Master app for charging EV coming up soon

The Indian government is developing a new master app to ease the country’s current EV charging situation and promote the uptake of EVs.

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With the aim of pushing up the adoption of electric vehicles and easing the range anxiety of users, the Indian government is preparing to launch a master app. The master app will show the real-time availability of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations nearby. It is expected to ease range anxiety and boost the adoption of electric vehicles in the country.

The master app users can locate the nearest available charging station, book a slot in advance and make payments through the same app. The master app project is being funded by the Asian Development Bank. It will be fully owned and operated by the Government of India.

Under phase II of the FAME India scheme, Rs 1,000 crore has been allocated, for the development of charging infrastructure. As of 5th May, about 7013 public charging stations were operational in the country, according to the data from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. 

The government has sanctioned 2,877 EV charging stations in 68 cities across 25 states and Union territories. In addition, 1576 charging stations on 9 expressways and 16 highways have also been sanctioned under the second phase of the FAME India scheme. Rs 800 crore has been recently allocated by the government to the oil marketing companies to install 22,000 fast chargers at their fuel stations.

NITI Aayog held a meeting with various stakeholders on 7th June and discussed the app with a possible plan to develop its beta version in the next few weeks.

Mr. Kartikey Hariyani, founder and Chief Executive of Charge Zone (a charging station operator) said, “Aggregation is the need of the hour. However, the app needs to be thoroughly tested, validated and integrated at the software level.”