[iamitp]

EV Owners, how many of you have used EV Chargers at Petrol Pumps?

[GTO]

It's not the fuel, it's the real estate. That's the real strength of petrol pumps in India, along with their expansive networks. It's not a question of "if" - it's a question of "when" they will become a mainstream option for charging.

Petrol pumps are actually "fuel" pumps. They will sell, whatever fuel sells. Petrol, Diesel, CNG, LPG, Hydrogen or whatever. And trust me when I say this, fast charging EVs at public spots will be as expensive (or more expensive) than filling up petrol. The margins on charging EVs will eventually become better than the pennies they make on petrol / diesel sales.

Eager to hear of BHPian experiences.

[ashis89]

EV charging could be profitable in future but as of today, the petrol bunks don't give importance to them it seems. As a company directive, they have installed the chargers but don't maintain them. This is what a recent article goes on to say, that 60% of the 600 chargers installed at BPCL bunks are dead.

https://the-ken.com/oil-giants-dead-...dias-highways/

As the number of EVs increase, we will run out of space to park cars while they're being charged.

There was this vacant plot in a prime area which was being used by the nearby businesses as their parking area. Couple of months ago, the owner decided to lease it out to Blu Mobility for setting up a charging station. Now the plot is full of Tigors, going in and out. And the ICE car owners have a queue of cars lined up along the road as their parking space is gone

[HappyRider]

It does make sense for Petrol pumps to add EV charging. However, EV charging is not like filling fuel in ICE cars. EV users have to spend good 30-60 mins at the facility. So, unless there is something there to eat/drink and also washrooms, I wouldn't be comfortable using these as 1st choice. In my view, they will remain emergency use only.

[speedmiester]

I have used Jio BP fast chargers and BPCL ones regularly. Have not faced any issues so far. I keep an eye out on the availability and uptime of the ones that I frequent on their respective apps, this helps in avoiding non functional ones.

[JitendraW]

I have used Jio BP charger twice (60kw). It was a smooth experience. However, it had not worked on my first visit to the same station due to earthing issues. Other than this, I haven't used any chargers installed at fuel stations. Not because of unavailability or issues with the chargers but more due to the fact that I use any charger which is available and has food and washrooms nearby.

[diablo29]

I have used DC Fast Chargers on BPCL, HP and BP Jio.
The experience with BPCL and HP has been poor. Most of the BPCL chargers are non functional and yet they are marked as available on the BPCL app/ website.
HP pump chargers are a little better as some of them are Tata Power ones and some are managed offline by the Pump operators.
The Most reliable ones I have found to be BP Jio, the app works every time and the machines are well maintained.
Chargezone chargers which are not available on petrol pumps are best and most reliable ones I have used so far. Tata power chargers are loosing their reliability as most of them are not maintained post installation.

[Sandegov]

Shell is doing it way better here in Bangalore than any other traditional players.

• Chargers are prominently located and very neat looking setup
• Dedicated bays
• Trained staff for any help
• Havent seen any chargers down yet
• Full functional cafe with a staff for quick bite (hot and cold items)
• Well stocked store with food items and most of the car care products from 3M, Sonax etc.

I would visit Shell without a second thought

[sharathkamath04]

I have used Shell. JioBP and BPCL chargers in the one-year EV ownership.

* Shell is mostly located inside the city (or just outside) so useful only for emergencies. They have a shop + washrooms.

* JioBP mostly used it at Mall/Hotel.

* BPCL - Used it once on Mys-BGL h/w. Had a food joint attached so was pleasant expr.

In general, adding EV charging station these fuel stations will hopefully become a common concept soon and we also get to see fuel stations becoming a pit-stop in true sense with toilets, and eateries being served along with FUEL.

[anjan_c2007]

I am waiting for Gadkari to soon announce that it shall be compulsory for all schools and colleges to also provide charging facilities to EV's.

