New Delhi: Delhi prides itself as the electric vehicle capital of the country. Pushing the eco-friendly mode of travel in the city, Delhi govt expanded the EV infrastructure and claimed that the number of charging points increased from 4,700 to 18,000 in two years. Perhaps. But on the ground, the reality is quite different.
TOI went around the city to assess the charging facilities and found that many charging stations installed by PSUs or power distribution companies, even in major locations like Connaught Place, were sadly non-functional. The six-dock charging station near the new Parliament building on Rafi Marg, which was inaugurated in July 2020 by the central govt and touted as India’s first public EV charging station, was surprisingly found inoperative. “This has been defunct for months now,” shrugged a parking lot worker there. “We don’t even remember when it last worked. Its wires disappeared, stolen maybe. Vehicles earlier stopped here to charge but not anymore.”
The situation was similar in Connaught Place, where nearly all the EV charging stations were out of order, with the wires cut or the charging guns missing. “Many drivers come here to find the charging station defunct. They come because the map shows these stations as working,” said a parking operator there. His colleague interjected, “Patel Nagar and Khan Market have some working charging stations.” At Khan Market, while two of the charging points were working, users complained of incessant power trips and slow charging.
Shockingly, the entire charging machine was missing from a station in Greater Kailash. But like many others, it was shown as functional on maps and EV charging station locator apps. Some charging docks are now used by homeless people, as garbage dumps by others. In Jan, TOI had reported about some of the non-functional charging stations in areas under the jurisdiction of New Delhi Municipal Council. Thursday’s check found them still not working.
A survey in June said that locating an accessible, safe and working charging station was a top anxiety trigger for 88% of EV owners. Inadequate EV infrastructure is a deterrent for switching from fuel-based vehicles to electric mobility. An expert said, “This big problem is already impacting the market. Also, a location earmarked for a charging station is often reflected in maps and apps as a functional charging station even though the machines haven’t been installed there.”
Some experts, however, see this as a transition problem. “While the temporary non-functioning of charging stations presents challenges for EV adoption, govt has responded with several key measures to address the issue,” said Archit Fursule of Climate Trends. “Initiatives include expanding the network of charging stations, implementing stricter maintenance regulations and offering incentives for infrastructure development. Additionally, industry efforts like eHUB by MG Motors and the Universal EV Charging App highlight a collaborative push towards improving accessibility and reliability.”
According to Moushumi Mohanty, senior programme manager (electric mobility), Centre for Science and Environment, public charging is more for a top-up rather than a full charge. “However, it is still a problem,” she said. “The revised guidelines talk of mandating interoperability, which is like having a universal charger. This might solve this issue to some extent. Although defunct stations are an issue and it might impact the market for some time, in the long run, it will ultimately work.” She cited how during the changeover to CNG in 1999, there were interminable queues outside CNG stations. So, she reasoned, whenever there’s a tech change, there are some initial problems.
