Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), an autonomous body affiliated to the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises have signed an MoU for cooperation on various projects related to e-mobility. In the presence of Dr. A.R. Sihag, Secretary, Department of Heavy Industry (DHI), the MoU was signed by Smt. Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Director, ARAI and Smt. Renuka Gera, GM-I/c (ESSG), BHEL. Shri Atul Sobti, Chairman & Managing Director, BHEL and other senior officials of DHI, ARAI and BHEL were present on this occasion.
BHEL’s scope of work in the project includes design, engineering, manufacturing, supply and installation of the EV charging stations along with a central monitoring system with a user-friendly mobile app.
BHEL is an integrated power plant equipment manufacturer and one of the largest engineering and manufacturing companies of its kind in India having a turnover of about USD 5 billion. BHEL has been designing and manufacturing rolling stock for rail and urban transportation and also Motors, Power electronics and Controllers for various transportation applications. According to an official document, BHEL intends to offer integrated e-mobility solutions or projects to STUs (State Transport Authorities), from Feasibility Studies to Vehicle Fleet Management.
After recently foraying into the e-mobility business as part of its diversification initiative, it has undertaken the manufacturing of EV chargers, electric buses and related critical components.
BHEL who is a technology developer and implementer while ARAI’s facilities and expertise in design, testing and certification of mobility products, will be combined to come up with solutions for Electric & Trolley Bus, EV Chargers, Battery & Charger testing, etc.
BHEL is already setting up a series of solar-based electric vehicle charging stations on the Delhi-Chandigarh Highway. BHEL is also in talks with Australian business Libcoin to form a joint venture for setting up a 1 GWh production capacity lithium-ion battery plant in India that would eventually be scaled up to 30 GWh.
The joint venture will focus on manufacturing core components domestically, creating an integrated manufacturing ecosystem and resulting in self-reliance and cheaper electric vehicle batteries. The project will take a holistic view of the supply chain in combination with digital technologies to replace high-CAPEX and high-OPEX processes.