Battery charging/swapping infrastructure needs major investments for EVs to go mainstream
In a welcome development for electric vehicle owners who use Mumbai-Pune Expressway, a new charging station has come up at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.’s flagship Sajgaon Retail Outlet. The EV charging station has been setup by Magenta Group in collaboration with HPCL. Magenta is a leading provider of green energy products and solutions.
The EV charging facility was inaugurated on March 4 in the presence of Shri Sai Kumar Suri (ED – Retail) and Shri Rajnish Mehta (ED – CS & BD). The charging station has two types of chargers – 122KW (CCS2+ChaDeMo+Type2) and 15KW (DC001) fast charger. Users can choose any of these based on their EV’s charging specifications.
Magenta ChargeGrid – A hassle-free charging experience
Magenta’s new charging station on Mumbai-Pune expressway is part of the company’s mission to develop a pan-India EV charging network. It has charging stations in several other states including Delhi, Rajasthan, MP, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal and Bihar.
As of December 2020, the total capacity of EV chargers installed by the company was 3.5 MW. This is expected to increase in the future, as Magenta opens EV charging stations at new locations across the country.
One of Magenta’s key focus areas has been to provide a hassle-free charging experience to EV users. This has been made possible with the use of its ChargeGrid charging stations and an app with the same name.
If we talk about the hardware, Magenta currently has two types of charging machines, ChargeGrid Pro and ChargeGrid Flare. While the former is meant for commercial and residential use, the latter can be installed in public places such as airports, car parking lots, etc. Both charging machines are fully automated and can be accessed with the ChargeGrid app.
Magenta ChargeGrid App
This app makes it easier for users to find a nearest charging station. Both location and availability of charging stations are displayed on a map. Magenta ChargeGrid app offers a number of online payment options including UPI, net banking, wallet payment, and debit and credit cards.
While charging their EV, users can keep track of electricity consumed and time taken for the charging session. The company offers multiple membership plans, so that users can choose the best fit as per their specific needs and preferences.
While EV charging infrastructure is at a nascent stage in the country, it’s good to see that companies like Magenta are coming up with innovative products and solutions to ensure a hassle-free experience for EV users. This segment will need several such initiatives if EVs are to become the preferred option for customers.
