Kejriwal announces 100 EV charging stations in Capital

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said 100 high-tech low-cost charging stations to promote the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) will be launched across the Capital in the next two months

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said 100 high-tech low-cost charging stations to promote the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) will be launched across the Capital in the next two months. He also launched 11 EV charging stations comprising 73 charging points and 12 battery swapping stations across the city.

New Delhi, India – October 18, 2022: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seen inaugurating one of the eleven new Electric Vehicle (EV) charging cum swapping stations under the ‘Switch Delhi’ scheme at the Indraprastha metro station, in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday, October 18, 2022. (Photo by Sanjeev Verma/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

EVs can exchange a discharged battery pack for a charged one at a battery swapping station.

Speaking at Indraprastha Metro Station, where one of the 11 stations has been developed, Kejriwal said

“The Delhi government has set up these charging points in public spaces. As part of the larger tender, around 900 charging points and 103 battery swapping stations will be made operational in the next two months across 100 charging stations in Delhi. Seventy per cent of these sites are Delhi Metro parking areas where EV users can easily park their vehicles and charge them,” said Kejriwal.

The 11 charging stations launched on Tuesday have been developed at Indraprastha Metro station, Subhas Nagar Metro station, Vasant Vihar Metro station, Kair Depot, Dwarka Mor Metro station, Shadipur DTC Depot, Sarita Vihar Metro station Parking, Mohan Estate Metro station, Harkesh Nagar Okhla Metro station, Hauz Khas Metro station and the parking area near Star Mall, Mayur Vihar.

An official said Delhi has nearly 2,900 public charging points and 250 battery swapping stations as of now.

Kejriwal said it would cost less than 7 paise/km to charge two-wheelers, 8 paise/km to charge three-wheelers and 33 paise/km to charge four-wheelers. He added the Delhi government provided land at concessional rates and electrical infrastructure of up to 100kW to set up the charging stations.

“There are 73 charging points and 12 battery swapping stations at these 11 charging stations. Consumers will be charged at the rate of ₹3 per unit. The government is working to make 100 charging stations with 900 charging points and 103 swapping stations operational in the next two months. Under the EV policy, we had set a target of ensuring that 25% of total vehicles purchased in Delhi by 2024 are EVs--we have already achieved 10% of the target in the two years since the EV policy was launched,” Kejriwal said. Delhi’s EV policy was launched in August 2020.

Kejriwal said that in the last two years, 70,000 electric vehicles have been purchased in Delhi. “In the last two years, Delhi has emerged as the first state where EV adoption rates have reached double digits---with an average of 10% in 2022. In the last two years over 70,000 EVs have been bought in Delhi,” Kejriwal said, adding that one of the key reasons for Delhi’s success is the widespread installation of charging stations across the Capital.