BESCOM To Make 112 Solar EV Charging Stations Operational by August End

To ensure that Electric vehicles continue to be driven by clean energy, Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) is in the final process to set up over 100 solar EV charging stations.

As many as 112 EV charging stations are expected to be ready for use by August-end in the capital city. The charging stations have been proposed to ensure the required infrastructure is in place to encourage the use of EVs. The stations available at present are in four locations — the Bescom headquarters, Vidhana Soudha, Vikasa Soudha, and the office of Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC).

According to Bescom, new stations will primarily come up on government department premises such as BBMP ward offices, TTMC buildings, BMTC offices, Karnataka Housing Board office, Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board office, and Bescom and BMRCL offices. They will be spread across the city, including in outer areas such as Kengeri, K.R. Puram, Yelahanka, and Electronics City. The charging stations will be mapped on Google Maps to enable motorists to locate them.

C.K. Sreenath, DGM, Smart Grid and EV, Bescom, said a few stations would be chosen to try out the project on a pilot basis, and it would be expanded based on the technical and financial success of the pilot. The Second phase of EV charging stations will reportedly be located on the inter-city highways.

“Under the Smart Grid project, we are looking at adopting available technology and making an interactive grid. This includes smart metering, the DAS project, EV charging stations, and energy storage. In a few months, we are hoping to be able to start solar integration with the charging stations so that clean energy enables clean transport,” he said.

The Charging stations will overcome one of the main criticisms of using non-sustainable energy, such as coal, to power EVs. Many say that it defeats the purpose of choosing electric vehicles over conventional ones.

At present, Bengaluru has around 7,000 EVs. The KERC had fixed ₹4.85 a unit as tariff for charging EVs last year, but a cost to serve is expected to be fixed for consumers at the stations.