Tim Hortons Announces Electric Vehicle Charging Station Pilot In Canada

Partners with Oakville Hydro, Town of Oakville


OAKVILLE, ON - February 13, 2013 - Electric vehicle owners in Oakville, ON are now able to charge their cars while enjoying a Tim Hortons coffee.  Canada's largest restaurant chain installed its first electric vehicle charging stations as part of a new pilot project.

Charging stations are now available for guest use, free of charge, at Tim Hortons located at 228 Wyecroft Road in Oakville and for use by corporate employees at head office, in an effort to study the technology, its usage and opportunities.
 
"The electric vehicle infrastructure is in its infancy and we see a potential opportunity for Tim Hortons to help make a true difference by expanding that infrastructure in Canada," said Paulo Ferreira, Senior Director, International Design and Building Standards, Tim Hortons. "At this stage, the goal for us is to explore and understand the technology, to see how it can work at our restaurants and how we can, in turn, support our guests who choose to go electric."

Tim Hortons partnered with Oakville Hydro and Town of Oakville to launch the pilot project.

"There is no better place than Oakville for Tim Hortons to launch its electric vehicle charging station pilot project," said Oakville Mayor Rob Burton. "Tim Hortons continues to help us make Oakville cleaner and greener, towards realizing our vision of creating Canada's most livable town."

"Electric vehicles can potentially have an impact on distribution systems across Ontario," said Rob Lister, President and CEO of Oakville Hydro Corporation.  "As part of our Smart Grid initiatives, this pilot project will allow us to gain insight into how our distribution system responds and reacts to the addition of electric vehicles.  We are very proud to be part of this project with other Oakville businesses."

Tim Hortons continues discussions with additional municipalities in an attempt to expand the pilot before deciding on the future possibility of EV charging stations across the company's more than 3,300 restaurants across Canada.

The company will also make provisions to run electrical wires to future charging stations through conduits in parking lots at all newly-built Canadian restaurants going forward, to simplify the installation process.

Ford Motor Company of Canada provided Tim Hortons with the C-MAX Energi Plug-in Hybrid for testing purposes.


About Tim Hortons Inc.
Tim Hortons is one of the largest publicly-traded restaurant chains in North America based on market capitalization, and the largest in Canada. Operating in the quick service segment of the restaurant industry, Tim Hortons appeals to a broad range of consumer tastes, with a menu that includes premium coffee, espresso-based hot and cold specialty drinks including lattes, cappuccinos and espresso shots, specialty teas, fruit smoothies, home-style soups, fresh Panini and classic sandwiches, wraps, hot breakfast sandwiches and fresh baked goods, including our trademark donuts. As of September 30th, 2012, Tim Hortons had 4,138 system-wide restaurants, including 3,365 in Canada, 755 in the United States and 18 in the Gulf Cooperation Council. More information about the Company is available at www.timhortons.com. Follow Tim Hortons on Twitter: www.twitter.com/timhortons.

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Hailey DeDominicis    
dedominicis_hailey@timhortons.com 
905-337-5349     

Alexandra Cygal
cygal_alexandra@timhortons.com
905-339-5960

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