Hyderabad: As the Telangana state government expedites the process of setting up public charging stations, those who own electric vehicles (EVs) will soon be able to charge their vehicles for Rs 12.06 kilowatt per hour (kWh) as service costs.
With the support of government incentives, roughly 118 public vehicle charging stations are being constructed across Hyderabad, according to the Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation (TSREDCO). These charging stations will be built as part of the FAME II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) programme.
The Department of Heavy Industries has suggested this strategy to encourage the usage of electric vehicles by providing accessible charging stations. Apart from Hyderabad, another 20 public charging stations will be built in Warangal and Karimnagar, bringing the total number of public charging stations to 138. In Hyderabad city, there are already a few private charging stations. Officials stated that all of these will be ready by March.
The Ministry of Power has previously announced new EV charging infrastructure standards and guidelines. In compliance with the rules, the state government has fixed the ceiling cost of service charges to be charged by electric vehicle public charging stations. It approved the Rs 12.06 + applicable GST service cost maximum for electric vehicle rates covered by State/Central subsidies.
According to a report in The New Indian Express, TSREDCO’s managing director, N Janaiah stated that even though the service price is fixed at Rs 12.06 per kWh, it is still less expensive than petrol and diesel. “It costs Rs 300 if any four-wheeler takes 25 units to completely charge their cars.” “You can’t even get three litres of petrol with the same quantity of petrol,” he claimed.
On the other hand, it only consumes Rs 6 per kWh in residential areas, which is about half of what the State charges at public charging stations. “Because we are supplying infrastructure and need to maintain staff, the cost at public charging stations is a little more,” Janaiah explained.
For a complete charge on four-wheelers, 30 to 40 units are required.
Car comparison between petrol, diesel and electric vehicles
If the price of petrol is considered at Rs 100 per litre and mileage is considered 16 km per litre, the cost of the car, per kilometre, will be about Rs 6.25.
If the price of diesel is considered at Rs 95 per litre and mileage is considered 22 km per litre, the cost of the car, per kilometre, will be around Rs 4.31.
Whereas, an electric vehicle requires 30.2 units of electricity on being full charged, therefore if we consider Rs. 6 per unit as the electricity cost then it would cost Rs 181.2 for getting charged fully and then it would run for about 300km. In this way, its cost per kilometre will be close to 60 paise.
On a comparative basis, electric vehicles trump petrol and diesel-run vehicles, on both cost and environmentally friendly scale.