We’re very pleased to welcome Irving Oil to the eCharge Network as host to seven of our fast-charging stations,” said Gaëtan Thomas, President and CEO of NB Power. “Through our partnership with Irving Oil, EV-drivers now have the option of charging up along New Brunswick’s busiest highway with the convenience of a service station equipped with food, washrooms and other amenities.”

The fast-charging corridor enables EV-owners to travel the busiest highway in New Brunswick with confidence and free of range anxiety. Standard level 2 (240 Volt) charging stations will also be installed alongside the fast-charging stations for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which cannot charge at fast-charging stations.

The charging stations are a made-in-Canada product by AddÉnergie, a leading Canadian supplier and will be interoperable with the FLO network, the largest charging network in Canada. The stations are also networked, or “smart”, which enables the following benefits:

• Online dashboard and user-friendly interface
• Usage history
• Remote software updates
• 24/7 helpline and support
• Real-time monitoring
• Online and smart phone application displaying station locations and availabilities in real-time

NB Power is proud to lead the development of a fast-charging corridor in New Brunswick and acknowledges the financial support of $500,000 from Natural Resources Canada enabling the purchase and installation of the fast-charging stations.

“This fast-charging electric vehicle station demonstrates both Canada’s and New Brunswick’s commitment to the low-carbon transportation system of the future,” said Matt DeCourcey, Member of Parliament for Fredericton, on behalf of the Hon. Jim Carr, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. “Congratulations to all partners making it easier for Canadians to choose cleaner transportation options, and for helping to advance our federal and provincial efforts to build a clean economy, create well-paying jobs, and realize our climate change goals.”

About NB Power’s eCharge Network:

The eCharge Network is NB Power’s public charging program for electric vehicles. The eCharge Network is made up of standard level 2 (240 Volt) charging station located throughout the province and a fast-charging corridor of stations (400 Volt) along the Trans-Canada Highway from Edmundston to Aulac. The eCharge Network aims to enable EV drivers to travel around New Brunswick.

About Irving Oil:

Irving Oil was founded in 1924 and is an international refining and marketing company with a history of long-term partnerships and relationships. Named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers in 2016, Irving Oil operates Canada’s largest refinery, in Saint John, New Brunswick, which is located 65 miles north of the US border and has reached production rates in excess of 320,000 barrels per day. It also operates Ireland’s only refinery, located at Whitegate in southern Ireland, with a capacity of 75,000 barrels per day. With over 900 fuelling locations, operations from 10 distribution terminals, and a delivery fleet of tractor-trailers, Irving Oil serves wholesale, commercial, and retail customers in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and New England. Learn more at facebook.com/irvingoil or www.irvingoil.com.

Media Contacts:

Marc Belliveau
Communications
Énergie NB Power
[email protected]
506.458.4203

Andy Carson
Irving Oil
[email protected]
506.651.3827

Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
343-292-6100
[email protected]