BPCL unveils EV charging corridors along highways in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala
The charging corridors are expected to connect popular religious and tourist destinations with cities to help reduce range anxiety of EV owners.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has unveiled 19 EV fast-charging corridors at 110 fuel stations along 15 highways in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala.
The charging corridors will connect popular religious and tourist destinations with cities in order to help reduce range anxiety of EV owners on long-distance trips, said the company in a statement.
The petrol marketing company has launched three corridors in Kerala at 19 fuel stations, six corridors in Karnataka at 33 fuel stations, and ten corridors in Tamil Nadu at 58 fuel stations. BPCL has already converted 21 highways into electric corridors.
"It takes just 30 minutes to charge an EV, giving the driving range of upto 125 kilometers at our fuel stations, therefore we have maintained the distance within 100 kilometers between the two charging stations," said Pushp Kumar Nayar, Head Retail South, at the launch.
BPCL's fast chargers can be self-operated without any manual assistance, although support staff will be available if required, said the company. The company has digitised the entire EV charger locator, charger operations, and transaction process through the HelloBPCL app.
Food options are available at several of its highway fuel stations through alliances with brands such as McDonald's, A2B, Cube Stop, Cafe Coffee Day, and other local outlets. The company has also rolled out its chain of In & Out convenience stores at key fuel stations on highways to provide added convenience to customers, said BPCL.
To support and accelerate the EV growth in the country, 200 highways will be covered with EV fast chargers across India by March 2023, said the company.
BPCL has also planned to install electric vehicle charging stations at around 7,000 energy stations over the next five years. The company aims to become a net zero energy company by 2040 and focus on sustainable solutions by integrating its strategy, investments, and environmental and social ambitions.
Edited by Swetha Kannan