Some glad tidings for Electric Vehicle owners of the state ahead of the Bengali new year. Calcutta, finally, has its own sweet spot for public charging of EVs.
West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHIDCO) has partnered with EV charging network Powerbank to establish what the company claims as the largest public fast charging hub for EVs in East India.
The hub, currently capable of simultaneously fast-charging 25 vehicles with an equal number of connector guns and open round-the-clock, is located at New Town, Rajarhat on a 1150 sqm plot near the Biswa Bangla Convention Center and the popular HIDCO-run Café Ekante.
The facility, EV owners feel, would provide the much-needed upgrade over and above the eight charging docks currently operating at various locations of New Town.
“The charging facility through DC ports dispensing 15 kilowatt/hour charge would be available for four-wheelers for now. On an average, a vehicle would take about an hour to get fully charged in this facility. We are, however, planning to soon add slow chargers as well for two-wheelers and three-wheelers,” said Rajneesh Agrawal, CEO, Powerbank.
“Further expansions will allow 50-75 vehicles to enjoy fast charging and slow charging facilities. The public can access these charging facilities in a hassle-free manner through the PowerbankEV charging mobile application,” a company statement read.
A senior HIDCO official, rooting for green and sustainable mobility in the state, confirmed that the Bengal power department has framed and notified its EV policy to have in place a 360 degree support infrastructure for battery operated vehicles across the state within the next decade.
“We are also planning to set up public charging facilities for Evs inside the gated communities of New Town, at least the major ones, pretty soon,” he confirmed.
Powerbank expects the New Town facility to be primarily utilized by the e-cab companies operating within Calcutta and its additional areas. “It has been our experience that EV adoption comes naturally from the taxi services segment at first because of the obvious financial benefits that come with a battery-operated vehicle. This hub will now take care of the range anxiety of drivers who previously had to return to their charging stations in the eventuality of unscheduled trips. Private EV owners who have to make unplanned commutes will also benefit from this facility,” Agrawal said, sharing company experiences from its operational bases at Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Pune and Mumbai.
Asked whether Powerbank is aiming to expand its footprints in smaller cities of Bengal and along highways across the state, Agrawal said: “That’s exactly the aim. We are closely tracking EV adoption across states and mapping towns and high frequency routes to set up charging stations at both sides of highways.”
Admitting that returns from vehicle electrification have a long gestation period, the CEO observed, “Bengal and broadly speaking Eastern India hasn’t adapted to EVs as quickly as some of the other parts of the country. But we can call initiatives like this the first step towards the inevitable. We understand that if the infrastructure comes first, adoption will surely follow.”
That sounded like a paradox for the future of the automobile industry in India: a leap of faith that must be taken for a fait accompli.