India to Get a Super App Dedicated to EV Users: Report

The Indian government is gearing up to launch a mobile app dedicated to electric vehicle users. The Super App is said to provide details about the location of electric vehicle charging stations and their availability in real-time. The government is working with state-run Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) to develop the app. It will show tariff information of the charging stations and allow users to make and change reservations at nearby stations. The CESL will also set up 810 electric vehicle charging stations across 16 highways and expressways.

CESL, a subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) under the Ministry of Power, via its official Twitter handle on Wednesday confirmed the development of a new mobile app for EV users. As per the post, the upcoming app will provide information regarding the availability of EV charging stations, charger types, and charging tariffs. It would also let users make and change reservations at nearby stations.

As per a report by Economic Times, the app would be named Super App and is expected to be released in the next four to six weeks.

Mahua Acharya, MD and CEO of CESL was quoted by the publication as saying, “apart from information on the network of public charging stations, the app will reflect information shared by OEMs, enhancing visibility and traffic at private charging points. Consumers will get peace of mind knowing that they can readily access information and make reservations at nearby stations if they need to charge their vehicles on the go”.

“We need an extensive network of charging stations at strategic locations, which are safe, well-lit, well-covered and where users can top-up their electric vehicles within an hour,” she added.

In a similar initiative, NITI Aayog in July launched — E-AMRIT (Accelerated e-Mobility Revolution for India’s Transportation) mobile application to raise awareness of electric mobility. The app lets users assess the benefits of electric vehicles, determine savings and get all the information on developments in the Indian electric vehicle market and industry. It is currently available for Android devices on Google Play.

India is making the shift towards EVs and boosting EV adoption across the country with subsidies and other measures to focus on sustainable and clean mobility options. The Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari recently in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha confirmed that India has more than 13 lakh electric vehicles registered.

The CESL recently announced plans to set up 810 electric vehicle charging stations under the public-private partnership model across 16 highways and expressways covering 10,275 kilometres across the country. The Mumbai-Pune highway, Ahmedabad-Vadodara Highway, Delhi-Agra Yamuna Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway, Hyderabad ORR Expressway, and Agra-Nagpur Highway are among the select corridors. These charging stations are expected to be established in the next 6-8 months.