Union Heavy Industries Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey on Thursday inaugurated an electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Karnal, Haryana.
With this, the Delhi-Chandigarh Highway has become the first EV-friendly stretch in the country, with a network of solar-based electric vehicle chargers (SEVCs).
The chargers have been set up by Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) under the FAME-I [Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles in India] scheme of the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI), BHEL said in a statement.
It added that the state-of-the-art charging station at Karna Lake Resort in Karnal was remotely inaugurated by Union Heavy Industries Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey in the presence of the ministry's Secretary Arun Goel.
BHEL Chairman and Managing Director Nalin Shinghal and other senior officials of the state-owned company and the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) were also present on the occasion.
Recalling the Prime Minister's speech on the country's 75th Independence day, Pandey said in the statement, "the PM has clearly highlighted that environment security has the same importance as national security and that India is making all efforts towards becoming energy independent".
India is a vibrant voice of environment security, which comprises climate change, energy conservation and clean energy transition efforts, and the nation's efforts in environment have started giving desired results. This is an important step in the direction of achieving the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.
The EV charging station at Karna Lake Resort, is located at the mid-point of Delhi-Chandigarh highway, and is equipped to cater to all types of e-cars plying currently in the country.
The establishment of similar EV chargers at regular intervals of 25-30 km on the highway will allay range-anxiety among electric vehicle users and bolster their confidence for inter-city travel.
SEVC stations are equipped with individual grid-connected rooftop solar plants that will supply green and clean energy to the charging stations.
