Karnataka has sought ₹250 crore assistance under FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) scheme to set up 1,000 public electric vehicle charging stations in the State.

“We have set up 200 charging stations on our own. To create a conducive atmosphere for the sector to grow, we want to increase it to 1,000. We have approached the Centre for funds,” said Gaurav Gupta, Karnataka Principal Secretary, Department of IT, BT and S&T, in an interaction with BusinessLine .

The State government has been supporting electric vehicles makers as Bengaluru has the highest concentration of registered vehicles.

To facilitate ease in charging, the State government, through the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom), is planning to set up 750 electric vehicle charging stations across the State. Bescom has plans to implement the proposal in phases in cities having a population of around one million.

Power tariff hike

On Thursday, Karnataka Electricty Regulatory Commission (KERC) increased the power tariff for electric vehicle charging stations. As per the new tariff order, the charging stations will have to pay ₹5 per unit, an increase of 15 paise compared with the existing rate of ₹4.85 per unit.

Close on the heels of Mahindra Electric (makers of cars and autos) and Ather Energy (electric scooter manufacturer) successful operations in the State, the government officials recently held an interactive meet with the stakeholders.

According to Gupta, the State government has requested the companies to set up research and innovation labs with testing facility to help small and medium companies.

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