NDMC plans to increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations in Lutyens Delhi and even provide battery swapping facilities at some of them, a senior official said on Wednesday.
As Delhi is one of the most polluted capitals in the world, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has been promoting the development of electric vehicles to nudge residents to opt for cleaner vehicles.
He said that there are currently about 100 electric vehicle charging stations across the capital, and some of them have battery swap facilities, which is quite common in Western countries.
The official said the move is aimed at making charging stations more convenient and saving time by providing swapping facilities.
This will greatly promote the development of electric vehicles in cities. The official said several PSUs, including Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL) and Kerala Electronics Development Limited (KELTRON), have approached NDMC requesting to set up public charging stations.
NDMC vice-chairman Satish Upadhyay said demand for electric vehicles is expected to increase as petrol and diesel prices increase.
“Moreover, there is an urgent need to promote electric vehicles to provide more green alternatives to cities. Also, several app-based aggregators are moving towards e-bikes. Once a network of such charging stations is formed, people will not worry about charging issues and then there will be more such vehicles,” Upadhyay said.
“Plans to add more EV charging stations are on, but we also plan to install battery swapping facilities at some prominent charging stations,” Upadhyay added.
Battery swapping is an alternative that involves replacing a discharged battery with a charged battery. A battery swap decouples the vehicle from the fuel (in this case, the battery), thereby reducing the upfront cost of the vehicle.
Upadhyay said a policy will be formulated on the location, total number and distribution of charging stations.
“We cannot install charging stations everywhere. We need to prioritize places with high foot traffic. The total number of charging stations has not yet been determined and the manner in which they will be allocated to these operators will be determined within a time limit,” the vice-president said.
“Three power supply units have approached us. We will sign a memorandum of understanding with them to establish public charging related infrastructure,” the deputy chairman said.
Proposals to this effect were part of the agenda for Thursday’s council meeting but could not be discussed due to commotion.
“This will be brought up in the Lok Sabha. After getting approval, we will ask the PSUs to conduct a survey and come up with their plans. We will then analyze it and select the best plan to take the matter forward,” Upadhyay added.
