Mumbai is set to receive 50 electric vehicle charging stations in the upcoming 3 months.
The Mumbai state government has awarded the contract to set up the first 50 charging stations, which will kick off its new electric vehicle policy, to M/s K. Solar Group. The charging stations are expected to be developed in the next three months in a phase wise manner.
Mumbai gets first EV charging corridor
State power department officials said to The Hindu that within the next three months 10 charging stations will be deployed each in Thane, Panvel, Pune and along the Mumbai-Pune and the Mumbai-Nagpur expressways. The company is also in charge of building the ₹36,000-crore ‘Prosperity Corridor’ between Mumbai and Nagpur.
The Union Power Ministry has declared the charging stations as a service and said they will not require a licence under the Electricity Act 2003 as they are not involved in transmitting, distributing or trading electricity. A senior official said the first order was worth only ₹1.5 crore and they would scale up the future orders.
Earlier this year, the government issued a special ordinance directing planning authorities to start giving permissions for setting up charging stations at public parking lots, housing societies, gas stations, railway stations and bus depots. The policy, which was approved in February, had permitted private players and green vehicle firms to build the stations.
The Urban Development Department (UDD) also framed ground rules that require the stations not to obstruct movement at public spaces and comply with fire safety measures. The UDD has directed the planning authorities to clear proposals within 15 days after checking if they adhere to the prescribed norms.
