NDMC Vice Chairman Satish Upadhyay said the demand for electric vehicles is expected to rise with increasing prices of petrol and diesel.
NDMC plans to increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations in Lattienth Delhi and provide battery swapping facilities at some of those points as well, a senior official said Wednesday.
Delhi ranks as one of the most polluted capital cities in the world, so the New Delhi City Council (NDMC) is championing electric vehicles and encouraging residents to choose cleaner vehicles.
He said the state capital now has about 100 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, some of which will be the first to feature battery swapping, a common feature in the West.
The aim is to make charging stations easily accessible and save time by offering replacement options, officials said.
This will greatly facilitate the use of electric vehicles in urban areas. Various PSUs including Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL) and Kerala Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KELTRON) have approached NDMC to set up public charging stations, officials said.
NDMC Vice Chairman Satish Upadhyay said demand for electric vehicles is expected to increase as gasoline and diesel prices rise.
“Furthermore, there is an urgent need to promote electric vehicles to introduce greener alternatives to cities. Also, several app-based aggregators are moving to e-bikes. With a network of stations, people will stop worrying about charging and there will be more such vehicles,” said Upadhyay. “Plans to add more EV charging stations are underway, but we plan to install battery exchange facilities at some key stations,” Upadhyay added.
Battery swapping is an alternative to replacing a discharged battery with a charged battery. Replacing the battery decouples the vehicle from the fuel (battery in this case), which reduces the cost of acquiring the vehicle.
Upadhyay said policies will be developed on the location, total number and allocation of charging stations.
“You can’t put charging stations everywhere. Priority should be given to places where many people travel. “The total number of charging stations has not yet been determined and deadlines need to be set for how to allocate such operators,” he said.
“We have been approached by his PSUs in his three companies.
A related proposal was put on the Board’s agenda on Thursday, but could not be discussed due to the turmoil.
“It will be announced at the next house. Once approved, ask your PSU to review and submit your plan. “Then we analyze them and choose the best plan to move the issue forward,” Upadhyay added.