The City of Victoriaville, in collaboration with Polara, is breaking new ground with the installation of Canada’s first municipal V2X (vehicle‑to‑everything) bidirectional charging station. Located at City Hall, this initiative supports Victoriaville’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and exploring new sustainable energy solutions. This pilot project paves the way for the gradual deployment of additional charging hubs across the city.
“I am very pleased to see our first bidirectional charging station officially in place! This innovative project reinforces Victoriaville’s ambition to position itself as a pioneer in sustainable development,” said Antoine Tardif, Mayor of Victoriaville.
V2X chargers not only power electric vehicles but also enable their batteries to serve as energy sources for buildings during outages or periods of high demand. This technology supports smarter energy management, reduces costs, optimizes consumption, and helps balance the electrical grid.
“We are proud to support this highly innovative project, which once again demonstrates that municipalities are willing to embrace original solutions to strengthen resilience and adapt to climate change,” added Benoit Balmana, Executive Director of IVÉO.
“Polara is proud to contribute to this landmark electrification initiative—the first deployment of a bidirectional charging station in a municipal setting in Canada. This milestone opens the door to more resilient infrastructure and smarter use of electric vehicles for the benefit of the community,” concluded Sébastien Fournier, CEO of Polara.
Located at City Hall, this first charging station will allow the City to test the technology in a high‑traffic area while providing a solution for drivers who do not have access to home charging. By using vehicle batteries as a complementary energy source, Victoriaville will eventually be able to reduce its reliance on diesel generators, cutting its carbon footprint while strengthening its sustainability efforts. Insights gained from this initial phase will guide the next steps of the project as additional bidirectional charging stations are deployed across the city. This initiative represents a true transformation of the local charging ecosystem.
An innovative partnership
This $356,200 project is supported through the “Innovation Challenges — Smart and Sustainable Cities” program and is funded at 50% by IVÉO. For this first phase, Polara is contributing its electrification expertise along with Cleo, its intelligent EV charging management platform, to support the City of Victoriaville.
The project also receives financial support from the Government of Québec through the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy..