Delhi govt to install kerbside EV charging stations on all major roads in next 3 years

To promote electric vehicles in the country, the Delhi Government launched the three-year action plan for charging and swapping infrastructure in Delhi which set a target of 18,000 charging points last month. Now, the Delhi government is planning to install over 5,000 kerbside charging points for electric vehicles on all major roads in the next three years. Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDCD) Vice Chairperson Jasmine Shah convened a meeting on the implementation of kerbside charging for EVs in Delhi. According to officials, kerbside charging is an emerging concept globally wherein EVs can be charged while being parked on roadside kerbs using either street light lamp posts or through dedicated charging posts.

A key strategy to achieve this target is to deploy kerb side charging which leverages the existing civic and electrical infrastructure in Delhi for the installation of charging points, they said. In the meeting, it was decided that Kerb-side charging will leverage lamp posts and substation spaces which have or are close to sites of on-street parking. 

The process will start with a pilot for 100 kerbside chargers spread equitably across all the three discoms. The pilot will be designed under the aegis of DDC and discoms will take the lead in installation of chargers on PWD roads, officials said. The PWD has 1,400 km of roads in Delhi with approximately one lakh lamp posts. Post the pilot, the deployment will be scaled across the capital, they said.

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Kerbside charging will provide convenient options for the priority segment vehicle which comprises two wheelers (2W) and three wheelers (3W), they said, adding that it will also play an important role for residential colonies which lack designated parking. It was also noted that globally, kerbside charging has been successful in cities like London and New York where 30 to 50 percent of car users use street side parking during the night, officials said.

The discoms will identify the road stretches where this pilot can start with deployment of 100 EV chargers. Delhi Transco Limited (DTL) will be the state nodal agency of operationalising the complete pilot along with the state EV cell of the Transport department, officials said. The Delhi government is looking to install more than 5,000 kerbside EV chargers in the next three years, they said.

"Delhi will take the lead in setting up kerbside charging facilities for EVs on all major roads. Kerbside charging is another innovative concept that Delhi is bringing to provide 24x7 access of EV charging to 2W and 3W which have remained the priority segments for us," Shah said.

(With inputs from PTI)