The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) is setting up 99 electric vehicle charging points at 80 locations across Himachal Pradesh at a cost of ₹122 crore to support its growing electric bus fleet, Energetica India reported.
Of the 80 locations, charging stations have already been installed at 34 sites. Work at another 21 locations is expected to be completed within the next month, while work at the remaining 25 sites is also under way, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said during a review meeting with senior HRTC officials.
The charging facilities are being developed at HRTC bus stands and workshops to support electric buses operating on different routes across the state. The stations will use 180 kW fast CCS-2 chargers.
Agnihotri said the charging network was being developed in phases alongside the expansion of HRTC’s electric bus fleet. The stations are being installed not only in major cities but also at bus stands and workshops in different parts of the state.
HRTC currently operates 297 electric buses on short- and long-distance routes. The corporation said the buses are helping reduce diesel expenses by about ₹15-16 per km.
An electric bus generally has a range of about 180 km on a single charge. However, HRTC operates an electric bus on the roughly 270-km Haroli-Chandigarh route on a single charge.
On the approximately 250-km Shimla-Chandigarh-Shimla route, an electric bus completes the journey with about 25% battery charge remaining.
HRTC plans to install charging stations at more locations in the future based on the operational needs of its electric bus fleet.
