State govt sets up Electric vehicles' charging centres in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: In a bid to encourage citizens to switch over from fuel-based cars to electric vehicles (EV), the state government has set up 112 charging stations in the city.

As per sources, out of the 112 stations, 12 are DC (direct current) fast charging points and 100 are AC (alternate current) points for EVs, including scooters, autos, and cars.

The charging stations have been located in the parking lots of Bescom offices, traffic transit management centres (TTMC) buildings, Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) complexes, KSRTC terminals on the Mysuru road and Peenya terminals, city civic ward offices, RTO offices and KIADB office at Jigani.

The state transport and police departments are extending support to promote EVs in the city and across the state for the multiple advantages they have in driving around the city at 60km per hour.

Tariff for AC slow charging is Rs 7.30 per unit, Rs 7.42 per unit for DC charging and Rs 7.99 per unit for fast charging.

The rates for charging has been fixed as per the state’s EV policy of September 2017 for charging stations with the approval of the regulator Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) under low tension and high tension supply.

To reduce dependence on the imported and depleting fossil fuels, the central government has been providing incentives under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) for making and using EVs.