This Indian state to get 100 EV charging stations by the end of the year

Kerala will install at least 100 public electric charging stations across the state by the end of the year. As a part of effective implementation of the electric vehicle policy of the state, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has already installed ten new pillar charging stations in Kozhikode city. The infrastructure works via a scan and pay mechanism.

The pillar charging stations installed across Kozhikode require very less space and are similar to an electricity pole. If found effective, KSEB will expand its network in the city which has the most number of electric autorickshaws. The state will charge ₹15 per unit from customers using the public charging infra whereas the rate goes up to ₹22 per unit in other states.

In order to promote the use of electric vehicles and make it convenient for e-vehicle users to charge those, KSEB has also decided to allow private entrepreneurs to operate public charging infrastructure in the state. However, the private party will have to pay ₹5 per unit to KSEB. 

The Agency for Non-conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT) is already operating multiple charging stations across Kerala. The government agency has also handed over at least 30 electric vehicles to various government departments in the state for official use. It will provide at least 20 more e-vehicles by next month. 

KSEB has also issued an order to hire only electric vehicles for its official purposes. The agency will scrap its own old vehicles and replace these with EVs in a phased manner. The state government is also gearing up to increase the adoption of electric vehicles for its fleet of official vehicles.

Further, under its state EV policy, the state-run road transport corporation will transition its entire fleet of over 6,000 buses to electric vehicles by 2025. There already are electric charging stations inside major bus depots.