Govt’s Master App Will Help EV Drivers To Locate Charging Points

In order to guide electric vehicles consumers to the nearest charging station without wasting a time and make this process an easy one, the central government has planned to roll out a master app which will help drivers to locate the nearest charging point on the map. This app will relieve the owners from range anxiety and help encourage people to adopt an electric vehicle.

According to media reports, NITI Aayog held a meeting on June 7, with the firms operating public EV charging facilities where they discussed rolling out the beta version of the app as soon as possible. This app will enable users to find the nearest charging station, make payments, and book a slots in advance. The app will be operated by the Centre and funded by ADB.

One of the major challenges faced today by EV users is that most charging stations are owned by different companies who have their own exclusive apps. Since these apps are incompatible with each other, it only adds to the woes of the EV user who struggles to locate a charging point nearby.

The Centre-run Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL) had earlier suggested a common app like this. However, things could not work out as planned due to lack of sourcing and required data. It should be noted that participants in the NITI Aayog meet had also flagged issues pertaining to data privacy of users and sharing proprietary data with third parties once the app is launched. Industry insiders also shared concerns regarding losing out market to their competitors.

NITI Aayog has, meanwhile, acknowledged these concerns and has suggested the industry experts to work closely with the govt and work out a feasible solution soon.

As per The Bureau of Energy Efficiency, 7,013 charging stations are operational in India as of May 5, 2023. Also, INR 1,000 crore has been allocated under Phase-2 of FAME scheme to develop charging infrastructure all across India.

2,877 charging stations in 68 Indian cities have been sanctioned by the Centre. Meanwhile, under FAME Phase-2, 1,576 charging stations on 16 highways and nine expressways have also been sanctioned. Also, Rs 800 crore was recently allocated to the oil firms to accomodate 22,000 fast chargers at fuel pumps.