Cesc starts Mysuru’s first EV charging station

Mysuru-based Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (Cesc), managing distribution of electric power in five districts of Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Mandya, Hassan and Kodagu, has taken up an initiative to encourage electric vehicles (EV) in Mysuru, which already has epithets like ‘clean’ and ‘green’.

Cesc launched the first EV charging station of the Mysuru region, Kurrent, on its corporate office premises at Vijayanagar in Mysuru, to mark Republic Day, recently. EV users can download the app on Google Play to use the services of the charging station.

Cesc Managing Director Manohar M Bevinamara, who inaugurated the charging station, said that the charging infrastructure for zero-emission vehicles will improve in Mysuru as two more stations will come up at Kuvempu Nagar and Rajendra Nagar, shortly. Cesc has taken up the initiative as the number of EVs on roads in Mysuru is on the rise, with the entry of new variants in both two-wheeler and four-wheeler segments.

He said, “The charging station is established at a cost of Rs 8 lakh by Energy Efficiency Services, an agency of the Union Power Ministry, which has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cesc.

“We supported the initiative by giving our land. Our idea is to help develop more such stations across Mysuru to promote the use of green vehicles. If the charging infrastructure is developed, people will think of buying EVs, which are eco-friendly, and save fuel costs,” Bevinamara said.

He said, “Electric vehicles can be charged for free during the first three months. Thereafter, charging will be billed as per the tariff fixed by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC). It may cost around Rs 8, a unit.”

Stating that EVs are set to replace vehicles using fossil fuels as the cost works out cheaper, the MD said, “An EV (depending on the kind of vehicle variant) with a charge of three to four units can run up to 100 km. For covering the same distance, one may need at least six litres of petrol or diesel. EVs with latest technology promise more efficiency. This will encourage more road users to opt green vehicles”.

Sources in the automobile sector said that electric cars are yet to catch up, unlike ‘green’ scooters, whose numbers are increasing.

“Infrastructure for fast charging, like fuel stations, is needed. Filling a tank full of fuel will hardly take 10 minutes. But, even if it is fast charging, it will take a couple of hours. Under existing circumstances, people are not ready to wait for so much time. Technology should be developed to charge a vehicle in a few minutes, to give a boost to EVs,” said an automobile trader.