BHEL to be nodal company for EV charging infrastructure deployment, demand aggregation | Mint

New Delhi: Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), a public sector unit beneath the heavy industries ministry, is being thought of to be made the nodal company for gauging and aggregating demand for electrical automobile (EV) chargers. It can even develop an utility for streamlining the EV charging infrastructure, in keeping with a press assertion by the heavy industries ministry on Wednesday.

The app will enable real-time slot reserving, cost integration, charger availability standing and progress dashboards for monitoring nationwide deployment beneath the PM E-Drive scheme, the assertion stated.

Under this scheme, the federal government goals to put in 72,000 EV public chargers with an outlay of ₹2,000 crore until the tip of FY26. These stations might be strategically deployed alongside 50 nationwide freeway corridors, and inside high-traffic locations equivalent to metro cities, toll plazas, railway stations, airports, gasoline retailers and state highways.

Also learn | Govt to revise EV charger costs under e-drive scheme

Heavy industries minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday consulted representatives of the ministries of petroleum and pure gasoline (MoPNG) and street transport and highways (MoRTH) to evaluate and speed up the deployment of EV charging infrastructure within the nation, the assertion stated.

Kumaraswamy stated, “Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India is on the path to becoming a global model for sustainable transport. The PM E-Drive scheme is a transformative initiative aimed at giving our citizens access to clean, affordable, and convenient mobility options. We are not just building infrastructure; we are building the foundation for energy security and green economic growth.”

He added that collaborative federalism is integral to India’s clear vitality missions.

“The clean energy transition cannot succeed in silos. This meeting reflects our commitment to working as one government. Ministries, public sector enterprises, and states are all aligned to deliver results on ground. We are confident that PM E-Drive will catalyse new industries, generate green jobs, and offer seamless electric mobility to every Indian,” he stated.

Incentivizing inexperienced mobility

As on 1 April, there have been 26,367 EV public charging stations within the nation, as per knowledge gathered by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), said in a Rajya Sabha disclosure dated 4 April. In the primary three months of calendar yr 2025, there have been 1,165 new EV public charging stations deployed by the federal government, the disclosure confirmed.

EV charging infrastructure is an important aspect in incentivizing inexperienced mobility within the nation. A wider community of EV chargers decreased vary anxiousness amongst potential consumers. Range anxiousness refers back to the reluctance of consumers to shift to zero-emission electrical autos because of the restricted vary they cowl in a single full cost.

Also learn | Centre aims green logistics at ports, eyes setting up EV charging infra

Mint reported earlier on 1 May that the federal government was planning to revise the prices of establishing EV public charging stations beneath the PM E-drive scheme, as the price of uncooked materials in addition to parts had fluctuated during the last two years.

The authorities has additionally aimed to arrange EV public charging stations on nationwide highways to incentivize public transportation between cities and permit the introduction of electrical vans in key logistical ecosystems. Under the PM E-Drive scheme, almost 40% of the overall ₹10,900 crore outlay was allotted in the direction of incentivising electrical buses in public transportation. Also, ₹500 crore was allotted in the direction of incentivizing electrical vans.

Under the scheme, producers need to promote electrical autos to consumers at a sponsored worth. The authorities then reimburses the producers. Previous schemes, equivalent to the 2 iterations of FAME schemes additionally had the same operation mannequin. FAME stands for Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric (and Hybrid) autos. The two iterations of the FAME schemes ran constantly for a decade from FY15 to FY24.