BENGALURU: In a bid to encourage use of electric vehicles, Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) has sent a proposal to Ministry of Power to set up 750 electric vehicle charging stations across Karnataka. BESCOM suggests the project be implemented in three phases, starting with cities having a population of more than one million.
“Bengaluru Urban, Rural, Mysuru and Hubballi-Dharwad would be the first to get electric vehicle charging points under the initiative,” C K Sreenath, Deputy General Manager, Smart-grid and Electric Vehicles, BESCOM said. “The next phase includes the remaining 26 district headquarters in the state, followed by its implementation on state and national highways, including the golden quadrilateral. The proposal suggests setting up an electric vehicle charging point at every 25 km on either side of the road,” he added.
The proposal, made under the central government’s Fame 2 (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) scheme, would be reviewed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, an agency under power ministry.
“We have also proposed having rest rooms, food courts and other amenities at the charging station. The locations would have charging standards suited for all kinds of electric vehicles – CHAdeMO (Japanese), Combined Charging System (European), Bharat standards (alternate and direct current) and Type 2 AC,” Sreenath said.
The proposal for the `350 crore project also seeks funding from the Centre, and the cost-sharing would be
worked upon depending upon the central government’s response.
The initiative will help these drivers who often suffer from ‘range anxiety’ and worry about the battery running out of power before the destination or charging point.