The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has invited expressions of interest (EoI) from charge point operators (CPOs) for setting up public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations under Category C of the Centre’s PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) scheme. Category C covers charging stations at locations with unrestricted public access, including city streets, shopping malls, market complexes, highways, and expressways.
Under the scheme, KSEB has been designated as the State nodal agency to aggregate demand for EV charging infrastructure and submit proposals to the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI). The PM E-DRIVE scheme has a total national outlay of ₹10,900 crore, of which ₹2,000 crore has been earmarked specifically for public charging infrastructure across four categories. For Category C projects, eligible operators can avail an 80% subsidy on upstream infrastructure costs.
KSEB stated that while it is directly coordinating with government departments for Category A and B locations, applications under Category C will be facilitated through a dedicated online portal.
“While the KSEB is directly coordinating with government departments for category A and B (public land), it has developed a dedicated online portal to facilitate the applications from the CPOs for category C,” the EoI document said.
Proposals under Category C will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, with each charge point operator allowed to propose up to 50 locations. Only new charging stations or upgrades of existing stations will be considered, with priority given to sites deploying chargers of 100 kW capacity or higher. Preference may also be accorded to locations with high EV density or strategic connectivity, such as major highways and commercial hubs.
Eligibility criteria require bidders to have at least 10 operational public fast-charging stations in India, each with a minimum 30 kW DC fast charger, operational for at least six months. Operators must demonstrate full digital integration, including real-time monitoring systems and mobile applications for users. All chargers must be onboarded to the National Unified Hub developed by MHI after commissioning.
Kerala currently has over three lakh electric vehicles on its roads, and the State is in the process of expanding high-capacity charging infrastructure, including facilities for e-trucks along freight corridors, under the PM E-DRIVE programme.
Electrify your feed! Click here to join our Whatsapp group and to get the latest updates, expert insights, and innovations driving India’s energy storage revolution.
