Govt to provide subsidy to set up EV-charging infra, says power secy

The government will soon redraft Faster Adoption and Manufacture of (Hybrid and) Electric Vehicles Scheme (FAME) to provide subsidy for setting up of upstream infrastructure to firms setting up EV charging infrastructure, Union Power Secretary Alok Kumar said on Thursday. He explained that discoms or utilities set up upstream infrastructure like transformers for providing electricity supply to EV charging stations which cost around Rs 5-6 lakh.

"We would give subsidy to firms setting up EV charging infrastructure to pay the discoms or utilities setting up upstream infrastructure." Presently the companies setting up EV charing stations are required to pay for this upstream infrastructure. He also said India would not face any power crisis during this festival season due to coal shortage at thermal plants as 20 million tonne of coal has already been imported so far.  Last year around this time, India faced power crisis due to coal shortages at thermal plants. This had prompted the Centre to take measures to scale up supplies.