Major Boost To EV Plans – India’s First Highway For Electric Vehicles Expected By March 2020
The EV corridors are likely to setup along the Delhi-Jaipur and Delhi-Agra highways.
The Indian government has been taking multiple initiatives to promote manufacturing and adoption of electric vehicles (EV) in the country. However, the availability of adequate charging infrastructure is surely a big challenge. In May 2019, the central government had issued its own standards for EV charging stations. Read – New Motor Vehicle Bill Proposes Penalty Of Up To 1 Lakh
According to a latest report, the government is planning to setup the country’s first highway corridors for EVs along with charging stations by 2020. The EV corridors are likely to setup along the Delhi-Jaipur (National Highway 48) and Delhi-Agra (Yamuna Expressway) highways. While the test runs on these corridors will begin in September 2019, the official inauguration will happen in March 2020.
The combined stretch, which measures around 500km, will have a total of 18 charging stations near toll plazas. The Delhi-Jaipur and Delhi Agra e-corridors will have 10 and 8 charging stations respectively. Each station will provide 10 chargers and 20 charging points, and it will also allow change batteries. For densely populated region (Delhi and Pari Chowk in Greater Noida), 6 more charging stations have been proposed to the Noida Authority. Read – 5 Big Changes Happening In Indian Auto Industry
The development cost of one kilometer stretch of a four-lane highway will be between Rs 14 crore – Rs 20 crore, and a single charging station will be developed with an investment of around Rs 2 crore (excluding electricity charges). The authority is trying to get uniform electricity tariff across the states. Initially, it aims to serve larger fleet operators such as taxi services and state transports.
