BENGALURU: In a bid to make Bengaluru eco-friendly by reducing air pollution levels, the government announced the installation of 100 charging units at a total cost of Rs 4 crore across the city where public can charge their two-wheelers and four-wheelers. Setting up each unit will cost the government Rs 4 lakh. Several points have already been identified.
Transport Commissioner Naveen Raj Singh told The New Indian Express that these units would be ‘fast-chargers’. A two-wheeler or car can be charged up to 80% within an hour, he said.
Explaining the rationale behind the decision, Singh said the lack of charging points in the city were a big deterrent for public interested in using electric vehicles. “The charge in an electric vehicle dies down after 60 km. So, public are worried about using them. We want to make these units as common as availability of petrol at bunks. An app will also facilitate the availability of these units for the public,” he said.
Usage of electric vehicles would work out much cheaper for the rider,” he added.
It would cost the public anywhere between Rs 6 and Rs 7 to charge one unit in their vehicle. “A two-wheeler requires 4 to 5 units to be charged up to 80%. So, it would cost the rider up to Rs 30 for a one-time charge making it much cheaper than fuel,” he pointed out. A four-wheeler, depending on the size of the vehicle, requires 10 to 15 units of charge. It would cost the owner around Rs 70 to charge a car.”
An electric car would cost the owner just Rs 50 to 60 paise/km compared to Rs 2.50 to Rs 3/km using petrol, he pointed out.
The government was keen on introducing it at the earliest, he said. BBMP and BDA parking spots and BMTC bus stands have already been identified. “We are looking at traffic-packed areas. The corners in available spaces could be identified for setting up electric points,” Singh said. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited has also orally communicated their interest to offer charging points, he added.