Bhel to set up EV charging stations on highway from Delhi to Chandigarh

New Delhi: State-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) Thursday said it will set up a network of solar-based electric vehicle chargers (SEVC) on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway.

"The establishment of EV chargers at regular intervals over the entire 250 km stretch between Delhi and Chandigarh would allay range-anxiety among the electric vehicle users and bolster their confidence for inter-city travel," the company said in a statement.

India is pushing for greater use of electric vehicles to reduce vehicular pollution and cut dependence on oil imports. However, infrastructure for charging the batteries in such vehicles is critical for achieving that objective.

BHEL said it will design, engineer, manufacture, supply and instal the EV charging stations along with a central monitoring system.

Each solar-based electric vehicle chargers charging station will be equipped with a rooftop solar power plant to supply green energy to fast and slow chargers planned to be installed at the location.

It, however, did not say who will operate the charging stations and if any charges will have to be paid by the vehicle owners for using the facility to charge their vehicles.