Centre to set up 22,000 charging stations at petrol pumps in country: Union Min

Team Herald

PANJIM: Union Minister of Heavy Industries Mahendra Nath Pandey on Saturday said that the government was trying to have charging stations at 22,000 petrol pumps in the country. There are about 70,000 petrol pumps in the country.

Addressing a press conference at the sidelines of the “Round Table To Promote Electric Mobility”, Pandey said, “There are round 70,000 petrol pumps in the country. We are in talks with the Petroleum Ministry so that they can allow us at least 30 per cent of their petrol pumps in the country where we can install charging facilities. This would amount to 22,000 petrol pumps. Also, some of the State governments are also willing to give us the land for setting up such facilities.”

He further added that “for two wheelers we are having charging stations at every 25 kilometres on highways while for heavy vehicles it is spaced out every 100 kilometres. Within the cities the charging stations will be installed in every three kilometres. People can even opt for home charging.” 

He said his ministry was working towards reducing carbon emissions and would upgrade FAME II once it was over. 

Earlier, speaking during the event which was attended by the Transport Ministers of nine States and officials from 19 States, Pandey called upon industrialists and all stakeholders to work in a way that the auto sector which presently contributes 18 per cent to the country’s GDP should be raised to 25-30 per cent.

NITI Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant stressed on making India world class centre of manufacturing electric vehicles. 

Kant said, “We learned from mobile phone industry that market grew but we became dependent on import. We want to make India manufacturing centre of electric vehicles in the world.”