New Delhi: Delhi govt plans an electric-vehicle charging corridor along Outer Ring Road and install fast charging stations every 5km or so.
A govt official said the corridor was planned along Outer Ring Road since it is one of the busiest arteries in the city connected to prominent locations. He said that spaces below flyovers and unused lands would be the preferred locations for the charging stations so as not to hinder moving traffic. The entry and exits would also be designed to minimise inconvenience to the road users.
The work on creating the charging corridor would begin once the awaited model code of conduct for general elections is lifted, the official said.
Another official said that Outer Ring Road would be branded as a route where finding an EV charging station would be easy. This would offset the range anxiety seen among new EV buyers. “Even though Delhi has good EV penetration, charging stations are not as visible as petrol stations, forcing one to take the help of Google Maps. Branding the stretch will fill EV owners, especially new ones, with confidence especially to new EV buyers that they can easily get their vehicles charged,” the official said, adding, “This stretch also has several residential areas along its circular length.”
The 47km-long Outer Ring Road passes through areas like RK Puram, Munirka and IIT in the south, Nehru Place, Kalkaji and Okhla in the southeast and Azadpur, Jahangirpuri, Rohini and Model Town in the north. A feasibility study showed over 10,000 passenger car units passing through the intersections at Chirag Dilli, Khel Gaon, IIT and August Kranti Marg in 24 hours.
Amit Bhatt, MD, International Council on Clean Transportation India, said, “This concept is akin to an EV ready street, which means that if someone from outside the city arrives, that individual should not have to worry about being unable to recharge the vehicle. “The fact that there are charging stations at regular intervals also helps alleviate people’s fear of long queues at such stations.”
Bhatt added that clearly visible signage should be put up indicating the presence of the charging stations on Outer Ring Road to instil confidence in a new set of buyers of EVs.
Anil Chhikara, a faculty member at the Asian Institute of Transport Development, cautioned that while the e-charging corridor was an innovative concept, govt had to also ensure that traffic on the stretch near the station did not get hindered. The entry and exits also had to be designed in a way not to disturb moving traffic on Outer Ring Road. “Spaces below flyovers could prove efficient for this,” he said.
Since the launch of the EV policy in August 2020, Delhi has witnessed a remarkable surge in electric transport adoption, with over 1.8 lakh EVs registered, predominantly two-wheelers and three-wheelers. The average annual EV penetration increased from 3% in 2020 to 12% by Dec 2022, reaching 16% in Dec 2023, the highest monthly EV penetration recorded among all states in India. The electric BOV (battery-operated vehicle) sold in Delhi has also shown a jump in the past few years with 73,467 registered last year against 62,257 in 2022, 25,817 in 2021 and 12,378 in 2020.
Delhi already has over 4,600 public charging points and 250 swapping stations, the highest in India. Of these 4,600, 425 charging pointswere installed by govt, 1,580 by private persons and2,684 charging points installed by other agencies andbusiness owners.
