In a major move towards promoting electric vehicles (EVs) in the state, the Maharashtra government on Monday approved the setting up of eight charging stations on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway.
The project will be implemented by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which will soon start a survey to identify locations for the charging stations. According to official information released by MSRDC, each station will be able to charge multiple electric vehicles at a time.
According to data from the Vahan portal of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Maharashtra has registered over 5.58 lakh electric vehicles so far, making it one of the major EV markets in the country. However, the lack of charging facilities is clearly felt on the Pune–Mumbai Expressway, which has a daily traffic of around 1.4 lakh vehicles.
Hindustan Times quoted, Rajesh Patil, Joint Managing Director, MSRDC, Mumbai, saying, “Given the growing EV numbers on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway, it has become imperative to provide charging infrastructure.”
To promote EVs, the state government has announced toll exemption for electric vehicles on major intercity routes like the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Samruddhi Mahamarg and Atal Setu. The move is part of a strategy to promote clean and eco-friendly transport and move towards carbon-neutral highways.
However, despite these initiatives, commuters continue to complain that most of the existing charging points are not working properly.
Also Read: Heavy Rains Hit Delhi-NCR: IndiGo, Air India And Akasa Warn Of Flight Delays
