Indian government sanctions 2,877 new electric vehicle charging stations
Under the first phase of the FAME scheme, the government installed 479 electric vehicle charging stations nationwide, with Rs 1,000 crore allocated for the second phase to scale the process.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Heavy Industries Krishan Pal Gurjar stated that the government has planned to build 2,877 electric vehicle charging stations across 68 cities in 25 states and union territories.
This expansion will be done under phase two of the FAME India scheme (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles). Rs 1,000 crore has been allocated for the construction of this infrastructure.
The minister wrote that the government had already created 479 charging station under FAME-I. In comparison, the government is looking to build 1,576 stations on nine expressways and 15 highways only under FAME-II.
As of July 15, 2022, 4.7 lakh electric vehicles had been subsidised under the FAME-II scheme. Electric vehicles are subsidised based on the battery size, with a Rs 15,000 per vehicle subsidy for every 1kWh of battery in that vehicle. For reference, the new Ather Energy 450x e-scooter has a battery size of 3.7kWh.
Overall, the Minister's note said that approximately Rs 2,099 crore had been spent on these subsidies and incentives. Additionally, he also mentioned that his ministry had sanctioned the creation of 6,315 e-buses in 65 regions for intercity and intracity travel.
Edited by Megha Reddy