Hyderabad: Telangana government will soon bid for 140 Electronic Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations across the state. The locations for bidding have been selected beforehand and plans for conducting an EV Expo from October 8 to 10 in Hitex, are in place.
On Thursday, the Telangana state government announced that it will bid for over 100 EV charging stations in the near future, in order to encourage people to choose EVs. Efforts are being made to provide charging and 20% parking facilities at IT Parks in the city.
Speaking about the plans to bid for EV charging stations, the state government’s Automotive Wing Director VC Gopalakrishnan said “Locations have been identified and the bids will be called in one to two months. The charging station infrastructure will take one to two years to be set up”
Telangana currently has 70 stations and once the bidding is successful, the total number of EV charging stations in the state is expected to be 200, reported Telangana Today.
These will ensure that electric vehicle owners would be able to drive without range anxiety. Fuel stations, auto stands, and other public places have been identified for the new charging stations.
“Telangana has transformed into a power surplus State from a power deficit in less than five years. It is now among the top states in the country in renewable energy production. The State has set aggressive targets in clean energy, which complements the electric vehicle charging infrastructure” said Gopalkrishnan
The Telangana Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy 2020-30 aims to achieve a substantial reduction in the total cost of transportation for personal and commercial purposes. It is based on the FAME II scheme being implemented by the Central government to promote the adoption and manufacture of electric vehicles.
The state already has about 20 electric vehicle manufacturers including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, retrofits, and bus makers. “We are in talks with a few other international players for setting up their manufacturing units here,” Gopalakrishnan added.
He also said, “The state is working to become a center for research and innovation in electric vehicles, battery technologies, autonomous, and connected vehicles apart from giving a push to local manufacturing to make EVs affordable,”