Facilitating the adoption of e-mobility in the national capital, the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to establish the infrastructure for electric vehicles in the SDMC area for a period of 10 years.

According to the terms outlined in the MoU, the two entities will work in tandem to fast-track the adoption of e-mobility by installing 75 electric vehicle charging stations in the SDMC area.

As per the terms mentioned in the MoU, the procurement of EV-related infrastructure will be borne by EESL along with the operation and maintenance of the public charging infrastructure, while SDMC will provide for the space for setting up such infrastructure in the area.

In the first phase of the project, EV charging stations will be installed in 18 locations within six months from the effective date after a survey undertaken by both the parties. The number of total locations may vary depending upon the availability of space. But as per the current estimates, there will be 75 such charging stations across South Delhi which would include multi-level parking locations as well.

As of now, for charging of electric vehicles, 300 AC and 170 DC captive chargers have been commissioned and 65 such public charging stations have already been installed in North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).

EESL has also signed agreements with the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana for setting up such charging stations in the states.

The Department of Heavy Industry recently invited proposals for deploying electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the country’s big and smart cities under the government’s FAME program.

Earlier this year, Delhi cut down the rates of charging stations for e-rickshaws and other electric vehicles.

In November of 2018, the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy was launched with the objective of improving Delhi’s air quality by reducing emissions in the transport sector.

Recently, Mercom reported that the Noida Metro Rail Corporation floated a tender to set up charging stations for electric vehicles along the Noida-Greater Noida Metro Corridor.

Meanwhile, MG Motor India has announced its partnership with eChargeBays, a Delhi-based startup, to assist its customers in setting up infrastructure at their homes for charging their electric vehicles.