Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology (MAHAPREIT) has invited bids to empanel agencies for two years to set up 310 electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) in Maharashtra.

The last date for the submission of bids is August 31, 2023. Bids will be opened the same day.

The specific distribution of charging stations is as follows: 15 charging stations for Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation, 30 for Thane Municipal Corporation, 5 for Chandrapur Municipal Corporation, 20 for Nagpur Municipal Corporation, 10 for Konkan Railway, 100 for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and 110 for the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA), with an additional 20 charging stations for other unspecified locations.

MAHAPREIT will secure the land locations from government organizations. The agreed-upon land rights will span ten years, and there is a potential for an extension of an additional five years.

Bidders must submit an earnest money deposit (EMD) of ₹50,000 (~$600).

The technical specifications for the EV chargers are as follows:

The Fast Chargers should have a capacity of 50 kW and operate on Direct Current (DC). It is designed primarily for 4-wheelers and offers 40-50 minutes of charging time. Each charging kiosk should be equipped with two charging guns, enabling simultaneous charging for multiple vehicles.

The Slow Chargers should boast a capacity of 10 kW and operate on Alternating Current (AC). This charger is suitable for 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, and 4-wheelers. The charging process with the slow charger takes approximately 4-5 hours. Each kiosk for slow charging will be equipped with three charging guns, each with a capacity of 3.3 kW.

Another option is to install all these systems on a single 144 kW charger, comprising two 60 kW fast chargers and three 10 kW slow chargers.

However, if there are technological advancements, the bidder can install different chargers as long as they meet the technical and safety standards set by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

The bidders will be responsible for covering the electricity costs with the distribution company.

They must also offer a suitable software application for convenient real-time booking of EV charging slots.

Additionally, a designated area of 100 square feet must be allocated at the specified site for the potential future installation of battery swapping stations.

The bidder will receive revenue from EV charging services offered to consumers after MAHAPREIT’s facilitation charges are deducted.

Bidders should have established at least ten public EV charging stations in the past five years.

They should have an average annual turnover of ₹30 million (~$360,251) in the last five fiscal years and a positive net worth in the most recent fiscal year.

India has installed 8,738 operational public electric vehicle charging stations, as of June 30, 2023, according to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency and the Ministry of Power data. The Minister of State for Heavy Industries, Krishan Pal Gurjar, shared the information in a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

EV sales in India reached 371,340 units in the second quarter of 2023, a year-over-year increase of 66% compared to 223,293 units sold in the same period last year.

Recently, MAHAPREIT also invited bids for installing and commissioning 50 MW of grid-connected solar power projects along with the associated transmission lines up to the interconnection point in the Sangli district of Maharashtra.