Relion and Malco launch Québec EV fleet charging project

Relion and Malco – Charging Solutions have launched a Québec innovation project to improve the reliability and day-to-day operations of EV charging infrastructure for fleets and charging operators. The project is backed by $450,000 from the Government of Québec and is aimed at reducing downtime in multi-vendor charging networks.

Why it matters: - EV fleet operators depend on chargers being ready before routes start, so failures can immediately disrupt vehicle availability and operations. - The project targets a common pain point in charging networks: fragmented systems, inconsistent diagnostics, and reactive maintenance across different charger brands. - Québec is backing the effort with $450,000 in support, signaling public interest in making charging infrastructure more dependable at scale.

What happened: - Relion and Malco – Charging Solutions launched a collaborative innovation project focused on improving how EV charging infrastructure is operated and maintained across Québec. - The initiative combines Relion’s Operations & Maintenance platform with Malco’s engineering and field service capabilities. - The project is intended for fleets, municipalities, commercial charging operators, and infrastructure owners. - The Government of Québec is funding the project through the INNOV-R PME initiative of the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy.

The details: - Relion’s software layer is designed to monitor charger performance, manage diagnostics, automate recovery workflows, and coordinate responses across charging networks. - Malco contributes engineering, commissioning, maintenance, and field execution expertise. - The companies say the shared model is meant to centralize charger monitoring, diagnostics, issue management, maintenance coordination, and field operations. - The operational workflow is built to help teams monitor chargers and charging sessions across multiple brands. - The system is meant to detect and resolve issues before they affect fleet readiness. - The project aims to reduce operational noise through centralized diagnostics and alert management. - The platform is designed to automate recovery for common charging interruptions. - Unified workflows are meant to coordinate maintenance activities across charging sites. - Reporting and operational visibility across sites are also part of the model. - The project is designed for multi-site, multi-vendor charging environments where uptime and readiness matter most. - The Government of Québec support is administered by the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie, in collaboration with InnovÉÉ. - The program supports R&D projects led by Québec SMEs that cut greenhouse gas emissions and speed the shift to a low-carbon economy. - Relion describes itself as a Canadian technology company focused on end-to-end O&M solutions for EV charging infrastructure. - Malco – Charging Solutions specializes in EV charging infrastructure engineering, deployment, commissioning, and maintenance services. - Malco is based in Québec and serves commercial, municipal, fleet, and public charging projects. - Malco’s website is Malco Electric. - Relion’s LinkedIn presence is available here.

Between the lines: - The project reflects a shift from simply installing chargers to managing them as mission-critical operational assets. - Multi-vendor charging networks create complexity that software alone cannot solve without field execution and maintenance coordination. - The partnership pairs digital monitoring with hands-on service, which may be a more practical model for large fleet charging environments. - The emphasis on operational maturity suggests the next growth challenge for EV infrastructure is reliability, not deployment volume. - Marc-André Bellemare said the main challenge is now day-to-day operations and on-the-ground realities, not electrifying a site. - Benoit Lacroix said the next phase of EV infrastructure growth depends on operational maturity, especially in multi-vendor environments.

What's next: - The companies plan to use the project to make EV charging more predictable for fleets and service teams. - The stated goal is fewer failures, faster diagnostics, and more dependable charging experiences across Québec charging sites. - As charging infrastructure expands across Québec and North America, Relion and Malco are positioning the model as a template for long-term operational performance.

The bottom line: - The partnership is less about new chargers and more about keeping existing chargers working reliably in the real world.