The tariff for consumers is yet to be finalised

Electric vehicle (EV) users will soon have more options to charge their vehicles in the city. The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) is set to start operations of 12 EV charging stations by the end of August.

Bescom officials said the equipment for the fast charging stations has arrived and would take a few days to be installed.

C.K. Sreenath, DGM, Smart-grid and EV, Bescom, said, “EV fast charging stations at 12 locations will be operational by August-end while 100 slow charging units will be ready by mid-September.”

The 12 fast charging stations coming up are expected to take lesser time to charge vehicles. The EVs being used in Bescom, for example, can be charged in 90 minutes for a mileage of 120 km, officials said.

Tariff and timings

Mr. Sreenath said the proposed tariffs have been sent to a high-level committee for approval. “The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission has fixed the tariff at ₹5 per unit. This is what the operator of the charging stations will pay to Bescom. What the consumer will finally pay is yet to be approved,” he said.

After an assessment of the response to the new charging stations, Bescom will take a call on whether to operate the charging stations 24x7, he said.

There are around 9,000 EVs in the city. Existing charging stations are run by operators of EV fleets for captive consumption, according to Bescom. The remaining charging stations are primarily expected to come up in the premises of government departments.

The EV Charging Infrastructure Workgroup Committee, which includes representation from Bescom, BBMP, BMRCL, BMTC, KSRTC, Karnataka Housing Board and Karnataka Udyog Mitra, has also proposed establishment of EV charging stations along highways.

As per the guidelines of the Ministry of Renewable Energy, these charging stations should be at a distance of every 25 km on both sides of highways, apart from fast charging stations at every 100 km. The workgroup is reportedly working on the basis of the MNRE guidelines and the Karnataka Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy 2017, apart from adopting a few proposals from the Draft Delhi EV Policy 2018.