ChargeGrid Flare is apparently India’s first EV charger that is integrated with a street lamp.
Magenta Power, a Mumbai based clean technology company, recently announced that it will soon be rolling out a new and ingenious electric vehicle charging device. The device is ingenious because it is apparently India’s first EV charger that is integrated with a street lamp.
The company which is supported by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), has developed these unique EV chargers that are to be installed in HPCL’s retail outlets in cities across India.
Smart Sustain spoke with Magenta Power’s Managing Director, Maxson Lewis, who said, “ChargeGrid Flare is another made in India, for India solution devised by Magenta. Having realized that EV charging accessibility is a priority that trumps speed of charging, we decided to make EV charging as prevalent as street lamps. Park, Plug, Power up is how this simplistic solution works. This holds the potential to ease anxiety around EV charging across the country.”
The electric vehicle charging devices known as ChargeGrid Flare have been designed in collaboration with HPCL. ChargeGrid Flare is a low cost solution to fast charging. Apart from being deployed at HPCL’s retail outlets, the device will eventually be set up at car parks and street or corporate parking environments. It will also be fitted at retail outlets. The device is compact and reduces clutter by incorporating two functions in one product. Magenta Power also operates an app called ChargeGrid. The ChargeGrid app has been incorporated with charging and payment gateway for the new street lamp fitted EV charger. These chargers can be located by the users through the app. The street lights that come with the chargers are energy-efficient and durable with traditional aesthetics.
The country is gearing up for a clean mobility transition. One of the main challenges in adopting this new vehicle technology is charging stations. Electric vehicles come in low range, mid-range and high range versions. The range refers to the distance the vehicle can run until it needs to be charged again. Without strong public charging infrastructure in place, Indian EV users will be faced with something termed as range anxiety, which is the fear of running out of battery charge before reaching the next available EV charging station. To combat this issue, the government has released the new FAME India 2 (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles) guidelines which state that EV charging stations will be established at every three kilometres (3 km) in cities and every 25 km (on both sides of the road) on highways within the stipulation time frame.
Magenta Power is an Indian renewable energy start-up supported by HPCL and based in Mumbai city. The company produces electric vehicle chargers and charging systems, and provides services that support the EV charging ecosystem within the country.
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