BENGALURU: The Energy department is setting up an electric vehicle charging station at Kempegowda International Airport for the use of cab aggregators and public. Bangalore Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (Bescom) will also be using second life car batteries to store power, in a first such initiative in the country.
The station is coming up in the existing 224KV power station space of Bescom. Located 1.5km from the airport parking zone, 24 vehicles can be charged at a time. Three fast charging points are also being set up.
“It will be set up in coordination with GIZ and Nunam companies. We are handpicking used car batteries. They will be utilised to store power. So far, the department is conducting indoor trials on storage of green hydrogen power. Now with the help of two private firms, solar power generated during the day will be stored in the batteries and then supplied to cars. Solar power panels are also being set up,” a senior Bescom official told The New Indian Express.
The charging facility will be open 24/7 and will be launched in the first week of September.
The Bescom official said that in other cities, there is a surge in EV cabs, but not so much in Bengaluru where the thrust is on private vehicles, and most of them are two-wheelers. Citizens also prefer EVs, especially those coming from other cities. While the airport has an EV charging unit on the premises, it is only for airport vehicles. Similarly, there are two more charging points operated by private agencies for their fleet, but none for the public. The new one coming up will help citizens and other cab aggregators. Bescom’s aim is to encourage EVs in public and private transport and there are plans for expansion in future, the official added.
Bengaluru leads in the number of EVs, and there are 4.80 lakh EVs in the state. As per the Bureau of Energy Efficiency Report released on August 19, Karnataka has 5,765 public EV charging stations, the highest number in the country, and Bengaluru alone has 4,462.