NTPC Limited has signed a memorandum of understanding  (MoU) with a host of vehicle aggregators for the development and utilization of public charging infrastructure across the country.

 Seven vehicle aggregators namely: Ola, Lithium, Shuttl, Bikxie, Bounce, Electrie and Zoom Car have entered into an agreement with NTPC. With this collaboration, NTPC aims to expand its presence in the e-mobility segment.

NTPC has been developing charging stations across its power plants and regional offices in various parts of the country. In March 2018, it awarded a contract to Exicom to develop a 120 kW and 50 kW EV off-board DC chargers for electric buses in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The company has also been associated with companies like IOCL, HPCL, and DMRC for the development of public charging infrastructure. With these tie-ups, NTPC plans to set up an expansive network of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in order to address the issue of range anxiety for these vehicles.

In June 2017, NTPC announced in a press release that the public sector undertaking will be entering the electric vehicle charging business in India with an aim to deploy charging station infrastructure across the country. Then in September 2018, Mercom reported on the news of NTPC commissioning its first electric vehicle charging station in Vishakhapatnam. NTPC is also expected to tie up with DISCOMs to supply electricity to these stations from its own power projects.

To speed up India’s EV revolution, the government of India announced a few months ago that it is planning to subsidize EV charging infrastructure in the country.

Moreover, the Ministry of Power recently issued a clarification stating that no license is required to operate EV charging stations in India. This is expected to boost the participation of more private players in the creation of a nationwide EV charging station infrastructure.

To propel the growth of EVs in India, the government recently slashed applicable rate of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries.

States are gradually gearing up for the expansion of electric vehicles by speeding up the development of EV charging networks. Recently, Telangana State Electricity Regulatory Commission (TSERC) approved a tariff of ₹6.00 (~$ 0.083)/kWh for electric vehicle charging or battery swapping stations.

Previously, in a report published by Mercom, various EV hotspots of the country were analyzed.

Shaurya is a staff reporter at MercomIndia.com with experience working in the Indian solar energy industry for the past four years in various roles. Prior to joining Mercom, Shaurya worked with a renewable energy developer and a consulting company. Shaurya holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.