The government of India has announced plans to install electric vehicle (EV) charging kiosks at around 69,000 petrol pumps across the country. The move is expected to boost the uptake of EVs in the South Asian country.
Key factors for large-scale adoption of EVs in any market are adequate battery charging or swapping infrastructure and technology, affordable vehicles, plenty of models to choose from, conducive/strict policies and high awareness. This is according to Animesh Kumar, director of automotive consulting at GlobalData.
The Indian automotive market now has a wide product portfolio of EVs including affordable two-wheelers, electric cars as well as vehicles for public transportation. A vehicle scrappage policy, which is likely to encourage replacement of older vehicles with EVs, is also on the cards.
However, the creation of an adequate charging/swapping infrastructure is a key hurdle that India needs to overcome, states Kumar.
A key challenge for the creation of battery charging or swapping infrastructure is the lack of availability of space. Hence, the government’s plan of deployment of charging stations across fuel stations makes absolute sense as it will be easier to implement and help in the creation of robust charging infrastructure.
The government is also planning to make it compulsory to install EV charging kiosks at all company-owned, company-operated (COCO) petrol pumps of state-controlled oil companies.
These improvements in charging infrastructure will lay a strong foundation for increased uptake of electric two-wheelers and passenger cars.
Electric two-wheeler market has significant potential and the market has witnessed the entry of new players, which are focusing at offering affordable e-mobility both for personal and shared business models, such as delivery business and bike sharing.
On the passenger vehicle side, EV models such as Tata Nexon EV, Tata Tigor EV, MG ZS EV and Hyundai Kona Electric are available at competitive prices and have received a positive market response, says Kumar.
In supporting the Indian government’s National electric mobility mission, Tata Power has established the first set of EV charging stations in Mumbai.
“Now present in Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad, our customised EV charging solutions form the infrastructure backbone for a growing EV ecosystem, and provide customers access to energy-efficient options with ease,” reads an extract from Tata Power.
