Canadian EV charging station supplier Flo has entered in an agreement with the Metro grocery chain to install charging stations in the parking lots of its stores in Quebec and Ontario.
In all, there will be 500 new charging stations in 130 Metro, Super C, Food Basics and Marché Adonis grocery stores. Installation work on the stations will begin in August.
As reported by Automotive News, Flo stated that a significant number of the new installations are supported by Flo's partnership with the Canada Infrastructure Bank. That federal Crown Corporation has pledged $235 million to Flo for the commissioning of more than 1,900 public fast-charging stations in Canada by 2027.
The new stations will be equipped with Flo's dual-port ultra-fast charger, which can offer up to 320 kW of power. According to the manufacturer, it enables most new EVs to be recharged to 80 percent in 15 minutes. That can vary, of course, depending on the charging capacity of the vehicle, but no matter the exact time, it’s about as long as most people take to do their grocery shopping.
The choice of grocery stores, places that are frequented by everyone, is designed to help skittish potential EV buyers who may still be worried about range.
For those who have a charging station at home, it's safe to assume they won't be recharging their vehicle at the grocery store, which is often close to home. However, for those living in rental or condo apartment buildings, having stations at the nearby grocery store could be a game-changer.
Flo CEO Louis Tremblay said the partnership with Metro “lays the groundwork to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.”
Flo currently offers more than 100,000 fast-charging and Level 2 charging stations in North America.