The domestic Electric Vehicle (EV) market is emerging out of its nascent stage in India and expanding rapidly as a means of intelligent and sustainable transportation.

Along with the surge of EV tenders in the country, the EV charging segment has also witnessed a spike. In line with its expansion plans in the EV charging sector, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has announced the installation of an EV charging station at Talcher Super Thermal Power Station in the state of Odisha. The charging station would cater to the needs of the EVs owned by the company as well as its employees.

Previously, Mercom reported that NTPC was seeking a pan-India license to construct and set up EV charging stations across the country. In March 2018, NTPC also issued a tender for the development of EV charging infrastructure in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.

Moreover, Reliance Energy also announced that the company has commissioned Mumbai’s first Bharat EV protocol compliant DC fast charging station on the company’s premises for its fleet of vehicles.

Recently, the Ministry of Power issued a clarification stating that no license is required to operate EV charging stations in India. This announcement to remove the requirement of a license for EV charging station will help speed the acceptance of EVs by the public in India. As of now, select offices and select cities have EV charging stations. This move will make it easy to set up EV charging infrastructures across the country as there is no requirement to be a trader of power to construct an EV charging station.

The government is currently targeting sales of 6-7 million new hybrid and electric vehicles by 2020 under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP).

Electric Vehicle sales in the country are expected to grow in the double digits until the year 2020, according to a joint report by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and global advisory firm EY.

Image  credit: Reliance Energy via Twitter

Ankita is an editor at MercomIndia.com where she writes and edits clean energy news stories and features. With years of experience in the news business, Ankita has a nose for news and an eye for detail. Prior to Mercom, Ankita was associated with The Times of India as a copy editor for the organization’s digital news desk. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Delhi University and a Postgraduate Diploma in journalism. More articles from Ankita Rajeshwari.