India Invites Proposals To Set Up 1,000 EV Charging Stations
India is making swift progress to ensure infrastructure for electric vehicles is in place to cater to the impending demand from the public sector. The Department of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises of the Government of India issued a second major expression of interest to prep the country’s electric mobility infrastructure, this time asking companies for a proposal to set up 1,000 electric charging stations across the country.
The department clearly stated the requirements of the electric charging stations. The charging points must adhere to the ‘Charging infrastructure for Electric Vehicles – Guidelines and Standards’ issued by the Ministry of Power in December last year. All charging stations must have at least six chargers — four fast chargers and two slow/moderate chargers. Charging technologies to be used at all charging stations should include the Japanese CHAdeMO, European Combined Charging System (CCS), the Indian Bharat Standard, and Type-2 AC.
These charging stations are to be built at various locations, divided into three categories. The first category is commercial establishments like petrol pumps, malls, and market complexes. The second category is state or central government establishments, like offices of public sector companies. Finally, the third category covers semi-restricted establishments like housing complexes.
Companies willing to establish these charging stations shall be eligible for subsidies under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles in India (or FAME-II) plan. Subsidies will cover between 50% to 100% of the cost on the basis of the category type and location of the charging station.
The charging stations will also be distributed among various cities of the country, depending on the population size. Cities with more than 4 million population will get 250 charging stations. Cities with more than a million population will get 500 charging stations with the remaining 250 charging stations in other cities.
The department is expected to issue a tender to set up these charging stations in November. Companies selected in the tender process will be required to install the charging stations by October next year.
This is the second expression of interest document issued by the government of India. Last month, the department asked for proposals to subsidise 5,000 electric buses with US$360 million. The state of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, issued a similar EoI document calling for proposals to set up charging stations along major highways.
Source : cleantechnica
