Emobility Boost: President Murmu Set To Launch EV Yatra App & Portal

As part of Energy Conservation Day 2022 celebrations, President Droupadi Murmu will unveil the EV Yatra portal and its mobile app today (December 14).

Developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), the app will facilitate in-vehicle navigation to the nearest public EV charger. While the official launch is slated for December 14, the app is already available on Google Play Store and Apple Store for download. 

The EV Yatra portal will allow charge point operators (CPOs) to register themselves and log details into the National Online Database. The website will also enable authorities to disseminate information on various initiatives to promote emobility in the country.

The President will preside over as the chief guest at the mega event in New Delhi. The launch will also be attended by Union Power Minister RK Singh, Minister of State for Power Krishan Pal and other senior bureaucrats.

The EV Yatra App

The launch of the app is part of the government’s overarching bid to spur the overall emobility ecosystem in the country. 

The app will enable users to easily fetch information related to public EV charging stations in their vicinity. After accessing a user’s GPS coordinates, the app will provide real-time data regarding the types of chargers installed at the station, availability of charging slots, prevailing EV charging tariff, service fee and other related information.

With the app, a person will also be able to book charging slots via their smartphones at the time of travelling, addressing information asymmetry. 

“The mobile application is dynamic enough to be updated frequently and shall act as a medium to seek consumer feedback for continual improvement/upgradation of its features,’ said the app developer BEE on its listing page. The app is currently available in English and Hindi. 

India is currently home to more than 18 Lakh registered electric vehicles (EVs), led largely by Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra.

The Minister for Roads, Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, recently informed the Parliament that there are around 5,151 operational public EV charging stations in the country. 

With 698 charging stations, Karnataka leads the game, followed closely by Maharashtra with 660 charging stations. Delhi has 539 operational public EV charging stations.

Spurred by production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes for advance chemistry cell (ACC) and auto components as well as Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME), the EV space has made rapid strides in the country. 

Barring a few hiccups, EV sales have picked up in the past few years, with numbers largely staying more or less steady month-on-month. In November, two-wheeler EV registrations fell 1% month-on-month (MoM) to 76,163 units from 76,953 units in October.