The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has been planning to increase the number of EV charging points in Lutyens’ Delhi and provide battery-swapping facilities at certain of these stations.
The NDMC has been pushing for the use of electric vehicles to encourage residents to choose cleaner options.
He said that there are currently around 100 charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) in the capital. This is the first time some of these stations will have battery swapping capabilities, something which is commonplace in Western countries.
Officials said that the goal is to make charging stations easily accessible and to reduce time spent by offering swapping facilities.
This will be a big push for EVs to take off in the city. The official revealed that many PSUs including Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited and Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Limited have approached the NDMC to set up public charging stations.
Satish Upadhyay, vice chairman of the NDMC, said that with rising petrol and diesel prices comes an expected increase in demand for EVs.
“There is also an urgent need to push EVs in order to provide more green options for the city. Several app-based aggregators have also started to offer electric bikes. Once there is a network of these stations, people won’t worry about charging issues and there will be many more of these vehicles,” said Upadhyay.
Upadhyay said that the plan to add more EV chargers is in progress. We also plan to install battery-swapping facilities at some prominent stations.
Upadhyay stated that a policy would be developed for the locations of charging stations and their total numbers and allocation methods.
“We can’t install charging stations everywhere. Prioritise areas where a large number of people travel. The number of charging stations is still to be determined and the allocation to operators must be done promptly,” said the vice-chairman.
Three PSUs have approached us. “We will sign MoUs for the establishment of Public Charging Related Infrastructure with them,” said Vice Chairman.
This proposal was on the agenda for the recent council meeting, but due to the noise it could not be discussed.
“This will appear in the next House. After the approval, we will ask PSUs for a survey and to present their plans. Then we will analyse and choose the best plan for the future,” Upadhyay said.
Battery swapping involves the exchange of discharged batteries with charged ones. Battery swapping allows vehicles to be de-linked from fuel (in this instance, the battery), resulting in a lower upfront cost.
