RBC stations must to bring EVs on roads

Anantapur: Although Kia Automobiles entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State government to produce electrical vehicles, the project cannot be launched unless 'Rapid Battery Charging (RBC) stations in hundreds are set up all over the country, says the company sources.

Several hundreds of self-employment opportunities will be made available in the setting up of RBC stations. Kia sources say that the Central and State governments must take the lead in facilitating the establishment of RBC stations before bringing electric cars on to the roads.

To make Electric Vehicles (EVs) affordable for the consumers, government will provide additional tax deduction of Rs 1.5 lakh on the interest paid on the loans taken to purchase EVs, as was indicated in the Union Budget. The budget also reduced GST on electric vehicles from 12% to 5%.

This will help to cut down the cost of purchasing an electric vehicle in India. The budget of 2019 also offers relief to lithium-ion electric battery manufacturers. This was done to reduce the cost of EV batteries. One of the important maintenance costs for electric vehicles is the replacement of used batteries.

If battery costs will be reduced, it will encourage people to go for electric vehicles. The New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP) will be the facilitator for setting of RBC stations.

They can be set up in the private sector. "Anyone, who has the equipment for charging batteries of more than 5 vehicles in a unit can run these centres," says NREDCAP district manager Kodandaram. Educated unemployed youth can explore possibilities for setting up the charging stations. An average electric car can go approximately to 100 miles per 30 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity.

Through the NREDCAP as many as 500 vehicles will be supplied to the district by the State government. The electric cars will basically be gearless (auto-gear) air-conditioned vehicles. The Central government had already ordered for 10,000 electric cars while the State government ordered for 4,500 vehicles.

The Energy Efficient Services Limited company would be supplying the vehicles. Kia Motors India, the world's 8th largest automaker, signed a pact with the AP government to produce EVs and the development of a local EV infrastructure. It will be providing consultancy services for EV vehicles, especially in mass transportation services.