[RedTerrano]

And so it begins.
In the first tranche 69000 charging stations 5o come up accross the country. Like fossil fuelled vehicles, eVehicles too can stop by at petrol pumps to top up.



https://www.financialexpress.com/aut...india/2135090/

[srini1785]

69,000 charging stations = 69,000 cars/bikes charging at the same time for 45mins. Not enough.

As EV's gain popularity , we need more charging stations. I have said this before, electricity is available everywhere and unlike petrol it need not be transported to petrol stations. Open charging stations at highway eat outs , public parking spaces , mall parking , business parks , why even in barber shops while you get your hair , nail done. This is apart from your domestic arrangement.

This would create a EV support infra that would propel people to EV's. However, this is a good baby step in the right direction.

[Shreyans_Jain]

What’s important is the fineprint. All these EV charging stations should be of 50KW minimum. Even the current Nexon EV charges at 25KW, while everything else charges faster. This new infrastructure that is being created has to be future proof.

If they take the easy way out and install 7 or 10KW ‘home charges’, it will be useless. 30 mins of charging for 30 mins of driving will only give EVs a bad name.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Like fossil fuelled vehicles, eVehicles too can stop by at petrol pumps to top up

Forget the affordability of EVs; in the current scenario of EVs, it takes atleast an hour to get their vehicle recharged? Even Ather takes 10 min to recharge for 10 Km, but then, is there another charging station at 10th Km?

Anyway, there were apprehensions about 130+ years ago when automobiles were trying to replace Horse drawn vehicles; now Horse has become luxury, automobiles are affordable & EVs are trying to replace automobiles, quite natural are the apprehensions.

Hopefully in the forthcoming years, the impractical charging time comes down to lesser time than refueling fossil fuels, by then, early adopters are few steps ahead than competition in business.

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by srini1785

As EV's gain popularity , we need more charging stations. I have said this before, electricity is available everywhere and unlike petrol it need not be transported to petrol stations. Open charging stations at highway eat outs , public parking spaces , mall parking , business parks , why even in barber shops while you get your hair , nail done. This is apart from your domestic arrangement.

+1
I have seen a good solution in Frankfurt. Dedicated parking slots for eVehicles with pay per use chargers. Park your vehicle when you go to office. By the time you are ready to head home, your vehicle is fully charged.

Despite all the valid concerns in this thread, I feel this is the first of the many baby steps in the right direction. Besides the Govt created infra, I also have hopes from the private sector. For e.g. I remember reading about some company, who have solar power generators mounted on trucks. They take these trucks to remote villages, sign an agreement and start supplying electricity to the village. Perhaps something similar can happen to solve the charging problem.

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by srini1785

I have said this before, electricity is available everywhere and unlike petrol it need not be transported to petrol stations. Open charging stations at highway eat outs , public parking spaces , mall parking , business parks , why even in barber shops while you get your hair , nail done. This is apart from your domestic arrangement.

+1. Also every homestay, lodges. Hope Govt doesn't regulate the charging business. if they certify charging device with BIS is just enough.

In parallel, Govt must complete electrification of places which are yet to see electricity and ensure the quality of service in supply.

[SKC-auto]

I am not excited about this solution due to the reliability of those single chargers. These 69000 chargers are not shown in any app, do not know how many are broken or available for me to charge.

Suppose I need to charge my car, I stop at a petrol station, they tell me charger not working, I waste 10 mins move to another petrol station, same response, go to 3rd station after wasting another 10 mins, the charger may be working which is placed at a corner near the bathrooms. This could ruin the EV experience.

The better solution would be to have dedicated charging stations, with a restaurant and bathrooms. These charging stations which show up on your maps, placed every 50kms initially and 25kms after 5years. You plan your trip stop at a charging station, connect the car to the charger, have your food, disconnect the charger, bill will be charged at your bank account directly without your intervention. This may be a loss making entity for initial few years and requires lots of support from govts and private investors, this solution gives a better EV experience.

[sumeethaldankar]

I hope technology catches up and that electric cars are charged wirelessly like how some mobiles are charged wirelessly, while they parked at any spot. That is the only way this can be a success in space starved cities like Mumbai. The car gets charged while it is parked anywhere , sound like a fairy tale dream but I hope it comes true one day.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

sound like a fairy tale dream but I hope it comes true one day.

10 years ago, there was no reusable rockets or believed cars can be run reasonably just with batteries or a strong competition for GM & Toyota; 20 years ago no one believed shopping to reading books to payments can be done at will using fingers; 40 years ago no one believed knowledge can be made available free; 60 years ago no one believed music can be personalized; 80 years ago no one believed they would land on the Moon; 100 years ago no one would've believed on another war or great depression; 120 years ago no one would've thought automobile would throw away Horses.

