On the occasion of National Energy Conservation Day (December 14), President Droupadi Murmu launched the EV-Yatra mobile application in New Delhi.
What is EV-Yatra mobile application?
- The EV-Yatra mobile application was developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) to facilitate in-vehicle navigation to the nearest public charger for EV users.
- It allows charge point operators (CPOs) to register on the platform and enter details into the National Online Database.
- It provides details like the types of chargers installed at the EV charging station, tariff to charge the electric vehicle, services provided by the charging stations etc.
- The application enables the users to pre-book a charging slot and provides details about the real-time availability of charging slots, boosting efficiency and convenience within the charging stations.
- The application is currently available in English as well as Hindi. It can be downloaded from Google Playstore and Apple Store. It is compatible with the majority of smartphones.
Current Status of EV charging stations in India
Currently, there are around 5,151 operational public charging stations for EVs in India. However, there are around 18 lakh EVs on the road. There are some 698 charging stations in Karnataka, 660 charging stations in Maharashtra and 539 EV charging stations in Delhi. Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra are among the largest EV markets in India.
The Indian government is currently implementing several initiatives to push for electric vehicle adoption and strengthen a strong public charging infrastructure. It is building an EV charging network across India. It has also introduced production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes to promote the domestic production of electric vehicles, their components as well as battery cells. The updated safety norms have been updated as per international standards to further boost the adoption of EVs in India.
National Energy Conservation Day
The National Energy Conservation Day is observed on December 14 each year to raise awareness about the importance of saving energy resources to halt global warming and address climate crisis. It was declared in 1991 when the National Energy Conservation Awards were conferred for the first time.