Indian oil-marketing firm Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (TPEM aka Tata.ev) have recently signed an MoU to collaborate in establishing public charging stations across the country.
The collaboration will leverage BPCL's widespread fuel stations network and TPEM's insights from over 1.15 lakh Tata EVs on Indian road, to set up chargers at locations frequently visited by the brand users. Additionally, BPCL will gather insights on charger usage to improve customer experience, claim the partners.
Further, the companies are also exploring the possibility of introducing a convenient payment system through a co-branded RFID card, making payment easier for Tata EV users and to encourage more people to adopt electric vehicles in India.
Santosh Kumar, Executive Director - Retail, BPCL said, "BPCL is constantly striving to align with the nation's vision to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. We are steadily moving closer to goal to converting 7000 of our conventional retail outlets into energy stations which is a part of a comprehensive decarbonization strategy to support and prioritize sustainable initiatives".
BPCL has already set up a very large network of fast charging stations across highways. The company boasts a nationwide network of over 21,000 fuel stations, and is committed to a sustainable future by amalgamating strategy, investments, and environmental goals including e-mobility.
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The oil firm aims to install 7,000 EV charging stations by next year. To alleviate electric vehicle owners' range concerns, BPCL has initiated over 90 EV fast-charging 'Highway Corridors' across the nation, ensuring a fast-charging station approximately every 100 kilometers on both sides of major highways.
These corridors span more than 30,000 kilometers across various highways, assuring enhanced EV convenience and accessibility, it claims.
"EV adoption is a key imperative to combat the deteriorating air quality in Indian cities. Wide-spread and reliable charging infrastructure will be a key catalyst for accelerating EV adoption in India', noted Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility.
"In line with our commitment to develop the charging ecosystem in India, we are delighted to announce our strategic collaboration with BPCL, which is aimed at accelerating India's journey towards e-mobility. This collaborative partnership epitomizes our shared vision of fostering positive change – an enabling infrastructure for the growing EV customer base", he added.
Shailesh further said that the partnership will benefit from TPEM's unparalleled EV usage insights, and BPCL's formidable nationwide network. "It has the potential to reshape the landscape of charging infrastructure in the country."
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