Two of the busiest highways in India have been identified to support electric vehicles (EVs) by March 2020. The stretch from Delhi to Jaipur, which is labelled as National Highway 48 (NH-48), and the stretch on Yamuna Expressway which links Delhi to Agra, are expected to get a total of eighteen EV charging stations. These facilities will be located near toll plazas and will, in total, cover 500km.

In other words, two sides of India’s golden triangle should support EVs before the current fiscal year comes to close. Out of the eighteen facilities planned, eight will be between Delhi and Agra. The rest, by simple subtraction, will be between Delhi and Jaipur. In addition to EV chargers, these facilities will also have battery swopping services. Every station will have eight to ten chargers and twenty charging points. Testing of these EV charging stations is expected to begin in September this year.

Six more EV charging stations have been proposed between Pari Chowk in Greater Noida and Delhi, a stretch that is extensively used on a daily basis. While setting every single charging station would cost around Rs 2 crore, the charges for upkeep and electricity would be extra. And, as it stands, electricity tariff in each state is different and hovers between Rs 6 to 8 per unit. A uniform rate across states for EV charging stations would help the cause of transitioning towards zero-emissions mobility.

In the personal car space, we don’t have enough options at the moment. And whatever we have, they are not exactly gutsy on any front. That image, however, will change in the coming months. We have Hyundai launching the Kona EV next week and MG Motor India will launch the eZS in December 2019. Both models are expected to have respectable performance and a range of at least 300km between charges.

Source: PTI