Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments (REIL), a joint venture between the center and the Rajasthan government, has issued a tender to empanel agencies to identify locations, install, operate & maintain 738 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across India.

The last date to submit the bids online is October 6, 2022. Bids will be opened the following day.

The charging stations allotted to REIL by the Department of Heavy Industries (DHI) are to be installed in two categories, A & B. They will be supported for subsidy under FAME India, Phase-II program.

Category A covers charging stations established in public places for commercial purposes to charge EVs and are available to any individual without any restrictions for charging their vehicles.

Category B includes charging stations established within the premises of a state or central government office complex, government hospitals/clinics/dispensaries, government educational institutions, or any other public office for non-commercial use.

The empaneled agency will have to furnish a bank guarantee for a sum equal to 10% of the total cost of all category A and B type chargers to be installed for the allocated groups as a performance bank guarantee. The performance guarantee will remain valid for up to ten years from the contract’s signing date.

REIL has segregated the allocated cities for the installation of EV charging stations into three groups, Groups 2, 3, and 4.

The total number of charging stations allocated under Group 2 is 284, which includes 159 slow charging stations and 125 fast charging stations in 12 cities.

Under Group 3, 215 EV charging stations are to be installed, including 107 slow charging stations and 108 fast charging stations in eight cities.

EV charging stations totaling 239 – 185 slow charging stations and 54 fast charging stations need to be installed in 14 cities under Group 4.

The allocated cities have been segregated into three groups, as mentioned below:

The empaneled agency will invest in the development of upstream electrical infrastructure for the charging stations such as transformer, cabling, load enhancement, a new electrical connection from the distribution company (DISCOM), and recurring expenses such as data charges, maintenance, and workforce for operation.

To be eligible, the bidders should have experience in the automobile sector, including e-mobility, or in the business and operation of EV charging infrastructure. They should have experience in mobile application development, the know-how of information technology, and should have trained IT workforce and IT infrastructure facilities.

Also, bidders should have sound financial conditions and the capability to invest at least ₹200 million (~$2.51 million) in the EV charging infrastructure business.

Bidders must also have an all-India support network to operate the EV charging infrastructure.

REIL will transfer the ownership of the charging station to the empaneled agency for ten years from the installation date of the charging stations.

In June this year, REIL invited bids for the survey, planning, supply, installation, and commissioning of 409 EV chargers in nine cities and across three national highways and one expressway.

Earlier, REIL had invited bids for the empanelment of agencies for EV charging stations. The tender was floated to set up more than 1,000 EV charging stations in 75 plus cities across the country.

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