Hydro-Québec announces the winners of the Energy Innovation Award

niosense, FTEX and Maxen are the winners of Hydro-Québec’s Energy Innovation Award. The contest required SMEs and startups to submit projects for the development of forward-looking products and services. As many as 80 companies participated!

The Energy Innovation Award, a collaborative effort with Continuums, and Montréal NewTech, was created last January to help young companies implement their projects, particularly in the fields of energy efficiency and transportation electrification.

Sixteen finalists were selected during the first two rounds. The winners were revealed on Tuesday, July 12, during an evening event held at Notman House in Montréal. The young company niosense took first prize, as well as a cash prize of C$50,000. FTEX and Maxen came in second (C$25,000) and third (C$10,000), respectively.

The technology developed by niosense allows vehicle fleet owners and operators to “interact” with traffic lights to facilitate travel in urban areas. This helps to avoid unnecessary stops and to reduce GHG emissions. FTEX developed the first dynamic transmission for electric vehicles (EV) that increases the overall power and range by up to 30%. Maxen uses artificial intelligence to help building managers to better manage their energy use, thereby reducing their environmental footprint.

Ingenext won the innovation ecosystem’s people’s choice award, as voted by the partners of the Energy Innovation Award. Located in Trois-Rivières, Ingenext has developed a business model that is unique in North America, namely reusing electric vehicle parts.

These four young companies will also receive customized support from our collaborators, Continuums and Montréal NewTech. The final jury was composed of representatives of the Conseil de l’Innovation du Québec, Hydro-Québec, the Fonds d’action québécois du développement durable and Propulsion Québec.

“We would like to congratulate the participant companies and the winners,” noted Gabriel Trottier-Hardy, Manager – Innovation Partnerships at Hydro-Québec. “We are proud that many young, promising companies are focusing great efforts on optimizing energy consumption in Québec. The connections we have made will help us to accelerate the energy transition. Congratulations, everyone!”

Information:

Francis Labbé
Spokesperson, Innovation
Hydro-Québec
(514) 289-3423