Tata Power Partners With HPCL To Set Up EV Charging Stations Across India

This step will further help in boosting the EV adoption rate in the country

Tata Power and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) have joined hands to set up charging stations for electric vehicles at HPCL retail outlets and other locations across India.

As per the MoU, the two giants will collaborate towards the planning, development and operation of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (e-cars, e-rickshaws, e-bikes, e-buses, etc.) at suitable locations across the country. Apart from this, both entities also intend to explore opportunities of collaboration in related fields like renewable energy.

In a similar effort, Niti Aayog, the Indian government's think tank, in November 2017, kick-started a pilot project to set up 135 EV charging stations in the Delhi-NCR region. Niti Aayog promised to set up 135 charging stations in the Gurugram-Indira Gandhi International Airport-South Delhi-Noida corridor. Out of these, 46 stations were supposed to be DC quick charging setups, while the remaining 89 were going to be relatively slower AC stations. There is no update on the current status of this project.

Last year, Indian cab aggregator OLA also started a similar project by installing an EV charging station in Nagpur. However, the project ran into problems soon after it was launched as OLA drivers wanted to switch back to petrol and diesel vehicles due to high operating costs of EVs and long waiting periods at the charging stations.

Since lack of proper infrastructure is a major reason behind the unpopularity of EVs in the country, we believe the step taken by Tata Power and the HPCL is in the right direction. Various major carmakers have also cited the lack of proper infrastructure as a reason behind them not foraying into the EV space. Here’s the official press release from Tata Power:

Press Release

Tata Power and HPCL sign MoU for setting up commercial-scale EV Charging Stations across India   A landmark MoU for India’s e-Mobility future  

National, September 27, 2018: Tata Power, India’s largest integrated power utility and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), a Navratna Oil & Gas Public Sector Undertaking, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently for setting up commercial-scale charging stations for Electric Vehicles at the HPCL retail outlets and other locations across India.

Tata Power and HPCL, through this new landmark MoU, have agreed to collaborate in planning, development and operation of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (e-cars, e-rickshaws, e-bikes, e-buses, etc.), at suitable locations across India. Both entities also intend to additionally explore areas of opportunities & collaboration in related fields like Renewable Energy.

Mr. Praveer Sinha, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Power, said, “We are delighted to announce our partnership with HPCL. It is a significant move towards expanding our services to our customers beyond conventional boundaries.  By servicing electric vehicles through the proposed charging stations across India, Tata Power will be playing a crucial role in enabling a stronger penetration of EVs in the country, thus fulfilling our commitment to power India’s future in an environmentally sustainable way.”

Rahul Shah, Chief-Strategy, New Business Services, Business Excellence, Tata Power, said, “Tata Power has been the front runner to propagate the change towards sustainable energy. We aim to continuously grow our EV charging infrastructure footprints by installing charging stations at strategic locations. Our association with HPCL will help us to scale our EV infrastructure at the national level as well as provide our customers with world-class services”.

Mr. Rajnish Mehta, Executive Director, Corporate Strategy Planning and Business Development, HPCL said, “At HPCL, we are a firm believer in business diversification and being future ready. A major impediment to electric vehicles adoption is the range anxiety which needs to be addressed through establishment of nationwide charging infrastructure. We believe that a robust network of charging stations is very critical for market acceptability of EVs which will also ensure last mile connectivity and thereby facilitate widespread adoption of EVs. Tata Power with its focussed approach towards sustainable and clean energy and wider outreach across the power value chain, provides an excellent opportunity for an integrated Oil and Gas company like HPCL to collaborate for promoting the e-mobility initiative. We intend to leverage on our vast marketing infrastructure network in the form of Retail Outlets and other locations for setting up of electric vehicle charging stations on pan India basis”.

Also Read: Electric Cars In India: Present, Problems And Future