Promoting the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), Himachal Pradesh government has announced to establish 100 charging stations in the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh.
RK Gautam (Deputy Commissioner of Sirmaur) has given instructions to all sub-divisional magistrates identifying places where such stations might be located. “All SDMs were directed to report on the locations of such charging stations.”
He stated that charging stations with 50-kilowatt capacities would be installed on state highways near bus stands, where vehicles could be charged in 15 minutes to 1 hour.
Charging stations that can charge vehicles in as little as 2-4 hours would be installed at government offices. Stations that can charge vehicles for up to 8 hours would be placed in homes.
For larger charging stations, it is necessary to have 11 kv powerlines.
To facilitate the use of EVs, the DC directed officials to install small charging stations in their official offices.
“Government vehicles will be gradually replaced with EVs, and vehicles that are already condemned would also be replaced by EVs.”
In an effort to reduce fuel consumption and curb environmental pollution caused by the use of diesel and petrol vehicles, the state has adopted a “Go Green” strategy. The transport department has already switched to EVs.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stated that efforts are underway to make the state the first ‘Green Energy State’ before 2025 of India.