Nearly 9,000 or about a tenth of the total petrol pumps across the country now offer electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities as fossil fuel retailers ramp up alternative energy facilities at their outlets.
At the beginning of June, the charging facilities were available at 8,853 pumps, up from 3,423 a year earlier, the petroleum and natural gas ministry data showed.
The sharp expansion is an outcome of the government push as well as the realisation by companies that it is important to build presence in alternative energy quickly, an industry executive said. Increasing charging facilities within cities as well as on highways will reduce range anxiety among potential EV owners and accelerate the shift towards electrification of mobility, said an official.
Indian Oil Corporation, the largest operator of petrol pumps in the country, has the highest number of pumps with EV charging facilities. Its 5,600 pumps, or about 15% of its 36,400 total outlets, offer charging facilities. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), the second-largest operator of petrol pumps, has charging facilities at 2,100 fuel stations, or a tenth of its total pumps. BPCL offers EV charging at 738 pumps of the total 21,100.
Reliance-BP, Nayara Energy and Shell, the private fuel retailers, together operate just 8,300 pumps, or less than a tenth of 87,000 pumps in the country. EV charging facilities are available at 28 of the 1,586 pumps operated by Reliance-BP, 178 of the 6,388 pumps of Nayara and 201 of the 343 of Shell.
Just 407 pumps operated by private retailers offer EV charging. Indian Oil, HPCL and BPCL plan to have EV charging facilities at 22,000 pumps over the next few years. Indian Oil aims to set up charging facilities at 10,000 pumps by 2024 while HPCL plans to set up 5,000 EV stations by 2025.
Traditional petrol pumps are now transforming into energy stations, with offerings ranging from petrol and diesel to compressed natural gas (CNG), compressed biogas (CBG) and EV charging. Nearly 5,000 petrol pumps now offer CNG facility. India Oil‘s 1,850 pumps, BPCL’s 1,600 and HPCL’s 1,450 pumps offer CNG fuelling facilities. About 37,000 pumps, or 43% of the country’s total, also use solar energy for a lot of their own operational needs.
