New Delhi, (Samajweekly) Conventional fuel retailer IndianOil is going green and will be installing EV charging facilities at 10,000 fuel stations over the next three years.
The proposed EV Charging Network is expected to facilitate an uninterrupted driving experience for EV users and boost the country’s EV manufacturing ecosystem.
IndianOil has been evaluating emerging trends in mobility, focusing on relevant areas in the Electric Vehicle (EV) value chain, and exploring potential business opportunities to stay ahead in the transition curve.
Presently, IndianOil has 448 EV Charging Stations and 30 Battery Swapping Stations across the country.
Elaborating on the Corporation’s plans, Chairman IndianOil S.M. Vaidya said, “Electric Vehicles are now a reality, and IndianOil is geared up to tide over challenges and leverage opportunities in this area. Our bouquet of services will now include alternative energy offerings, including EV charging at our fuel stations. We will focus on nine cities in the first phase, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Surat and Pune.”
“This is as per the ‘National Mission for Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage. We will expand the Network of Charging Stations in a phased manner to the state Capitals, Smart Cities and major highways and expressways connecting these cities,” he further added.
IndianOil has collaborated and is supporting Tata Power, REIL, PGCIL, NTPC, Fortum, Hyundai, Tech Mahindra, BHEL, Ola for setting up EV chargers at its fuel stations. Initially, a mix of Chargers suited for 2W/3W will be provided, which will be further upgraded as per requirement and market conditions.
IndianOil is also undertaking several other initiatives to minimize its carbon footprint and that of its customers. The Corporation has started ‘Zero Emission Electric Mobility’, a hybrid microgrid enabled clean energy EV charging solution, at IndianOil’s SBT Fuel Station at Neelamangala, Bangalore. The hybrid microgrid used for charging EVs at IndianOil fuel stations comprises solar power, battery storage and grid power. The solution, developed and patented by Hygge Energy, ensures that charging takes place primarily using solar power, thus ensuring zero-emission e-mobility. In addition to EV charging, this solution is an integrated platform that allows energy monitoring, energy optimization and revenue monitoring.
Moreover, IndianOil has collaborated with Sun Mobility to strengthen its forays into green energy for battery swapping stations. The Corporation also has set up IOC Phinergy Pvt Ltd, a 50:50 JV Company with Phinergy Ltd of Israel, to commercialize Aluminium-Air Battery Technology in India. The Corporation is also exploring Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) to generate clean power using SOFC. Through this, the fuel stations will act as parallel mini-grid and ensure the generation of reliable and affordable clean & green energy for EV charging.
