Over 800 EV Charging Stations Launching In India Across 16 National Highways

The government of India has been promoting EVs as the future and introducing various subsidies to boost the transition from traditional ICE vehicles. But, the charging infrastructure is non-existent in India and remains a major hurdle in the EV adoption race. That is set to change now as the government of India has taken the matter into its own hands and will be installing EV charging stations across the country. 

CESL (Convergence Energy Services Ltd), a state-owned company, has been entrusted with the responsibility of installing more than 800 charging stations across 16 highways in India. According to the statement issued, major stretches such as the Mumbai-Pune highway, Ahmedabad-Vadodara Highway, Delhi-Agra Yamuna Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway, Hyderabad ORR Expressway, and Agra-Nagpur Highway are being evaluated for the project.

CESL is looking forward to working with private sector companies to undertake this ambitious project. The entire project will be a part of the FAME-II scheme under the Ministry of Heavy Industries and is expected to be completed in the next six to eight months. CESL will be setting up 50kW and 100kW DC fast chargers at these charging stations. About 590 chargers with 50kW output will be installed every 25km. The bigger 100kW chargers will be installed at every 100km along the highways and expressways. 

This mega project of electrification of major highways in India would be beneficial for both private and public transport. Electric vehicles currently on sale come with low driving ranges, restricting them within the city limits. But, this project comes as a ray of hope for all the current EV owners and also for those who had been holding their electric vehicle purchases. Long distance commuting on these 16 highways could soon become a reality. The charging stations will also be beneficial for electric buses, fleet operators, and large commercial vehicles.