Government Intends to Invest INR 2,000Cr to Improve EV Charging Infrastructure

With an emphasis on battery swapping facilities, the Indian government plans to expand EV charging infrastructure. This expansion is likely to cover important transportation hubs, such as ports, highways, railroads, and airports. According to a media report, a top official affirmed the project as a component of a larger endeavour to increase EV adoption in the nation. To identify the best places for EV charging stations, the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) is working with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, and many state governments. The installation of EV charging stations and battery-swapping stations has been allotted INR 2,000 crore under the INR 10,900 crore PM E-Drive programme. In order to accommodate the increasing number of EV users and lessen dependency on internal combustion engine vehicles, the government plans to expand the number of public charging stations from 32,500 to 72,300 by FY26.

Expansion to Major Transport Corridors

EV charging stations are already available at a number of transportation passageways, such as the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, the Kochi Airport, the NH-48 (Delhi-Jaipur-Agra), and the NH-179B (Chennai-Trichy). Other sites are being evaluated for additional installations. According to the official, the administration held an interministerial meeting and received feedback from 14 states. Upon receiving further input from pertinent departments, the administration will complete the guidelines by April. MHI has selected 20 national routes with heavy truck traffic for charging infrastructure in order to support long-distance EV travel. According to the report, MHI will give financial support, up to 80% of the project expenditures, while NHAI will manage the procurement process. Among the busy roads under consideration are the Bengaluru-Chennai and Mumbai-Pune highways. Based on traffic data, NHAI will pinpoint the precise sites, while MHI will manage the allocation of funds.

Battery Swapping and its Specifics

The official clarified that the government will accept battery swapping proposals from ports, airports, and NHAI. However, they need to adhere to the safety and technical requirements set forth by the power ministry. AAI must mention power capacity and pricing specifications if it plans to incorporate a battery-swapping facility in its tenders. Operators will also have to fulfil investment-based service-level requirements. According to a media report that cited the official, businesses might have to buy batteries to guarantee this degree of service. The service-level agreement will contain topics like uptime, power quality, and service specifications, even though this might not be a formal requirement. The quantity of batteries, however, will not be mentioned. The AAI, NHAI, and state governments will eventually make this decision. As part of the programme, the government is willing to offer subsidies for swapping stations.