NITI Ayog plans to launch app showing nearby EV charging and battery swapping station

Within the next two months, the government is anticipated to release an app that offers a unified picture of

electric vehicle

NITI Aayog is leading the development of the app and its deployment. According to the official, makers of equipment and owners of charging stations have all agreed to collaborate in providing the app with the necessary data.

A user driving a certain brand of electric vehicle (EV) presently has access to charging stations that are only compatible with that particular make and model due to a lack of interoperability. If you currently drive an electric vehicle made by Tata, you can see Tata's charging infrastructure. But all of the infrastructure for charging will be displayed on the new app, including MG, Mercedes, EESL, etc. In two months, this will be ready, he claimed. The app will first provide information on the charging station's location, connectors, working status, capacity, etc. An electric vehicle's onboard charger receives electricity from a charging station using alternating current connections.

The electric vehicle's battery pack receives direct current from the onboard charger, which transforms alternating power into it.  Additionally, it will display fast and slow chargers as well as battery exchange stations. Depending on the charging station's status, the app will indicate whether it is open (o), captive (c), or semi-public (sp). Captive describes a charging station that is only used by electric cars that belong to or are controlled by the charging station's owner, such as fleet owners. Semi-public charging stations are set up on private property yet accessible to the general public, similar to visitor parking. Street-side, retail shopping malls, public buildings, and parking lots are all places where you may find open or public charging stations.

The insider said, “Later, the government intends to include booking and payment functionality into the app.” More than 7,000 public charging outlets are available right now. One charging station is required for every 75 electric four-wheelers in India. Under FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles), oil marketing corporations have been given Rs 800 crore to install 22,000 fast chargers at petrol pumps.

In order to accommodate the increasing number of guests who are travelling with EVs, several hotels have built EV charging stations on their grounds and intend to add more. In contrast to Marriott International, which collaborated with ChargeZone to construct 100 charging stations, the Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) erected 224 EV charging stations at 92 of its locations last year. The infrastructure for EV charging is also being expanded by other hotel companies.