With highest number of charging stations in State, Pune EV eco-system scores big currently, too

“While it is not our mandate to install EV charging stations, we have been providing electricity connections to several societies and individuals based on the demand,” a top official at MSEDCL said. So far the MSEDCL has issued 382 high tension and low tension electricity connections in the city.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while delivering the budget said the government will give a huge push to the EV eco-system by facilitating manufacturing and charging infrastructure.

Till 2022, the city had around 15,000 Evs, and in a massive surge of 200 per cent, by the end of March 2023 Pune had 46,067 EVs on the road.

Sandeep Belsare, president of small and medium scale industries association in Pimpri Chinchwad, who himself uses an EV, stressed that infrastructure needed to be improved further. “The new vehicles have better mileage per-charge. And even though charging stations have come up in the city area, infrastructure needs to be expanded, especially with more charging stations,” he said. Belsare said the EV charging stations and other necessary infrastructure should get a fillip from the announcement by the finance minister.

Rooftop Solar project

Rooftop Solar—a subsidy programme announced by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her budget speech— is not new to Pune. MSEDCL data shows that Pune Zone has 9,996 consumers who have installed the rooftop solar panel project that generates 82.68 MW power.

Similarly 1,648 commercial consumers have also opted for the project, wherein they generate 44.60 MW of power. A total of 792 industries now have these rooftop projects that generate 135.86 MW of power.

Sitharaman has talked of 1 crore households being fitted with rooftop solar panels which would entail an annual saving of Rs 15,000-18,000 for each household.