Uttar Pradesh To Unlock Vacant Government Land For EV Charging Stations Across Urban Areas And Highways

The Uttar Pradesh government is reportedly planning to roll out a new policy directing all its departments, corporations, and civic bodies to offer the “right-of-use” of their vacant land to build electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in urban areas and along highways, reported Hindustan Times.

This move aims to address the growing gap between the fast adoption of EVs and the limited charging facilities.

Officials explained that private players struggle to set up charging stations due to lack of accessible land.

“The lack of availability of land to private developers is hurdling the setting up of EV charging stations in the state even as the number of EV vehicles, including cars, is fast increasing,” a senior official of the renewable energy department was quoted as saying in the HT report.

The renewable energy department, under the policy, has proposed making it mandatory for all government bodies to allow unused land for these stations. The state cabinet is expected to approve this plan soon.

Following Ministry of Power guidelines, Uttar Pradesh aims to install charging stations every 1 km x 1 km in urban areas and every 20 km along highways by 2030.

Fast-charging stations for long-range EVs and heavy-duty vehicles will be set up every 100 km on major highways and expressways.

The guidelines promote private investment by offering public land at subsidised rates, with agencies earning Rs 1 per kWh of electricity consumed under a 10-year revenue-sharing model.

The UP Power Corporation Ltd also launched Uttar Pradesh Renewable and EV Infrastructure Ltd to develop and maintain EV charging infrastructure across cities, highways, and other locations.

“However, the lack of EV charging stations due to lack of land to set up the same remains a big challenge in the state and the proposed policy aims to address this very issue,” the official said.

Also Read : US EV Maker Tesla To Open First India Showroom In Mumbai On 15 July: Report