New Delhi : The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) issued operational guidelines which earmark an outlay of Rs 2,000 crore to offer subsidies of up to 100 per cent for setting up public charging stations for electric vehicles in cities and across highways under the Rs 10,900 crore PM E-DRIVE scheme. Government premises such as offices, hospitals, educational institutions, and central public sector enterprises will receive 100 per cent subsidy on both upstream infrastructure and EV charging equipment, provided the chargers offer free public access, the guidelines state.
State transport undertakings’ bus stations, metro stations, municipal parking lots, public sector ports, and NHAI/state government controlled toll plazas and way-side amenities on highways and expressways will receive subsidies covering 80 per cent of upstream infrastructure and 70 per cent of EV supply equipment cost.
Locations such as airports, railway stations, fuel retail outlets of state-run oil marketing companies like Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum, metro stations, and bus depots will receive 80 per cent subsidy on infrastructure and 70 per cent on charging equipment.
The scheme also covers battery swapping and charging stations with 80 per cent subsidy support.
The government will give priority to urban centres with a population over one million, smart cities, satellite towns connected to seven metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad), state capitals, and high-density national and state highways. Authorities also earmarked public transport hubs such as railway stations, airports, and fuel retail outlets to receive infrastructure support.
Public sector giant Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) will serve as the Project Implementation Agency, while IFCI will act as the Project Management Agency. BHEL will also develop a National Unified Hub and mobile app to integrate EV chargers, offering discovery, real-time updates, slot booking, and payment facilities.
Officials will disburse subsidies in two stages — 70 per cent at the procurement stage and the remaining 30 per cent after commissioning and integration with the Unified Hub.
The guidelines also finalise the charging standards which stipulate up to 12 kW for two- and three-wheelers, and 50 kW to 500 kW fast chargers for cars, buses, and trucks.
–IANS