Dreams & fiction are what drove human to where we are today. So, wireless charging on the move is a good imagiation & good possiblity turning to a reality

[N33raj]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I hope technology catches up and that electric cars are charged wirelessly like how some mobiles are charged wirelessly ... I hope it comes true one day.

Originally Posted by aargee

Dreams & fiction are what drove human to where we are today. So, wireless charging on the move is a good imagination & good possibility turning to a reality

Gentlemen, this was done so many years ago in South Korea and now their government has given clearance to this tech for larger scale adoption.

https://www.ajudaily.com/view/20200924102043703
https://www.wired.com/2013/08/induction-charged-buses/

I was in Busan in 2013 for some work and when i heard of this i had to go and see for myself. KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology) made it look so humdrum and boring but it was cutting edge at that time.

[DudeWithaFiat]

Nice first step.

I believe this would be along the highways first. Most people will not need to use these kiosks since 90% of our daily driving does not exceed the limits of any of the new electric cars. Come home, charge the car overnight once in 3-4 days. This would work for most folks.

BaaS (Battery-as-a-Service) discussed elsewhere on the forum is the way to go. BaaS will kill range anxiety and it will be just like filling up petrol. Drive into a BaaS station when the juice level goes below your acceptable minimum mark, swap the batteries, 5 mins, full charge!

[kung_foo_fanta]

Originally Posted by SKC-auto

These 69000 chargers are not shown in any app, do not know how many are broken or available for me to charge.

The better solution would be to have dedicated charging stations, with a restaurant and bathrooms. These charging stations which show up on your maps, placed every 50kms initially and 25kms after 5years. You plan your trip stop at a charging station, connect the car to the charger, have your food, disconnect the charger, bill will be charged at your bank account directly without your intervention. This may be a loss making entity for initial few years and requires lots of support from govts and private investors, this solution gives a better EV experience.

Well, happy news! I have attached a memo from the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises inviting Expressions of Interest from Private sector companies who are interested in setting up electric vehicle charging stations on major highways.

And surprise, surprise! The memo states that the companies have to set up at least 1 charger every 10 kms. Not going into the details of the type of charger that's required, but it looks like it's mandated that at every 25 kms a fast charger of minimum 50 KW should be set up, in a bid to future proof the project.

And that's not all. Here's the best bit

The selected agency for the development of charging station has to tie up with at least one real time EVSE Network Management Software Platform Provider to enable advance remote/online booking of charging slots by EV owners. Such real time information to EV owners should also include information regarding location, type, the number of chargers installed, cost of charging, available slots, etc. (cost has to be borne by the entity itself).
All such entities are also mandatorily required to share this information with the Department of Heavy Industry for a common Charging Station App being developed by DHI for all charging Stations in the country

So, it looks like all of our worries are resolved and all of our hopes are fulfilled, for the time being, in words.
Whether it will actually come to fruition, is yet to be seen.

[AirbusCapt]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

Nice first step.

BaaS (Battery-as-a-Service) discussed elsewhere on the forum is the way to go. BaaS will kill range anxiety and it will be just like filling up petrol. Drive into a BaaS station when the juice level goes below your acceptable minimum mark, swap the batteries, 5 mins, full charge!

Interesting but impractical in India. With wholesale cheating and malpractice in our genes pretty soon one will find oneself saddled with a faulty battery which doesn't offer range or worse sets fire to your ride. The other possible scams would be say to ensure the EV winds down in a remote area to enable theft and loot.

Until battery charging goes down to below 15 mins the entire EV concept for long distance driving becomes impractical. Either EV should have a useful range of 800/1000 km @120 kmph or batteries should be recharged within 15 mins at any charging station.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by AirbusCapt

Until battery charging goes down to below 15 mins the entire EV concept for long distance driving becomes impractical. Either EV should have a useful range of 800/1000 km @120 kmph or batteries should be recharged within 15 mins at any charging station.

Which ICE car gives a range of 1000 kms at 120 kmph? It would be a very very rare road in India where you need to travel 800 kms before hitting a town with a population of 1.00 lakh+. And why assume that 15 minute EV charging technology won't come.

[DudeWithaFiat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Which ICE car gives a range of 1000 kms at 120 kmph? It would be a very very rare road in India where you need to travel 800 kms before hitting a town with a population of 1.00 lakh+. And why assume that 15 minute EV charging technology won't come.

I believe AirbusCapt meant a range of 1000km without a compulsory downtime for an hour or so.

Of course, the way how technology changes and grows, 15 minute EV charging will be definitely possible in future.