The Karnataka government has chosen Plan B, BESCOM, over its original intentions to install 2,500 EV charging stations throughout the state.
India is upgrading its infrastructure to facilitate the shift by installing specialised electric vehicle charging stations in response to the growing popularity of electric vehicles. Although the private sector is heavily involved in this, the government is making bold ambitions.
However, the Karnataka government has abandoned its ambitions for a comprehensive EV charging infrastructure plan since there were not enough bids. Although EVs are becoming more and more popular in Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka, the government claims that no one is interested in buying one.
Karnataka EV charging plan — What was it?
The Karnataka government had intended to use a public-private partnership approach to install 2,500 EV charging stations throughout the state, but the proposal was shelved after it failed to draw bids. Nearly six tries were made, but no one took.
Although the assignment was given to chosen bidders in October 2023, a similar plan to install 585 charging stations in nine districts in 2023–2024 also failed.
Let’s go on to Plan B.
Plan B, giving the assignment to the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM), is what the government is considering. The state-owned utility has now been given the duty of installing 100 EV chargers in Bengaluru, with BESCOM providing the funds as well. The project is expected to cost approximately Rs 35 crore. According to sources, this was ratified on June 16 by an official government decree.
As of March, there were about 5,879 EV charging stations in Karnataka, with 4,000 of those being in Bengaluru alone. “The departments concerned did not cooperate with private agencies that received work orders to get the required land for charging stations,” Shivashankar, the MD of BESCOM, wrote in his report.
Although this was a significant factor in the ambitious project’s failure, EV adoption outside of Bengaluru also played a role. In order to draw in more EV purchasers, OEMs and private businesses are expanding their network of EV charging stations.
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