Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a Fortune 500 and a fully integrated Maharatna energy company, and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd. (TPEM), known for pioneering India’s electric vehicle revolution, have signed an MOU to collaborate in establishing public charging stations across India.

The collaboration will leverage BPCL’s widespread fuel stations network and TPEM’s insights from over 1.15 lakh Tata EVs on Indian roads, to set up chargers at locations frequently visited by Tata EV owners. Additionally, BPCL will gather insights on charger usage to improve customer experience.

This agreement between TPEM and BPCL aims to improve the overall experience for EV owners across India. The two companies are also exploring the possibility of introducing a convenient payment system through a co-branded RFID card, making payment easier for Tata EV users and to encourage more people to adopt electric vehicles in the country.

BPCL boasts of a nationwide network of over 21,000 Fuel Stations and is committed to a sustainable future by amalgamating strategy, investments, and environmental goals. BPCL aims to install 7,000 electric vehicle charging stations by next year. To alleviate electric vehicle owners’ range concerns, BPCL has initiated over 90 Electric Vehicle Fast Charging Highway Corridors across the nation, ensuring a fast-charging station approximately every 100 kilometers on both sides of major highways. These corridors span more than 30,000 km across various highways, assuring enhanced EV convenience and accessibility.

Santosh Kumar, Executive Director In charge Retail, BPCL, said, “BPCL is constantly striving to align with the nation’s vision to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. BPCL is steadily moving closer to its goal of converting 7000 of our conventional retail outlets into energy stations which is a part of a comprehensive decarbonization strategy to support and prioritize sustainable initiatives. BPCL has already set up a very large network of fast charging stations across highways. EV is a field of collaboration and we believe that joining hands with TPEM shall take the EV game of BPCL and TPEM to the next level.”

TPEM is the market leader in EVs in India, commanding a market share of over 71% in electric passenger vehicles.With more than 115,000 Tata EVs on Indian roads, where 75% are used as primary vehicles, TPEM continues to lead the way in India’s electric mobility revolution.

According to Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd., and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd., “EV adoption is a key imperative to combat the deteriorating air quality in Indian cities. Wide-spread and reliable charging infrastructure will be a key catalyst for accelerating EV adoption in India. In line with our commitment to develop the charging ecosystem in India, we are delighted to announce our strategic collaboration with BPCL, which is aimed at accelerating India’s journey towards e-mobility. This collaborative partnership epitomizes our shared vision of fostering positive change – an enabling infrastructure for the growing EV customer base. It will benefit from TPEM’s unparalleled EV usage insights, and BPCL’s formidable nationwide network. It has the potential to reshape the landscape of charging infrastructure in the country.”

Case studies from across the world show that ubiquitous and convenient charging infrastructure is a prerequisite for driving EV adoption, and that growth in charging infrastructure results in an exponential growth in EV adoption. The collaboration between two leading companies is expected to accelerate the growth of charging infrastructure in the country, and thus contribute to mainstreaming EV adoption in India, a media release said.