• Energy Minister V. Sunil Kumar to inaugurate on May 7
• Two more being readied at Kuvempunagar, Jyothinagar

Mysore/Mysuru: In a big boost for buyers of electric vehicles, Mysuru will get its second Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station at Kadakola on Nanjangud Highway. The facility will be dedicated on May 7 by Energy Minister V. Sunil Kumar. 

The first EV charging station is already operational at the Corporate Office of  Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) on Hunsur Road. Two more EV charging stations are being readied at the CESC branch offices at Kuvempunagar and Jyothinagar, taking the number of charging stations to four. 

Speaking to reporters in Udupi on May 2, Sunil Kumar had said that over 1,000 EV charging stations will come up across Karnataka at all district centres and the pilot project will begin in Mysuru from May 7. 

Later, the network of charging stations will be expanded to tourist spots and highways. “As Mysuru is a tourist spot, about 100 to 200 charging stations will be opened,” he added. 

CESC General Manager (Purchase) K.M. Munigopalaraju told Star of Mysore that the charging points will have the facility to charge four-wheelers, three-wheelers and two-wheelers. 

On the proposal to set up more charging stations, he said that 155 locations have been identified in the jurisdiction of CESC (Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu and Hassan) to establish the station and the process is on as per the State Government mandates. 

He said that the number of charging stations have been divided across five districts based on the business potential, town and city areas, economy and also buying capacity.  

Usually there are two charging points — AC (Alternating Current) and DC (Direct Current) for EVs. While AC points will take long hours to charge a vehicle, DC points will take 60 to 80 minutes for full charging. Currently, most of the EV owners have AC charger points at their home that would take 12-13 hours for full charging. The charging stations set up by CESC has  DC charging points. 

Symposium on electric vehicles 

A day-long symposium on “E-Vehicles and its Charging Technologies” will be held on May 7 at KEB  Engineers Association (KEBEA), Mysuru Zonal Centre, KEBEA building, Kadakola on Mysuru-Nanjangud Road.  It will be inaugurated at 10 am by Energy Minister V. Sunil Kumar in the presence of Mysuru District Minister S.T. Somashekar, MLA G.T. Devegowda and in-charge Mayor  Sunanda Palanetra. 

MPs Pratap Simha, V. Sreenivasa Prasad and Sumalatha Ambarish, MLAs, MLCs, Chairmen of various Boards and Corporations and Energy Department officials will be present.

Within the next few years, electric vehicles are destined to become the essential component of the transport field. Consequently, the charging infrastructure should be developed at the same time. The symposium will debate the EV technology and technological infrastructure for a charging station including the common hardware components, CESC sources said.