CESL Selects Agencies for Battery Swapping Station Sites, E-Vehicle Charging Stations

CESL E-bus bidding findings

Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of public sector companies under the Ministry of Power, has today announced the list of selected agencies for the installation of 124 battery swapping stations, 352 standing chargers for electric two and three wheelers as well as 1294 standing DC fast chargers for electric four wheelers.

Business Under BOO Model 

The business will be delivered under a Build, Own, and Operate (BOO) model valid for eight years, with charging stations installed across Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Surat. Under this tender, charge point operators (CPOs) will be given a right to use the sites provided to them by CESL for setting up and operating the charging infrastructure in the area. Operators share in proceeds with CESL, which maintains that this business model is a shift from the earlier mode of business, where CESL was responsible for investing, owning, and operating these stations. To enable greater market participation, CESL has changed the business model to one of enabling, encouraging maximum participation of players to set up the much-needed charging infrastructure in the country. The government agency says it will ensure availability of land that is free of encumbrance at locations that have been assessed and made publicly available for players to bid for the implementation of various categories of EV charging and battery swapping stations.

The tender witnessed participation from 11 companies, of which 5 have been selected. Successful operators will be responsible for designing, engineering, installation, testing, commissioning and operation of these e-vehicle charging stations. Sharing her views, Mahua Acharya, MD and CEO, CESL said, “Adequate charging infrastructure is a necessity for the scale-up of electric mobility. How to do this at scale and at the pace that is needed has been a challenge for us. I am very optimistic that this model of engaging with market players will give all of us the outcomes we want: widespread charging stations. The successful closure of this tender is the next major step in our endeavor to commission e-vehicle charging infrastructure in every district of this country. I would like to thank the many stakeholders at the Central levels as well as agencies and States we have been working with for giving all their support.”

CESL’s Projects 

Currently, CESL has under implementation 1,017 e-vehicle charging stations, of which, 427 are for public use. With this tender, 1,770 charging stations will be added to the count. CESL is also in the process of developing a charge management system and mobile application to enable operators and e-mobility service providers to host charging stations on each other’s systems such that the consumer has maximum coverage and visibility.