India’s aim to sell only electric vehicles by 2030 is mostly disregarded due to the lack of proper infrastructure in the country. National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), which supplies power to many homes has ventured into the EV-Charging business. The company has installed first charging stations at its offices in Delhi and Noida.
The public sector company says that it will install many points in coming time across Delhi and several other cities in the country. This is the first time that a company has installed such a facility. NTPC says that the charging stations will promote government’s vision of achieving all electric vehicle dream by 2030. The switch will also reduce India’s dependence on fuel imports.
The charging station is developed by Mahindra electric. Currently, only Mahindra sells electric vehicles in India and its portfolio includes E2O and e-Verito. The city of Nagpur became the first city in India to get a fleet of electric cabs. For the pilot project, about 100 Mahindra E2O Plus and 100 e-Rickshaws have been deployed. The same model will be followed in the other cities if it turns out to be successful.
Other state-run firms like Power Grid are also looking at creating a new business model with the EV charging points. There have been suggestions given to government to explore the existing network of fuel stations in the country to make charging points for EV.
New electric vehicle manufacturers like Tesla have already shown interest in setting up business in India. Even the existing manufacturers like Nissan are planning to bring in their electric vehicles in India. It will be a big leap forward if India achieves the target by 2030. Currently, India is one of the biggest importers of crude oil in the world.