Govt to Add 137 EV Charging Stations to National Highways

Nitin Gadkari, India’s Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, said recently that the central government has allocated funds for the construction of 137 additional roadside amenities with EV charging stations on national highways in addition to the seven that already exist. 

According to Gadkari’s written response to the Rajya Sabha, “The wayside amenities are to be created at regular intervals of 30-40 km over Brownfield National Highways and Greenfield Expressways.”

“WSA across Highways and Expressways is being developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Seven WSA sites currently have EV charging stations,” he continued.

The seven EV charging stations on national highways are located in Yedehalli (Karnataka) on NH40, Gowravaram (Andhra Pradesh) on NH16, Vallur (Andhra Pradesh) on NH176, Kurgaon-Allabad Bypass (NH2), two in Jaipur, and one in Tamil Nadu.

43 Public Charging Stations (PCS) are currently active on 16 National Highways nationwide, according to data from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). Since February 2021, all Wayside Amenities sites that are being developed must have electric vehicle charging stations available.

Recently, The West Bengal government said that it plans to install 1,000 EV charging stations within the next two years to promote the use of more environmentally friendly cars. On four-lane highways, the government intends to install one charging station every 25 kilometers, and in urban areas, one station every three square kilometers. 

Additionally, The commissioning, operation, and maintenance of 40 electric vehicles (EV) charging stations at various places around Goa were solicited by the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA). Through the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME II) program, the charging stations will be installed on a design, build, operate, finance, and transfer basis. The project should cost around Rs 3.2 crores.