Delhi-Chandigarh highway on road to becoming India's first fully electrified highway for EVs

BHEL will design, engineer, manufacture, supply and install the EV charging stations along with a central monitoring system on the 250-km Delhi-Chandigarh highway.

The switch to electric vehicles is seen as a huge step in improving the air quality in our cities and reducing our dependence on traditional fuels. However, the one roadbloack that often crops up is lack of infrastructure. But there's good news for those living in Delhi-NCR with state-owned Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd (BHEL) announcing that it will install a network of solar-based electric vehicle chargers (SEVC) on the 250-km Delhi-Chandigarh highway, making it India's first completely electrified highway.

As per the company's official statement:

“The establishment of EV chargers at regular intervals over the entire 250-km stretch between Delhi and Chandigarh would allay range-anxiety among electric vehicle users and bolster their confidence for inter-city travel.”

BHEL has taken up the responsibility to design, engineer, manufacture, supply, and install the charging stations across the highway. All the EV charging stations will be connected to a central monitoring system for round-the-clock management. They will be integrated with rooftop solar power plants to generate electricity for required consumption. The energy generated will be directed to both fast and standard chargers at the charging stations, as per media reports.

The Department of Heavy Industries's FAME (Faster Adaption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric Vehicles in India) scheme will cover the entire project to set up electric charging stations on the highway.

So far, the status on who will run the charging stations and whether customers will have to pay for charging their vehicles has not been confirmed.