HYDERABAD: Though the State Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Electronic Vehicle (EV) policy and announced exemption of road tax and registration fee under the policy, intending to encourage EV buyers and make the State a preferred destination for electric vehicles, lack of EV charging stations in the State is still a major challenge discouraging people to switch from conventional vehicles to EVs.
According to a recent study, there will be a 20 per cent increase in private vehicles on the roads shortly, due to the absence of public transport and also because of the need for social distancing, said Vijaya Lakshmi, Managing Director, Hyderabad Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (HUMTA).
She said this can be an opportunity for the State to make a shift to an energy-efficient and eco-friendly transport system.
However, experts claim that buyers will opt for e-vehicles only when they have easy access to EV charging stations.
In this regard, the governments should first create charging infrastructure to boost confidence among buyers to go for e-vehicles, say experts.
Earlier this month, the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises also approved 178 Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations for Telangana. Currently there are 50 stations for 65,000 EVs in the State.
“The State Renewable Energy Development Corporation (TSREDCO), the nodal agency for setting up charging stations, along with HUMTA, is currently conducting surveys to identify sites for putting up stations. The three companies that will set up these stations have also been selected by the government. The process is undergoing and by December, around 100 EV stations will come up in the State,” said Vijya Laxhmi.
Identification a difficult task
Charu Lata, Lead Consultant — Electric Mobility and Clean Energy from the Natural Resources Defence Council, an advocacy group, said, “Identification of land is a major challenge in any metro city. Charging stations need dedicated space not just for the setup, but also for parking spaces so that multiple cars can park and get charged.”