The UT Administration has made plans to set up the city’s first charging station for electric vehicles at the new lake in Sector 42. According to the plan, the Chandigarh Renewal Energy, Science and Technology Promotion Society, the nodal agency to install solar plants in Chandigarh, has planned to install 800 KW solar plant at the new lake. Of these 800 KW, the UT administration will use 90 KW for charging station.
A senior UT official said after Sector 42’s charging station, the UT will implement the same project in markets of Sector 15, 17 and 19. The 90 KW charging station can charge around 65 cars in a day. It will also help in promoting electric vehicles, he added.
The Central government has already framed a National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, which aims at promoting hybrid and electric vehicles in the country.
The UT administration is already working on promoting hybrid and electric vehicles. Last year, a team of transport department had visited Nagpur to study charging stations to be set up in different parts of the city. Nagpur was the first city in the country to have in place electric vehicle charging stations.
Chandigarh has the highest density of vehicles in India with around 12 lakh registered vehicles, including both two-wheelers and four-wheelers. The number of vehicles per house on an average is two and has led to a sharp deterioration in quality of air.
To cut down the level of pollution, Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) will induct electric buses in its fleet. The ministry of urban development has given a green light to CTU to purchase 20 buses in the first phase.
One bus will cost around Rs 5 crore and the Central government has agreed to fund 60% of the cost of these electric buses. At present, around 3,000 e-rickshaws are plying in the city.
