Bescom to establish EV charging stations at state’s APMCs

The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) plans to install EV charging stations on the grounds of Agricultural Produce & Market Committees (APMCs) in Karnataka in an effort to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) throughout the state.

As directed by the Ministry of Power, Bescom, the State's nodal agency for EV adoption, is installing 1,190 EV charging stations throughout Karnataka.

“We are using a public-private partnership (PPP) approach to install charging stations on government agencies' property, with money shared between the investor and the agency. "We aim to place them in locations with higher pedestrian traffic, such as the Deputy Commissioner's office, APMC, and so on," a senior Bescom representative stated. 

In addition to being more extensively distributed in locations outside of Bengaluru, the charging stations would be installed in 411 sub-markets that fall under the 167 main APMC premises.

With nine APMCs in Tumakuru, eight in Mysuru, seven in Shivamogga, and five in Dakshina Kannada, they will be positioned in greater numbers in these districts.

Bescom executives feel that these APMC stations can encourage car drivers to have more environmentally friendly thoughts, even if EVs have not been able to advance in rural markets as well as they have in urban ones.

“In areas like Kalaburagi, Raichur, and Yadgir that are under the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company (Gescom), there is very little EV penetration. Many will purchase electric autorickshaws and two-wheelers once the necessary infrastructure is in place," the official said. Now that two-wheeler EVs are being offered by several manufacturers at reduced costs, the official speculated that this might encourage more people to drive EVs 

The stations will likely be put into service within the next six months, even though the land survey is still ongoing. Tenders have already been let out for 585 charging stations spread throughout nine districts, out of the 1,190 that are being installed. Officials said the invitation to offer for the other 605 stations will come soon.