India’s first ever miniature EV charging stations are to compete with petrol pumps in the country. It was unveiled by the Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari. They stated that this model has been conceptualized as a comprehensive wayside amenities plaza. They can reimagine and replace the traditional petrol stations and other wayside amenities on highways.
As the MoRTH has pledged to upgrade 5,000 km of national highways to e-highways through its pilot project, NHEV. This EV charging station could be crucial in amplifying the EV drive in the country. A pilot project is currently conducting its concluding phase of the technical and commercial trail with busses and long-range electric SUVs on the Delhi – Jaipur stretch from 9th September 2022. This would add a 278 km stretch in the previously conducted 210 km trail run between Delhi-Agra in 2021 to accomplish technical trails of a total of 500 km across four states, UP, Delhi, Haryana, and Rajasthan in its pilot phase.
The miniature EV charging station comes as a carved dome-like structure with its inside resembling a solar-powered air-conditioned space station. It has a charging station with an inbuilt food court lounge, ayurvedic wellness spa, eco-friendly bio-toilets, ATM, and bank outlets. There is also a conference arena, child & mother’s room, two-wheeler EV showroom, and Road Side Assistance (RSA) facility equipped with battery swapping units for local e-mobility.
Electric future
Speaking about this project, Nitin Gadkari said that he has been talking about electric vehicles for the last three to four years. He also said that electricity is the fuel of the future. “Now there are waiting lists for electric cars and scooters and I can say that electricity is the fuel of the future. Currently, the electric double-decker AC bus costs are coming Rs.60 per km, non AC Rs.39 per kilometer, normal electric AC bus Rs.41 per km, and a diesel bus is costing Rs.115 per km. It can bring business class comfort in an electric bus with troller on economical ticket cost to passenger, it will make public transportation more competent for users.”
India is coming to the limelight nowadays for various reasons. Last year since Tesla attempted to enter the Indian market and went back to not entering the market anytime soon. This year Fisker announced that they will be launching their vehicles in India despite the high import duties. Tata Motors is ready to launch its new electric vehicles that cost $10,000 which is around Rs. 8.88 Lakhs in India. The Indian market is said to be booming with immense potential.