An EV charger established by a private operator on a roadside in Tiruchi.
| Photo Credit: MOORTHY M
The corporation is planning to set up charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) at public locations covering major roads in Tiruchi city.
In a pilot phase, Major Saravanan Road near Ayyappan Temple has been finalised for the installation of an EV charging point. “The project is in its initial stages, and the first charging point will be installed within a month. Around 25 charging stations in all five zone would be set up initially. Based on the outcome of the project the number of stations might increase,” a senior official said.
The initiative aims to encourage residents to go for electric vehicles in order to reduce carbon emissions. “The initiative would come as a huge relief for EV owners who reside in gated communities and houses without parking spaces and continue to face challenges over access to charging stations and calculating power consumption,” he added.
According to a source, the charging stations will provide convenient options for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers. After estimating the project cost, a user fee and other features would be decided.
The civic body has instructed the administrative heads of each zone to identify suitable and exclusive locations for such stations. They would identify the road stretches where the project can be implemented with the deployment of e-vehicle charging stations.
“Many people have shifted to e-bikes as fuel price costs more than ₹100 a litre. However, there a very few charging outlets available for e-vehicles, especially four-wheelers,” said P. Jude, a resident of Crawford.
“They should consider providing more charging points for e-bikes in the pilot phase and expanding the facilities to the residential area as well,” he added.
