Upgrades in store for India’s highways for EV era

EV adoption is key to India’s 2070 net zero goal, with road transport estimated to contribute 12% of all emissions

- Soumya Chatterjee

Nearly 5,500 km of key national highway stretches connecting Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Kolkata, and Kolkata-Kanyakumari, are set to be upgraded into electric or e-highways under the National Highways for Electric Vehicles (NHEV), on a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Abhijeet Sinha, programme director at NHEV, said that while the primary goal is to provide adequate charging infrastructure, the programme will offer auto-triggered roadside assistance for EVs within 30 minutes in case of a breakdown, clean toilets, and other airport-like amenities at intervals of every 50km on these highways.

“The ‘e’ not only means electric but also electronic. With the application and installation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices as part of a large V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) infrastructure ecosystem, including cameras and sensors, we will be able to improve law enforcement and cater to emergencies better due to the availability of precise data on location, speed, and condition of the vehicle,” said Sinha.

Unlike many developed countries, such as Germany, where overhead catenary wires, as used by electric trains and trams on select lanes of major highways, support charging on the go, NHEV will be operated through charging stations.

These stations will function out of wayside amenities (WSAs) on national highways and private land along the road, spaced 50km apart. Each station will have two roadside assistance vehicles and ambulances dedicated specifically for addressing incidents that occur within a 25km radius. Each NHEV station will have 3200 kWh capacity with 36 chargers, EV service centres, toilets, food court, lounges, ATMs, and other commercial facilities such as salons and warehouses.