3 highways in Kerala are now EV charging corridors

Published On 26 Mar 2023 07:37 PM

 KOCHI: In a major initiative to promote electric vehicles, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), a Maharatna company, on Friday announced the launch of 19 EV fast-charging corridors on 15 major highways in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Among the 19 corridors, which connect important religious and tourist destinations with major cities, three are in Kerala.

During the launch ceremony here, company officials said that in Kerala, the company has converted, Ernakulam-Kozhikode-Kannur-Kasaragod, Kozhikode-Wayanad and Ernakulam-Thrissur-Palakkad highways into EV fast-charging corridors by installing charging facilities in 19 fuel stations, in the initial phase. The company is also planning to make three more highways in the state — Kochi-Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi-Munnar, and Kochi-Thekkady highways — into EV charging corridors within four months.

The officials said that the company is planning to set up EV fast-charging stations along other major roads across the state, including Angamaly-Thiruvananthapuram MC Road, within one year.

While inaugurating the corridor, P S Ravi, executive director in-charge (retail), BPCL, said that the fast chargers can be self-operated, though support staff will be available.

“BPCL has digitized the entire EV charger locator, charger operations, and transaction process through the HelloBPCL app for an online hassle-free and transparent user experience,” he said.