EESL, SDMC ink pact to develop charging infra for e-vehicles

State-owned EESL and civic body SDMC on Wednesday signed an agreement to develop charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in South Delhi Municipal Corporation Area. The country is moving in the right direction to achieve 175 GW of renewable capacity by 2022, Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy R K Singh said at the event.

"India has embarked upon a very ambitious e-mobility plan, in which the government plays a pivotal role in enabling e-mobility. The installation of public charging stations (PCS) would help in taking considerable strides in the creation of a sustainable EV ecosystem in the states across India. It's a great stride by SDMC and EESL to come together for harnessing synergies and opportunities in this broader effort," he said. The MoU was signed here in presence of Singh, EESL MD Saurabh Kumar, Lt Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal, Municipal Commissioner of SDMC Gyanesh Bharti, among other government officials.

Energy Efficiency Services Limited MD said that under the MoU, EESL will install around 75 charging stations at different locations of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) area. "In the first phase, the EV charging station will be installed in 18 locations within 6 months from the effective date, selected through a joint survey by both parties," he said, adding the tariff has been kept at Rs 4 per unit.

"It is pivotal to establish a thriving public charging infrastructure to increase EV adoption and enhance consumer convenience. I strongly believe that a supporting infrastructure will surely enhance consumer confidence in electric vehicles in Delhi," Baijal said. With the increasing penetration of EVs, the local emission of pollutants is also expected to reduce, leading to cleaner air providing several health benefits to the public.

For charging e-cars, to date, 300 AC and 170 DC captive chargers have been commissioned. EESL also said that about 65 public charging stations have also been installed in the area of NDMC with which it had signed an MoU earlier.