Aiming to build an integrated network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, the government has announced a plan to develop a master app to track real-time availability of nearby EV charging slots.
According to the Economic Times, NITI Aayog had held a meeting with the enterprises operating in the EV charging market in India to discuss the plan as well as float the beta version of the app in the next few weeks.
This project will be funded by the Asian Development Bank and owned by the Government of India.
According to the report, users will be able to discover the nearest available charging station and book slots for charging their vehicles with the help of this App.
Under the phase II of the FAME India scheme, INR 1,000 has been allocated for building EV charging infrastructure across the country. As of May 5, 2023, as many as 7,013 public EV charging stations were operational in India.
Further, the government has sanctioned 2,877 such charging stations across 68 cities in 25 states and UTs.
In addition, 1,576 charging stations on nine expressways and 16 highways have also been sanctioned. Moreover, funds to the tune of INR 800 Cr have been allocated to set up 22,000 fast chargers at various fuel pumps across India.
The decision has come after the government announced a cut per vehicle subsidy for two-wheeler EVs last month.
In May, the government held a meeting with the stakeholders of 24 OEMs registered under the FAME-II scheme. According to the reports, the subsidy may be reduced to 15% of the ex-factory price of the vehicle from 40% at present.
Amid such uncertainty, the registration of two-wheeler EVs dropped by around 23% after seeing a sharp jump in March. But for major players like Ola Electric, the leaderboard position did not change. It continued to top the chart with 21,845 units registered.
Overall, the EV ecosystem in India has been witnessing growth and expansion vividly. In May, electric mobility software startup Kazam bagged $3.6 Mn for tech innovation and strengthening product teams.
In March, EV charging startup CHARGE+ZONE raised $54 Mn in its Series A-1 funding round, to roll out 286 charging stations.
