Govt To Build Super App For Electric Vehicle Users

The Union government has set in motion plans for building a super app for electric vehicle (EV) users in the country. 

In a statement, the ministry of heavy industries (MHI) said the app will feature real-time slot booking (likely for charging), payment integration, charger availability status and progress dashboards for tracking national deployment under the PM E-Drive scheme. 

The ministry also said that it is “considering” state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) as the nodal agency to oversee the demand aggregation and the development of the “unified digital super app” that will cater to Indian EV users. 

If selected, BHEL will also coordinate with states and ministries to compile and evaluate proposals for charger installations. 

With this, the potential EV platform will become the latest super app from the government’s stable, after Railways launched its own unified app earlier this year. While there seems to be no clarity on the timing of the launch of the new app, the new platform will likely help users access a gamut of services under one-roof while somewhat allaying concerns of range anxiety. 

The decision to “consider” BHEL for the project came during an inter-ministerial coordination meeting chaired by Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy on May 21. The meeting, which was called to review and accelerate the implementation of EV charging infrastructure in the country, was also attended by senior officials from the petroleum as well as road and transportation ministries. 

This comes at a time when the Centre has pulled out all stops to spur EV penetration in the country. Earlier last year, MHI notified the INR 10,900 Cr PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) scheme. The nearly two-year long scheme aims to foster adoption of EVs by offering subsidies to manufacturers, shoring up charging infrastructure and spurring local EV manufacturing capabilities.

It is pertinent to note that the PM E-Drive scheme aims to support installation of approximately 72,000 EV public charging stations across the country. These stations will be deployed along 50 national highway corridors as well as within high-traffic destinations such as metro cities, toll plazas and railway stations. 

Additionally, the government has also slashed the GST on EVs to 5% to make them more affordable and encourage their adoption. That said, India’s EV market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years, driven by rising demand, especially in two and three wheelers. 

This push for EVs is part of the country’s larger strategy to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, cut down emissions and promote clean energy. As per Inc42 data, the homegrown EV ecosystem is projected to be a $132 Bn opportunity by 2030.