Last month, we learnt that by March next year, two highway corridors are expected to be ready to support electric vehicles (EVs) with a total of eighteen charging stations. The stretches are Delhi-Agra on Yamuna Expressway and Delhi-Jaipur on NH-48. Basically, if all goes as per the plan, two sides of the golden triangle will become EV friendly. Now, we have news for another busy highway stretch that has been chosen for such facilities – the corridor that connects Delhi and Chandigarh.

State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is setting up a network of solar-powered EV chargers between the two union territories. Out of the lot, five have already been inaugurated. They are located within the premises of HTCL (Haryana Tourism Corporation Ltd.) resorts at Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat and Samalkha (Sonipat). To enhance the convenience factor, BHEL has also developed a Central Monitoring System (CMS) for EV chargers along with a mobile application.

No specifications about these chargers were part of the official release. That said, a crucial hint comes from the word solar. Each of the EV charging stations will have a rooftop solar power plant. Essentially, the sun’s energy will be converted into electricity and that will become the source for the EV chargers. BHEL is responsible for the design, engineering, manufacturing, supply and installation of the EV charging stations and the CMS. It is currently unclear who will maintain these facilities.

The entire project is covered under the FAME-II (the second phase of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) & Electric Vehicles in India) scheme, which was devised by the Department of Heavy Industries for the Government of India. Out of the Rs 10,000 crore currently allotted for FAME-II, Rs 1,000 crore is dedicated to establishing charging infrastructure. The major chunk of the total allotted amount is reserved for incentives. Click here if you need to know more about the FAME-II scheme.