Govt sanctions ₹800 cr for oil PSUs to set up charging stations under FAME II

The government has sanctioned ₹800 crore for state-run oil marketing companies (OMC) — Indian Oil (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) — to build charging stations under second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles scheme (FAME-II).

India's public sector oil companies will set up 7,432 public fast charging stations across the country.

A wide network of electric vehicle charging stations will be soon deployed across the country by oil marketing companies, Union Minister of Heavy Industries Mahendra Nath Pandey said on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries said it has approved financial assistance of up to 80% for setting up of upstream infrastructure. This comes after a committee headed by the director general of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) recommended certain changes to improve the viability of the development of public charging infrastructure. The suggestions included supporting the upstream infrastructure such as distribution transformer, AC distribution boxes, circuit breakers, isolators, protection equipment, tubular or PCC mounting structures, fencing and civil work which generally cost up to 60% of overall cost for setting up a Public EV charging station.

The upstream infrastructure comprises the money that is to be paid by Charge Point Operators to the DISCOMs to obtain electricity connection, the ministry said.

As on March 27, the Ministry of Heavy Industries has released 70% of this sum, ₹560 crore, to OMCs (BPCL, IOCL, and HPCL) as the first instalment of the total amount of ₹800 crore which sanctioned for the installation and commissioning of upstream infrastructure and charging equipment of EV public charging stations at respective retail outlets in the country.

According to the ministry, this will make installation of charging stations easier by reducing the upfront cost.

The earlier subsidy of 70% on EV Supply Equipment will continue as before, the government said.

"While installing EV charging infrastructure, Charge Point Operators (CPOs) face the issue of unavailability of sufficient land. Considering this difficulty, MHI took up the matter with MoPNG (Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas) to explore the possibility of establishing charging stations at the Retail Outlets (ROs) of the OMCs. The OMCs have sufficient land in the premises of their ROs which can be utilized for the setting up of the charging stations," it said.

Pandey said this move will give a boost to the electric vehicle ecosystem in India and encourage more people to switch to cleaner modes of transportation. He also added that the government is committed to promoting sustainable green mobility solutions and reducing the country's carbon emissions, working towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Net Zero mission.

"This move will create a robust charging infrastructure network in India that is more accessible to the public. It aligns with the government's goal of reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable transportation options, while also supporting the growth of the Indian automotive industry," Pandey said.

These fast-charging stations will be set up in all the metros, million plus cities, smart cities, cities of hilly states across the country, highways and expressways across the country.

This, according to the ministry, will provide EV owners a seamless and convenient charging experience that would greatly reduce the anxieties of EV owners regarding range and charging time during their intra-city and, more importantly, their inter-city, long distance travels.