Saar: On busy national highways, on the other hand, it proposes to install them every 50km.
There is no running away from the fact that the future of mobility is electric. But before electrified vehicles can ply on our roads, we need a robust infrastructure to support their existence. No points for guessing, a wide-spread network of EV (electric vehicle) charging points will play a crucial role. To get things going in the right direction, the central government has stepped up to announce a couple of proposals in the same regard.
According to a report published by ETAuto, the centre is proposing to set up EV charging stations every three kilometres in cities with 10 lakh plus population and every 50 kilometres on busy national highways. For those who are interested in setting up such facilities, the government will, in all probability, offer fiscal incentives and facilitate land from respective municipal authorities.
Speaking to the publication, a senior government official reportedly said:
It is expected that 30,000 slow-charging and 15,000 fast-charging stations will be required to be put up in a phase-wise manner in the next 3-5 years. There should be at least two high-charge points and one fast-charging point at every three kilometres in cities. Similarly, there should be electric vehicle charging station every 50 km on highways.
Another government official added that for land identification and electricity distribution for setting up these EV charging facilities, local authorities will have to be consulted. The agreement for long-term lease to companies willing to undertake the setting-up process will also be handled by the concerned departments.
As of now, PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings) such as NTPC, Power Grid Corp and Indian Oil Corp are at the forefront of setting up EV charging stations in several cities across India. The government is also contemplating to give subsidies to PSUs for the rollout programme, the official said.
NTPC and Power Grid Corp have already started setting up such facilities in Maharashtra and Hyderabad respectively. Apart from them, companies like Tata Motors, Mahindra, Ola Cabs and Uber are also reportedly interested in joining the fleet of companies who will be interested in installing EV charging points.
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