BPCL electrifies more than 5,000 kms highway stretches to promote growth of EV

Kochi: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a ‘Maharatna’ and a Fortune Global 500 Company, on Friday announced the launch of 19 EV Fast-Charging stations at 110 fuel stations along 15 highways in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. The company has launched three corridors with 19 fuel stations in Kerala, six corridors with 33 fuel stations in Karnataka, and 10 corridors with 58 fuel stations in Tamil Nadu.

"It takes just 30 minutes to charge an EV, giving the driving range of up to 125 kilometers at our Fuel Stations, therefore we have maintained a distance within 100 kilometers between the two charging stations," said Pushp Kumar Nayar, Head of Retail South at the launch.

These corridors will connect important religious and tourist destinations with cities, like Tirupathi in Andhra Pradesh and Bandipur National Park in Karnataka; Ranaganthaswamy Temple, Jambukeswar Temple. The famous religious places covered in Kerala are Guruvayoor temple and Kadampuzha temple, Vallarpadam National shrine of Basilica, St. Antony's Church, Koratty and Markaz Knowledge City and Early Sunrise watch at Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, and many more.

BPCL has converted 21 Highways into electric corridors and going forward, by March 2023, 200 highways will be covered with Electric Vehicle Fast Chargers to support and accelerate the EV growth in the country.

These Fast EV Charging Corridors were inaugurated by PS Ravi, Executive Director charge (Retail) in presence of Pushp Kumar Nayar, Head of Retail South, Kannabiran D, State Head (Retail) Kerala, Subhankar Sen, Chief General Manager (Retail Initiative & Brand) at the launch event in Ernakulam, Kerala.

Speaking at the launch, PS Ravi, Executive Director in charge (Retail), BPCL said, "The fast chargers are easy to use. They can be self-operated without any manual assistance, though support staff will be available if needed. BPCL has digitized the entire EV charger locator, charger operations, and transaction process through the HelloBPCL app for an online hassle-free and transparent user experience."

Several of BPCL’s highway fuel stations also offer hygienic food through its strategic alliances with leading brands such as McDonald’s, A2B, Cube Stop, Café Coffee Day, and other local outlets. Bharat Petroleum has also rolled out its chain of in & Out convenience stores at key fuel stations on highways for added convenience to its customers.

Disclaimer: This story is a press release and is being published without any editing by the PSU Watch desk.

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