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Saidapet in Chennai - Battery charging or swapping stations to be set up in TN!!
Posted on: 24/Sep/2021 9:12:59 AM
In the next 3 years, 3000 battery charging stations would be set up in India and for this Hindustan Petroleum Corporation ltd or HPCL has associated with a private company GoFuel.
At its fuel outlets in Tamil Nadu, HPCL would be setting up battery charging/swapping stations. It is now said that HPCL would be setting up pilots at its 2 outlets. Information is that the first would come up at Saidapet by the end of 2021.
As per some sources belonging to HPCL it was clear that the infrastructure is being created to provide wide fuel choices to the customers. More fuel outlets would be covered when the demand increases. In the next 3 years, the company has planned to set up 3000 charging stations in India.
Point is that the fuel outlets would also have solar panels and any excess power generated would be given back to the grid. Founder and CEO, GoFuel, Mr, Vinod Raj explained how solar power would be used to charge batteries. It is learnt that at present solar panels of capacity of 10KW/hour to 15KW per hour could be installed. He threw light on how approval from PESO or Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation was needed for installing solar panels atop canopies. If the canopies were designed to withstand the weight of the solar panels, then new fuel outlets would have them.
To encourage the outlet owners to go solar, a subsidy of Rs 2 lakhs would be provided to each outlet owner by HPCL and this would be in addition to providing space in the outlets. For the charging stations to function properly, engineering support would also be provided. It is now said that solarisation of all outlets would be carried out in the first phase. Mr. Vinodraj shed light on how each outlet would have to shell out Rs 12 lakhs to Rs 14 lakhs for setting up of infrastructure. It would be possible for the vehicle owners to leave their batteries at the swapping stations. For charging a car through DC, it would take an hour and it would cost Rs 3540 to Rs 400 per charge for a 25 to 30 unit battery.
