India's largest public EV charging station now open: All you need to know

India's push towards electrification of mobility options is gathering momentum and while new products are being introduced at frequent intervals, there is also a clear focus on establishing and expanding support infrastructure for battery-powered vehicles. Earlier this week, the country's largest public EV charging station was opened with as many as 21 points to power vehicles.

Mumbai-based Magenta has been spearheading the project which currently has four DC chargers and as many as 17 AC chargers. While the DC chargers can be used for a quick power to the batteries, the comparatively slower chargers take several hours to power an EV back to full. As such, the facility also allows for overnight charging and has safe parking facilities. "“We have a total outlay of 4,000 chargers to be installed this year and close to around ₹55 crore capex has been earmarked for this," Maxson Lewis, Co-founder and Managing Director, Magenta Group, told news agency PTI. He also added that of the 4,000 such facilities, 1,000 are in collaboration with HPCL.

The charging station at Navi Mumbai could well point towards even bigger facilities to come up as India races towards an electric future. The central goverment has plans of establishing 400,000 charging stations for the around two million EVs that could be on roads across the country by 2026.

It is expected that battery-powered two and three-wheelers will largely propel India's EV ambitions. The PV segment too has seen some movement in recent times but most of the thrust has come from luxury car makers bringing in EVs through CBU route.

With a number of states rolling out EV policies aimed at easing the process of buying such vehicles while also focusing on expanding support infrastructure, the times ahead could indeed be electric.

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