Amid PM Modi’s appeal to save fuel, the government of India has approved a Rs 503.86 crore budget to set up 4,874 new EV chargers across the nation. These chargers will be installed at Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL), Indian Oil (IOCL), and Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) fuel stations in states such as Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.
- Out of the total 4,874 chargers, 1,243 chargers will be installed in Karnataka with a budget of Rs 123.26 crore.
- This charging network is part of the PM e-drive scheme, which has a total budget of Rs 10,900 crore aimed at boosting EV adoption in the country by catering to buyers’ range anxiety concerns.
- Out of this, Rs 3679 crore has been allotted for purchase incentives for EV buyers.
- Rs 2,000 crore has been set aside to build charging infrastructure. Additionally, Rs 780 crore has been allocated for upgrading vehicle testing agencies.
- The remaining Rs 4,391 crore will go towards deploying over 14,000 electric buses across the nation.
- As of now, the oil agencies have installed 8932 EV chargers across the nation under the FAME-II scheme, for which subsidies worth Rs 873.5 crore were disbursed.
Also Read: Tata Curvv EV SeriesX Launched At Rs 16.99 Lakh
A Unified EV Charging App In The Works
The government is also reportedly working on an all-new “Unified Bharat e-Charge (UBC)” app to find, access and pay across charging networks of multiple operators through a single interface. Once launched, the platform will eliminate the need for multiple apps and improve charging accessibility, thus making the overall experience more seamless and user-friendly for EV owners.
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