Pune (Maharashtra) [India], March 17 (ANI/NewsVoir): Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a 'Maharatna' and a Fortune Global 500 Company, today announced the launch of EV Fast-Charging stations on six highways in Western India. These six highways are -

Pune-Ahmednagar-Aurangabad - 240 KMs

Pune-Solapur (4 ROs), 250 KMs

Pune-Nashik (4 ROs), 200 KMs

Pune-Kolhapur (3 RO s), 225 KMs

Mumbai-Nashik (3 RO s) 200KMs and

Nashik-Shirdi (3 RO s), 90 KMs

The EV fast chargers at BPCL Fuel Stations recharges EVs in just about 30 minutes giving the driving range of upto 125 kilometers, therefore the distance between the two such facilities at highways have been kept within 100 kilometres.

So far, BPCL has converted 6 highways into electric corridors and going forward, by March 2023, 200 highways will be covered with Electric Vehicle Fast Chargers under the brand eDrive which carries the tagline Clean. Fast. Easy, to support and accelerate the EV growth in the country.

These Fast EV Charging Corridors were inaugurated by Sanjeev Agrawal, Executive Director (Engg & Automation, Retail) in presence of S. Abbas Akhtar, CGM (Brand & PR), Subhankar Sen, CGM (Retail Initiatives & Brand), Akshay Wadhwa, Head (Retail) West, Rakesh Kumar Sinha, State Head, (Retail) Maharashtra & Goa.

The fast chargers follow the CCS-2 protocol and are a part of BPCL's initiative to address the range anxiety of electric vehicle owners.

Speaking at the launch, Sanjeev Agrawal, Executive Director (Engg & Automation, Retail), BPCL said, "It's a defining moment for BPCL to energize 6 highway corridors in Maharashtra and Goa States with commissioning of 24 CCS2 DC Fast Chargers having requisite safety measures. Now BPC commands 12 highway corridors across India to serve EV customers with an aspirational plan to cover 200 corridors in total with EV chargers at 7000 Energy Stations by 2024. BPCL is on an aspirational path to charge the lives of the customer on move."

Speaking with media, S. Abbas Akhtar, Chief General Manager (PR & Brand), BPCL said, "As the energy landscape changes globally, we have identified six strategic areas, including E-Mobility, as pillars of future growth and sustainability.

In the Electric Mobility space, to address range anxiety of electric 4-wheelers, we have come up with a novel concept of creating Highway Fast Charging Corridors. So far we have launched 25 highway corridors and going forward, BPCL plans to grow in this space in tandem with market expansion."

Subhankar Sen, Chief General Manager (Retail Initiatives & Brand) gave the perspective saying that today's launch is consistent with BPCL's objective of reducing range, discovery and time anxieties of current and prospective EV owners and accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in the country.

All EV customers will be able to use the EV fast charging stations via a pay-per-use online service. The fast chargers can be self-operated without any manual assistance though support staff will be at hand when needed.

Akshay Wadhwa, Head (Retail) West, BPCL during the launch, quoted, "Maharashtra is among the top 4 Indian states, with most electric vehicle registrations, therefore setting up the Fast EV charging infrastructure on highway in Maharashtra will support in further growth of EV in the state."

Bharat Petroleum Fuel Stations offer the consumers with added convenience of clean and hygienic washrooms, cash withdrawals, safe and secure parking while charging, free digital air facility, 24-hour operations and much more. Select fuel stations also offer Nitrogen filling facility. 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.

Rakesh Kumar Sinha, State Head, (Retail) Maharashtra & Goa, BPCL, concluded with the statement, "We have the highest market share in the petrol & diesel. We are targeting a similar dominance in EV space as well, through rapid proliferation of fast chargers on Highway Corridors and in Urban Markets."

Several of Bharat Petroleum's highway fuel stations also offer hygienic food through its strategic alliances with leading brands such as McDonald's, A2B, Cube Stop, Cafe 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.

Fortune Global 500 Company, Bharat Petroleum is the second largest Indian Oil Marketing Company and one of the premier integrated energy companies in India, engaged in refining of crude oil and marketing of petroleum products, with a significant presence in the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry. The company attained the coveted Maharatna status, joining the elite club of companies having greater operational & financial autonomy.

Bharat Petroleum's Refineries at Mumbai & Kochi and Bina at Madhya Pradesh have a combined refining capacity of around 35.3 MMTPA. Its marketing infrastructure includes a network of installations, depots, energy stations, aviation service stations and LPG distributors. Its distribution network comprises over 20,000 Energy Stations, over 6,200 LPG distributorships, 733 Lubes distributorships, and 123 POL storage locations, 54 LPG Bottling Plants, 60 Aviation Service Stations, 4 Lube blending plants and 4 cross-country pipelines.

Bharat Petroleum is integrating its strategy, investments, environmental and social ambitions to move towards a sustainable planet. The company has chalked out the plan to offer electric vehicle charging stations at around 7000 energy stations over next 5 years.

With a focus on sustainable solutions, the company is developing a vibrant ecosystem and a road-map to become a Net Zero Energy Company by 2040, in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. Bharat Petroleum has been partnering communities by supporting innumerable initiatives connected primarily in the areas of education, water conservation, skill development, health, community development, capacity building and employee volunteering. With 'Energising Lives' as its core purpose, Bharat Petroleum's vision is to be the most admired global energy company leveraging talent, innovation & technology.

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