Elmec 20 years, EVduty 5 years

EVduty, the best-selling electric vehicle charging station (240V) in Québec, was launched 5 years ago! Designed and manufactured by Elmec, the EVduty line of charging stations has since been the object of numerous developments. Let’s also mention that the manufacturing company founded in 1998 in Grand-Mère (Shawinigan) has been in operation for over 20 years.

The EVduty adventure at Elmec began in 2012, when there were only 2 or 3 plug-in vehicle models available on the market. Company management’s forward-thinking helped identify the strong growth potential of the plug-in vehicle sector. Today, more than 15,000 EVduty charging stations are active every day throughout Québec and several other Canadian provinces. The product’s reliability and the company’s responsiveness in serving its customers are the basis of this success.

INITIAL DEVELOPMENT

Despite the simple appearance of a charging station’s interior, developing such a product is not within the reach of any handyman since many standards must be respected to ensure the device is safe. The initial project therefore required several months of designing. With certification steps included, almost two years elapsed between the initial vision and the final production unit. The first generation of the EVduty charging station was thus officially marketed at the beginning of 2014. It was then the first residential charging station designed and manufactured in the province of Québec.

SECOND GENERATION

Soon after, the engineering team started working on the second generation of the EVduty charging station, whose characteristics would allow for the production of commercial variations intended for public charging. Launched at the beginning of 2017, the new EVduty charging station has a more discreet and compact design. Elmec inc introduced a more sophisticated technology in order to add smart features. Compact, portable (versions with power outlet) and reliable, the EVduty charging station remains the most popular among EV drivers in Québec today and market share is growing in Ontario and British Columbia.

SMART CHARGING STATIONS

Highly anticipated smart versions were introduced a few months after the launch of the new generation and allow owners to access several features via the EVduty mobile app. An interesting feature of the EVduty charging station is the possibility to upgrade a regular station into a smart version later on thanks to remote programming.

PUBLIC CHARGING

Elmec has also developed multiple structures for public charging contexts. Its manufacturing strategy allows Elmec to offer businesses, organizations and institutions charging products at competitive prices. More and more companies are choosing EVduty to integrate charging services in their facilities. In addition to the 240V charging station, Elmec has also been selling its EVduty-3 (50kW) fast charging station for several years.

EVDUTY MOBILE APP

The EVduty mobile app provides access to the residential charging station’s smart features and enables the use of public charging stations of the EVduty network. Over the past two years, several improvements have been made to the interface and new features have been added. Resolutely oriented towards the future, the management and engineering teams still have many projects in development for this mobile application.

ALWAYS PUSHING FORWARD

Constantly monitoring the evolution of the electric vehicle sector, Elmec intends to stay ahead of the pack thanks to its innovative and competitive products. Electric vehicle charging will of course remain at the heart of its activities. There are other related spheres also, such as an autonomous electric tractor, which has been in development for a few years in collaboration with the Innovative Vehicle Institute. EVduty’s market success is promising for the coming years during which Elmec will remain an important player in the economic ecosystem of transport electrification in Québec.

ABOUT ELMEC

Located at 1141 2nd Avenue in Shawinigan, Elmec was founded in 1998 by Jean-Marc Pittet after the acquisition of a division of Megatech Electro. At first, the company was renowned for the development and production of custom products including its famous custom electrical systems for machinery. In 2012, Elmec decided to diversify its activities after identifying two fast-growing markets consistent with its activities, namely the manufacturing of charging stations for electric vehicles and the control of machinery using Web and mobile applications, particularly in local agriculture. The company’s goals are firstly to become a leader in the development of connected objects, and secondly to propel equipment control technologies into the 21st century.