CESL

The business will run under a build, own, and operate model, valid for eight years. The charging stations would be installed across eight cities.

Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) subsidiary CESL in an announcement gave a list of selected agencies for installation of battery swapping stations on 4 October. The list included 124 battery swapping stations, 352 standing chargers both for electric two and three-wheelers. There would be 1,294 standing DC fast chargers for electric four-wheelers across eight cities.

The business will run under a build, own, and operate model and it will be valid for eight years. The charging stations would be installed across Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Surat, the company said in a statement.

Charge point operators (CPOs) will have a “right to use” the sites provided to them by CESL for setting up and operating the charging infrastructure in the area. Under this tender, operators will share in proceeds with CESL.

In the earlier mode of business, CESL had responsibility for investing, owning, and operating these stations. However, this business model is a shift from the previous one.

CESL has brought the change to business model to allow greater market participation. Business   model aims to enable and encouraging maximum participation of players and help set up the much-needed charging infrastructure in the country, the company official said.

CESL being a government agency, will ensure availability of land that is free from hinderances at locations that have been assessed and made publicly available. The said arrangement will be made for players to bid for the implementation of various types of EV charging and battery swapping stations, it further added.

In total 11 companies took part The tender process. Out of those 11, five have been selected. The selected operators will be responsible for designing, engineering, installation, testing, commissioning and operation of these e-vehicle charging stations.

“For scaling-up of electric mobility, appropriate charging infrastructure becomes a necessity. How to scale this and at the required pace has always been a challenge for us. This model of engaging with market players will give all of us the results we want which is widespread charging stations. And I am very optimistic about it,” said Mahua Acharya, MD and CEO, CESL.

Presently, 1,017 e-vehicle charging stations of which 427 will be for public use, are under implementation of CESL. Through this tender, 1,770 charging stations more will be added to the series of stations.

Also, CESL will soon come out with a mobile application and charge management system, of which development is in process. This will enable operators and e-mobility service providers host charging stations among each other’s system. It will allow the consumer to have maximum coverage and visibility.