Creating a vast network of public stations and community charging stations (in societies) in key metro cities to assist India in realising its EV dream is a daunting task, and the country currently faces a huge gap as EV adoption increases, particularly in the two-wheeler segment. According to Ministry of Power guidelines, EV charging infrastructure is classified into five broad categories.
Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), Public Charging Stations (for the general public), Battery Charging Stations (where discharged or partially discharged EV batteries are recharged), Captive Charging Stations (exclusive stations owned or controlled by the charging station owners), and Battery Swapping Stations are some examples (where any electric vehicle can get its discharged battery or partially charged battery replaced by a charged battery).
India had 2,700 public charging stations and 5,500 charging connectors at the end of 2022. According to Counterpoint Research, the country will have 10,000 public charging stations by the end of 2025. By 2030, the country may require 20.5 lakh charging stations, a massive task that must be accompanied by a surge in EV sales until then.
According to Raghav Arora, Co-Founder and CTO of EV charging solution provider Statiq, as the demand for EVs grows exponentially, so will the need for public and community charging stations.
Since 2020, EV sales in India have been at an all-time high, indicating a shift in people’s attitudes toward electric mobility. The government has been assisting the electric vehicle industry through programmes such as FAME1 and FAME2, with a particular emphasis on charging infrastructure.
It has set a target of electrifying 70% of all commercial vehicles, 30% of private cars, 40% of buses, and 80% of two-wheeler and three-wheeler sales by 2030. According to Sohinder Gill, CEO of Hero Electric, the company is focused on strengthening the EV charging network by partnering with EV tech companies such as Statiq, BOLT, Charzer, Massive Mobility, and Log9 Materials to instal over 1 lakh charging points across India.
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