Noida: Noida Authority has signed a memorandum of understanding with ITI Limited to set up electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at 48 locations across the city. Each station will have the capacity to charge two cars and a two-wheeler at a time. They are expected to become operational in the next six months.General manager of Noida Authority SP Singh said, “We aim to set up 100 EV charging stations in Noida to promote green mobility and check pollution.”Last month, it signed a separate agreement with UP Renewable and EV Charging Infrastructure Ltd to set up 30 charging stations. Together, the two agreements will bring the city to 78 EV charging stations.Singh said the charging stations are likely to come up near Amity University in Sector 125, Noida Stadium in Sector 21A, Film City in Sector 16A, Shopprix Mall in Sector 61, Logix Mall in Sector 32, Central Market in Sector 50, the transport office in Sector 33 and metro stations in sectors 16, 18, 137, 142 and 147, among others.The agreements will be valid for 10 years and can be extended by mutual consent. The companies will bear the infrastructure cost and the Authority will provide the land.Under the revenue-sharing arrangement, the Authority will receive Re 1 per kWh of electricity consumed to charge vehicles at the stations.Transport department data shows Noida has nearly 13 lakh vehicles, of which hardly 5% run on electricity.This is the second time Noida is planning to install EV charging stations. In July 2020, the Authority signed an MoU with Energy Efficiency Services Limited for the installation of 162 e-vehicle charging points at 54 locations. The company had installed 69 charging units. However, that initiative failed due to incomplete implementation, lack of power connection and poor maintenance.The state govt has been expanding electric public transport services across the region. In June this year, it launched electric city bus services in Noida, Greater Noida and the area under Yamuna Authority to improve public transport and last-mile connectivity. Initially, 45 electric buses were flagged off and the fleet was later increased to 100.The buses connect residential, commercial and institutional areas, with services linking Botanical Garden to destinations including Sector 62, Greater Noida West, Pari Chowk and Noida International Airport.
