The acceptance of electric mobility goes hand in glove with the availability of electric vehicle charging stations. As India prepares the switch to electric vehicles this decade, it needs a dense network of electric vehicle charging stations to drive faster adoption. The Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) is in agreement and is planning to set up 2,000 electric vehicles charging stations in India this fiscal.
EESL behind the electric vehicle charging station plan
Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) is a Super-Energy Service Company (ESCO), which helps consumers, industries and governments to implement sustainable growth with their energy-efficient technologies. EESL is a Joint Venture of four reputed public-sector undertakings – NTPC Limited, Power Finance Corporation Limited., REC Limited, and POWERGRID Corporation of India Limited. Together, they aim to implement the National Electric Mobility Programme. This will ensure a larger audience switching to cleaner mobility and follow their vision for universal access to sustainable energy solutions to ensure a low carbon future, with significant economic and social impact.
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As we recover from the wrath of COVID-19, supply chains are getting back to their usual pace. With reduced supply chain hassles, EESL is confident about reaching the goals.
10 EV Charging Plazas planned this year
EESL also plans 10 electric vehicle charging plazas this financial year, as per a report on ETAuto.com. One such electric vehicle charging station has already come up at Chelmsford Club in New Delhi, while the plan is to have one next at Dilli Haat area in the national capital. A plaza has more than one charger of different type of outputs to serve all kinds of vehicles, while a single charger can charge only one vehicle at any specified time.
Under the National Electric Mobility Programme, EESL had initially commissioned 300 AC and 170 DC chargers across the country. As it stands, 66 public charging points are currently operational in Delhi NCR region. Earlier in the year, EESL signed an MoU with BSNL to install 1,000 public electric vehicle charging stations across India. Other companies which have also partnered with EESL are Apollo Hospitals, Maha-Metro, BHEL and HPCL. To help them implement this, EESL had signed MoU’s with corporations in cities like Ahmedabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Raipur. These municipalities and corporations provide the required land and resources for setting up electric vehicle charging stations for free of cost.
EESL follows a model of demand aggregation and bulk procurement. Using this model, EESL receives electric vehicles and chargers at a significantly discounted rate compared to the actual market value. EESL has established a sustainable business model, which will make EVs affordable for the end-consumers using this approach.
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Over the next two to three years, EESL is aiming to establish around 10,000 electric vehicle charging stations in India. This will bring us closer to the ultimate aim of an electric revolution for a cleaner future. Electric vehicle charging stations are the basic necessity for motivating automakers to launch EVs and customers for buying them confidently. Even premium automakers like BMW are watching the development of the electric vehicle charging station network to launch EVs in the country.
A dedicated electric vehicle charging station can prove to be quite costly, and so, the government is considering even alternative solutions. Reports say that it is thinking of making EV charging kiosks compulsory at all company-owned, company-operated fuel stations.
