Electric Vehicles Are Booming in PCMC. So Why Are Public Charging Stations Still Missing.

Due to rising petrol prices, residents of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad are increasingly inclined to purchase electric vehicles. However, there are very few public charging stations in the Pimpri Chinchwad area. The municipal corporation has issued tender for setting up charging stations four times so far, but contractors have failed to respond. Consequently, the terms and conditions are being revised, and a fresh tender will be issued to contractors.

There are over 2.4 million registered vehicles in the Pimpri Chinchwad area, of which 150,000 are electric. The municipal administration has been attempting to set up public charging stations for these electric vehicles since 2022, yet the tender have not elicited a response from contractors. The terms and conditions have been modified three times. Although one private company had initially accepted the tender to set up charging stations, it backed out at the last minute.

Currently, there are 150,000 electric vehicles in Pimpri Chinchwad. Many owners charge their vehicles at home. However, when owners travel away from home for work and run out of charge, the lack of public charging stations creates a problem regarding where to recharge their vehicles. There are 17 private electric charging stations in the Pimpri Chinchwad area, located at petrol pumps and other sites.

The Municipal Corporation plans to set up charging stations at 21 locations, including the Old Pune Mumbai Highway, Durgadevi Tekdi, Vahatuknagar (Nigdi), Bird Valley (Sambhajinagar), Bajaj Auto, Wrestling Complex (Bhosari), Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium (Nehru Nagar), Chikhali, Sewage Treatment Plant (Chikhali), Santnagar Garden (Kasarwadi), Konkane Chowk, Sub Regional Transport Office, Landewadi (Bhosari), Bhakti-Shakti (Nigdi), Sant Tukaram Nagar Metro Station, PK Chowk, Yoga Park (Pimple Saudagar), Rajmata Jijamata Garden (Pimple Gurav), Vallabhnagar, Auto Cluster, and Rajarshi Shahu Garden.