As the country's think tank, NITI Aayog, revealed, the Indian Railways will be required to install electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure at all of its train stations by a draught policy is prepared. The goal is to encourage the use and development of electric vehicles.
According to Indian Railways' goal of becoming a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030, the draught policy shared with the Ministry of Railways also suggests that renewable energy be supplied to charging facilities.
The Policy
It is reported that the policy is currently being discussed with the Ministry of Railways, according to a news report. There are 123 redeveloped railway stations in India where NITI Aayog has recommended that EV charging facilities can be put in place immediately, rather than waiting until 2030. Because of their unique role in the transportation industry, railway stations, according to NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, make ideal locations for installing public charging stations for electric vehicles.
If you are looking for a way to increase the use of electric vehicles, the government is encouraging you to use FAME-II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid, and Electric Vehicles). A total of 7,000 electric buses, 500,000 electric three-wheelers, 55,000 electric four-wheeler passenger cars, and one million electric two-wheelers are expected to be supported by subsidies in the near future.
Electric vehicle charging infrastructure is essential to achieving this goal. Additionally, railway stations can provide a secure and accessible charging infrastructure for city residents, in addition to existing government initiatives.
Many Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) researchers developed new charging technology for electric vehicles earlier this month, which is half the price of the current onboard charger technology. Two and four-wheeled electric vehicles can benefit greatly from this.
According to a report, the technology's lab-scale development is complete, and it is currently being upgraded and commercialised. This new technology has also piqued the interest of one of the country's most prominent electric vehicle manufacturers, according to the team, who did not reveal the name of the manufacturer.
IIT (BHU), Varanasi, collaborated with experts from IIT-Guwahati and IIT-Bhubaneshwar to develop the technology. Electric vehicles (EVs) are the best alternative to conventional internal combustion (IC) engines, according to a company representative. On the other hand, automakers must use onboard chargers due to a lack of high-power off-board charging infrastructure.
To reduce the number of components required for propulsion mode, the team is reducing an additional power electronics interface in the proposed onboard charger technology. The new onboard charger will be 40 to 50 percent cheaper than the current model.
As the price of chargers drops, so will the price of electric vehicles. Officials say that the technology will be developed entirely in-house and will have a significant impact on the EV market. What are your views on this initiative?