[SnS_12]

Originally Posted by GTO

The margins on charging EVs will eventually become better than the pennies they make on petrol / diesel sales.

But, even if the margins double from the current 2.5 to 3% pump owners make on sale of fuel the footfall for EV's will be much lower as a car owner can have his tank topped up and exit the pump in 10 minutes or less. For EV's that would mean to fast charge to 100% in under 15 min and exit the pump.

However, EV on the other hand will definitely help pump owners maintain a thinner staff strength and help reduce operational cost.

[lina]

Have used the shell pumps when they came in as they had a promotion running selling 1kWh at just ₹1. The shell charger in Yesvantpur is the fastest Ive charged at on my ZS EV - 74kW. But otherwise there is no reason to use this as all their chargers are in the city.

Used few other times when no other option was available. For example, at the Sullurpete IOCL pump, I recharged at the TATA charger for about 20 min before heading back to Tirupati.

On almost all other trips, I prefer stopping at highway plazas where there is a good restaurant attached. But at some places there is no option. The Jio-BP charger in Ranebennur is one which is a fast (60kW) charger in a good location. However there is no good restaurant attached and I prefer avoiding this. Though, sometimes it is unavoidable as this stretch is not the greatest when it comes to reliable chargers.

The other factor is, apart from Shell, all other chargers at pumps are terrible. BPCL is the worst, followed by Tata at IOCL. They are all unreliable and slow (max of 30kW). Any EV driver in the South will do her/his best to avoid Tata and BPCL chargers.

We need more players to think like Zeon and to an extent Relux. Both these providers have good chargers at good locations on the highway that have well-maintained facilities. Infact, if you are an ICE driver, I highly recommend installing these apps to know the best highway stops in south india.

Chargers at petrol pumps are honestly pointless without good attached facilities like a restaurant and good bathrooms.

[shyampsunder]

Originally Posted by GTO

[b]

Petrol pumps are actually "fuel" pumps. They will sell, whatever fuel sells. Petrol, Diesel, CNG, LPG, Hydrogen or whatever. And trust me when I say this, fast charging EVs at public spots will be as expensive (or more expensive) than filling up petrol. The margins on charging EVs will eventually become better than the pennies they make on petrol / diesel sales.

Slight disagreement here:

Within cities, taxis may use fuel pumps to charge up but for private vehicles using the PSU petrol pumps to charge up will not be a good experience. Even with fast charging, you are going to spend a minimum of 30 minutes at the station and it works best if you can couple it with something like having a meal so that the time is not wasted. Petrol pumps are not designed for that because a typical car fuels up in less than 10 minutes. Add to this the general lack of knowledge about EV charging by pump owners, fear of their core business getting affected, and minuscule revenue generated by this service currently means overall a terrible experience for consumers.

Shopping malls are fast becoming some of the best places to charge your car for a few reasons:

1. Ample supply of power already provisioned by DISCOMs, backup power also setup for power failures.

2. Plenty of parking is available with security guards who can ensure that the EV slots are not blocked.

3. Lot of things for EV owners to do while the car charges up. A quick shopping trip, meal etc is available with a diverse set of options.

[Thilak29]

I have used following :

Jio BP in a mall and the experience was smooth.
Shell recharge, a couple of times and it was good except for the super heavy gun/cable combo.

[ConfusedClarity]

How is the charging network along highways? If you were to make a long drive, for example a 700 - 800 KM drive, are there charging stations that are reliable and safe? I ask safe because trying to cover scenarios where you might end up going to a charging station when it's dark, or even just during day while travelling with family.

I wonder how well this is thought out. Considering the driving population in India, and, eventually when a majority shift to EVs, will these charging stations be able to accommodate the car traffic and foot traffic with the current infrastructure around them or what is being planned?

Charging at your home base I think should not be a challenge considering one will have the ability to charge at home. Or while staying short term in a different city quick chargers and charge stations at hotels should be a viable option.