Public EV Charging In India - All You Need To Know!

Posted on: Jan 11, 2022 | | Written by:

Public EV Charging In India - All You Need To Know!

Published on January 11, 2022. EST READ TIME: 3 minutes

Electric vehicles are fast becoming popular in India owing to their low running costs, eco-friendliness and great looks. Car insurance for electric vehicles is also cheaper and readily available. However, if you are thinking of buying a new electric car, you might be experiencing range anxiety. In other words, you might be worried about the difficulty of charging the vehicle. Now, if you use an electric car daily, you can simply charge it at home overnight. However, what happens when you are not home for the night, like when you are travelling out of the city, or what happens if your home does not have a place to charge the vehicle, like if you live in an apartment? This is where public charging stations come into the picture.

Presence of public EV charging stations in India

Public charging stations for electric vehicles have started to mushroom all around the country. In early August 2021, Delhi Chandigarh Highway was declared the first EV friendly highway in India. The current lead in electric vehicle charging stations is being taken by the government owned oil marketing companies. Indian Oil has committed to building 10,000 charging stations across the country. As of November 2021, Indian Oil already has 448 charging stations and 30 battery swapping stations. They plan to reach the 10,000 mark in three years.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited has committed to building 5000 EV charging stations and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited is all set to build 1000 EV charging stations. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited has been contributing a lot to building EV charging stations as well. In the private sector, a number of companies have started to set up charging stations. Most of the companies that have electric cars and two wheelers on sale in the Indian market have also set up public charging stations.

How to find public EV charging stations?

Keep the following in mind so that you can find a charging station easily in need:

● From vehicle manufacturing companies:

Almost all electric vehicle manufacturers have their own charging stations spread across the country. You can easily find a vehicle dealer or service station that will provide you charging services for your electric car. Some of the companies have dedicated charging stations in other locations like shopping malls, public gathering places, their own offices as well as near tourist locations. Car makers provide a customer care number which can point you to dedicated charging stations.

● By using a charging station locator app:

Both Google Play Store and Apple App store have a number of apps that have geo-tagged databases of public charging stations. You can install an app and get directions to the nearest charging stations.

● Using Google Maps:

Google Maps also allows you to search for charging stations by simply typing an appropriate search phrase. Google has built multiple features in the Android Auto service as well, which integrate with maps and your vehicle system to help you find EV charging stations.

What should you look for in an EV charging station?

If you are looking to charge your vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

● Can you reach the place?

This is of course the first thing you should consider. Depending on the current state of charge of your battery, can you reach the charging station? It is best to start looking for a charging station if your battery falls below 25% SoC.

● Does it support your charging plug?

The presence of multiple electric vehicles in the market has made the charging scene slightly problematic. There are a number of charging plug standards, and while the government is in the process of setting up charging plug standards, currently, there are too many of them, like CHADeMo, CSS, and the good old Type M 16 Amp electric plug used in cars and Type D plug for charging two wheelers. So, it is best to call the station to check for plug compatibility before you head on its way.

● Can you leave your vehicle unattended?

Charging your vehicle can take a while, and in such a case, you will need to be in or near your vehicle. But then what will you do if you need around 4-5 hours to charge your vehicle? It is best to check at the parking station to see if you can leave your vehicle charging while you head out for a bit to eat something or just explore local area.

● Can you charge overnight?

It is best to check the working hours of the charging station and confirm if you can charge your vehicle overnight. Do they have guards and access control, CCTV cameras etc.? Overnight charging stations are always a better choice than those with daytime service only.

● What are the charging prices and mode of payment?

While it is a fact that the charging prices for electric vehicles are very low compared to conventional fuels, you should still check both the prices of charging your vehicle as well as modes of payment accepted at the station. Many stations may be unattended and only accept digital payments.

Finally, it is a good idea to check for ancillary services available at the station, like car wash, car insurance, dining and personal hygiene services, public Wi-Fi or internet access etc. All these can help you make the best use of the charging time.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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