Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a ‘Maharatna’ and a Fortune Global 500 Company, today announced the launch of EV Fast-Charging stations on six highways in Western India. These six highways are –
Pune-Ahmednagar-Aurangabad – 240 KMs
Pune-Solapur (4 ROs), 250 KMs
Pune- Nashik (4 ROs), 200 KMs
Pune-Kolhapur (3 RO s), 225 KMs
Mumbai-Nashik (3 RO s) 200KMs and
Nashik-Shirdi (3 RO s), 90 KMs
The EV fast chargers at BPCL Fuel Stations recharges EVs in just about 30 minutes giving the driving range of upto 125 kilometers, therefore the distance between the two such facilities at highways have been kept within 100 kilometres.
So far, BPCL has converted 6 highways into electric corridors and going forward, by March 2023, 200 highways will be covered with Electric Vehicle Fast Chargers under the brand eDrive which carries the tagline Clean. Fast. Easy, to support and accelerate the EV growth in the country.
These Fast EV Charging Corridors were inaugurated by Shri Sanjeev Agrawal, Executive Director (Engg & Automation, Retail) in presence of S. Abbas Akhtar, CGM (Brand & PR), Subhankar Sen, CGM (Retail Initiatives & Brand), Akshay Wadhwa, Head (Retail) West, Rakesh Kumar Sinha, State Head, (Retail) Maharashtra & Goa.
The fast chargers follow the CCS-2 protocol and are a part of BPCL’s initiative to address the range anxiety of electric vehicle owners.
Speaking at the launch, Shri Sanjeev Agrawal, Executive Director (Engg & Automation, Retail), BPCL said, “It’s a defining moment for BPCL to energize 6 highway corridors in Maharashtra and Goa States with commissioning of 24 CCS2 DC Fast Chargers having requisite safety measures. Now BPC commands 12 highway corridors across India to serve EV customers with an aspirational plan to cover 200 corridors in total with EV chargers at 7000 Energy Stations by 2024. BPCL is on an aspirational path to charge the lives of the customer on move.”
Speaking with media, Shri S. Abbas Akhtar, Chief General Manager (PR & Brand), BPCL said, “As the energy landscape changes globally, we have identified six strategic areas, including E-Mobility, as pillars of future growth and sustainability.
In the Electric Mobility space, to address range anxiety of electric 4-wheelers, we have come up with a novel concept of creating Highway Fast Charging Corridors. So far we have launched 25 highway corridors and going forward, BPCL plans to grow in this space in tandem with market expansion.”
Shri Subhankar Sen, Chief General Manager (Retail Initiatives & Brand) gave the perspective saying that today’s launch is consistent with BPCL’s objective of reducing range, discovery and time anxieties of current and prospective EV owners and accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in the country.
All EV customers will be able to use the EV fast charging stations via a pay-per-use online service. The fast chargers can be self-operated without any manual assistance though support staff will be at hand when needed.
Shri Akshay Wadhwa, Head (Retail) West, BPCL during the launch, quoted, “Maharashtra is among the top 4 Indian states, with most electric vehicle registrations, therefore setting up the Fast EV charging infrastructure on highway in Maharashtra will support in further growth of EV in the state.”
Bharat Petroleum Fuel Stations offer the consumers with added convenience of clean and hygienic washrooms, cash withdrawals, safe and secure parking while charging, free digital air facility, 24-hour operations and much more. Select fuel stations also offer Nitrogen filling facility. 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.
Shri Rakesh Kumar Sinha, State Head, (Retail) Maharashtra & Goa, BPCL, concluded with the statement, “We have the highest market share in the petrol & diesel. We are targeting a similar dominance in EV space as well, through rapid proliferation of fast chargers on Highway Corridors and in Urban Markets.”
Several of Bharat Petroleum’s highway fuel stations also offer hygienic food through its strategic alliances with leading brands such as McDonald’s, A2B, Cube Stop, Café Coffee Day and other local outlets. Bharat Petroleum has also rolled out its chain of In & Out convenience stores at key fuel stations on highways for added convenience to its customers.