As a result of a collaborative project between Indian Oil Corporation and Fortum India, two charging stations for electric vehicles began functioning in the city on Saturday. Fortum India is expected to set up 50 such stations in the city even as it starts 150 to 200 stations across India this year. The two stations are the first ones in India to be open to public.
While one charging station is located at Goldstrike Fuel and Services on Raj Bhavan road, the other is located at Company Owned and Company Operated Retail Outlet (COCO) at Begumpet. Forty eight more are expected to come up at Indian Oil Corp’s fuel stations where no additional infrastructure is required for the functioning of the electric stations.
The charging stations are explosion-proof, said experts at the inaugural on Saturday.
Fortum India is a subsidiary of the State-owned Finnish company FortumOyj which offers electric charging services in Nordic and Baltic countries and Russia, Poland and India. Fortum charge-and-drive has a network of 2,000 smart chargers in the Europe and is looking at the Indian market eagerly, said company representatives.
E-transport solutions
Principal Secretary for Industries and Commerce Jayesh Ranjan said Hyderabad, where 200 electric vehicles ply currently, is expected to have 1,000 more on road this year. Of the 200 vehicles that are currently being used, some are privately-owned and others are owned by cab aggregator Ola. Uber, another cab aggregator, is expected to ply its share of electric vehicles shortly, Mr. Ranjan added.
The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) would also ply 40 electric buses soon, making Hyderabad a pioneer in electrically-managed public transport, Mr. Ranjan said. The Hyderabad Metro Rail was also open to electric transport solutions, including electric two-wheelers and bicycles, he informed.
The Telangana government would offer tax subsidies to operators of electric charging stations, including Fortum, which is keen on investing in the city, Mr. Ranjan said. Nina Vaskunlahti, Ambassador of Finland to India who inaugurated the charging station, said Finland hopes to fly the first electric plane in the world soon and it would have connecting routes to New Delhi and Hyderabad.
Rahul Bharadwaj, executive director of Indian Oil, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh office, said each electric station would be able to charge two cars at a time. Sanjay Agarwal, managing director, Fortum India, said the direct current chargers at the electric stations would be able to charge each car to its full capacity in 60 to 70 minutes. “Charging time depends on the vehicle. A completely drained battery can be charged to 60 to 80% in half an hour,” Mr. Agarwal added.
Till August 15 this year, the two charging stations would offer services free of cost. While Fortum India tied up with the Indian Oil Corporation in an exclusive partnership in Hyderabad, the company may look for other business partners in other cities in India.
