Bengaluru: The city is fast emerging as the hub of electric vehicle (EV) adoption and infrastructure in India. Bengaluru has 85% (4,462) of Karnataka's 5,765 EV-charging stations. However, with growing enthusiasm among citizens to buy various EVs, will the city be able to support the increasing number of such vehicles in the coming years?
Even as the govt is ramping up efforts to expand EV-charging facility both in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka, an independent study of the bustling EV sector has revealed that the charging infrastructure needs to be augmented by over 500%.
According to projections made by Bengaluru-based Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), by 2030, the city will have more than 23 lakh EVs, including two-wheelers, cars-cabs, and commercial vehicles, requiring over 36,000 charging stations spread over 141 acres of land. This is equivalent to the land for approximately 700 petrol pumps.
The study — Bengaluru 2030: EV Charging Demand and Infrastructure — revealed that EV registration across Bengaluru is growing at a rate of more than 150% every year.
Evaluating the citizens' response in each of the nine RTO zones of Bengaluru, the study projected the need for as many as 400 public charging points in every RTO jurisdiction, especially at IT parks, Metro stations, fuel stations, and shopping malls. The study estimated that more than 85% of Bengaluru's EV stock would be two-wheelers, followed by three-wheelers and four-wheelers, by 2030. Unlike other parts of the city, Bengaluru South and Electronics City RTOs are expected to lead EV stock with more than five lakh vehicles and close to four lakh vehicles, respectively, according to the report.
Night-time charging
"Among potential vehicle owners, nearly 56% want to buy EVs over conventional vehicles, and about 90% of owners are aware of EVs and their advantages," the report pointed out. Among the general trend of charging EVs, nearly 55% of e-2W owners chose to charge their scooters and bikes either at homes or workplaces. Only 40% of the commercial e-2W preferred to charge at public charging stations. Interestingly, the e-4W preferred company or employer-provided charging stations to charge their vehicles. Among all categories of EVs, owners preferred to charge their vehicles during night hours, ranging from 10pm to 8am.
With close to 2 lakh EVs by 2023, Bengaluru is already witnessing a peak load of 0.096 GW due to EV charging alone. The same is expected to reach 1.2 GW by 2030. "While the daily average energy demand would be 9,320 MW, the maximum energy demand would be 11,368 MW by 2030. The projected peak hour demand of 1.2 GW constitutes around 13.5% of the city's projected peak power demand by 2030," the study revealed.
Comparing the cost analysis of EV charging vis-a-vis petrol/diesel-run vehicles, the study revealed, "Considering the cost of Rs 102 per litre of petrol and Rs 88 per litre of diesel, the running cost on each kilometre translates into Rs 9 to 10 per km for petrol vehicles. In contrast, the current EV-charging tariff of Rs 8 per KW by Bescom and Rs 15-30 at private charging facilities translates to a running cost of Rs 1 to Rs 2 per km for EVs. Hence, the EV-charging tariffs hold sway over the accessibility, affordability, and overall feasibility of EVs for both consumers and public institutions."