District headquarters, tourist attractions, state and national highways, and government offices are the focus areas for setting up an electric vehicle charging network with priority: Minister of Energy V. Sunil Kumar
District headquarters, tourist attractions, state and national highways, and government offices are the focus areas for setting up an electric vehicle charging network with priority: Minister of Energy V. Sunil Kumar
Minister of Energy, Kannada and Culture V. Sunil Kumar announced that more than 1,000 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS) will be installed across Karnataka in the coming months. A special action will be launched by ESCOMs in June to push EV infrastructure on a grand scale.
“By June 30, we hope to set up a maximum number of charging stations as preparations have started and Karnataka is committed to promoting zero-emission transport,” the minister said after opening a national symposium on “Electric Vehicles and Theirs”. charging technologies”. jointly organized by Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) and KEB Engineers’ Association (KEBEA) in Kadakola near Mysuru.
Nearly 207 electric vehicle charging stations have been proposed within CESC’s boundaries covering five districts and space for the construction of the facilities has been identified. BESCOM, the node agency for electric vehicle charging technologies, will soon endorse ESCOMs’ proposals for floating tenders.
Mr Kumar claimed that Karnataka has been at the forefront of promoting electric vehicles with the aim of reducing carbon emissions, saying the EV network can only help minimize the carbon footprint if the necessary infrastructure is in place , in particular charging stations, is available. In this context, an action plan to expand the charging network for electric vehicles had been drawn up, he explained.
The minister has asked ESCOMs to focus on the process of setting up electric vehicle charging stations in all district headquarters, with a focus on places of tourist importance.
Steps have been taken to install charging stations along National Highways and State Highways and at all government offices to encourage green transportation.
Mr Kumar said Mysuru has taken the lead in promoting EV infrastructure as CESC has set up another charging station for quads and two-wheelers at KEBEA’s campus in Mysuru.
“We can only expect further growth in the EV sector if the vehicles are made affordable for people. Steps are needed to make electric vehicles sane so that people can think about switching from CO2-emitting vehicles to zero-emission vehicles,” he said.
Mr. Sunil Kumar released a souvenir before inaugurating the electric vehicle charging station at KEBEA’s premises. Two EV four-wheelers, purchased by CESC for its office use to promote zero-emission transportation, have been charged at the new station.
MLAs GT Deve Gowda, Harshavardhan, MLC Manje Gowda, CESC Executive Director Jayavibhavaswamy, KEBEA President TM Shivaprakash, senior officials and engineers from CESC and other ESCOMs were present.
In one of the technical sessions, KREDL Managing Director KP Rudrappaiah spoke about “Electric Vehicle Revolution – Its Charging, Policy and Promotion”. He spoke about the Union Department of Energy’s revised guidelines on electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The policies include accelerating EV adoption in India by ensuring safe, reliable, accessible and affordable charging infrastructure and ecosystem, as well as affordable tariffs collected from charge point operators and owners and EV owners. They cover creating jobs and income opportunities for small business owners and preparing the power distribution system for the introduction of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.