Himachal Pradesh’s Kaza which is located in Lahaul and Spiti district has got a unique distinction to its name as it now has the world’s highest electric vehicle (EV) charging station. It was goEgoNetwork, a Pune-based company that set up two EV chargers for two and four-wheelers in Kaza.
This came after there were complaints from tourists about the lack of EV charging stations in the Spiti Valley said the Subdivisional Magistrate Mahender Partap Singh.
“This is the world’s highest electric vehicle charging station at 500 ft in Kaza. It is the first station in the valley. If the station gets a good response, more such stations would be set up. It will also help check vehicular pollution,” he said.
Sustainable environment
In a bid to promote a sustainable environment, the company provided two scooters to the local administration. The two scooters, then were rode all the way from Manali, the capital of Himachal Pradesh located more than 300 kms away, to promote clean environment before stopping to recharge.
“Today two women have come from Manali to Kaza on the electric vehicle to promote a sustainable environment. The weather nowadays is changing abruptly due to an increase in air pollution and the emission of gases from vehicles is one of the main causes of this pollution,” he added.
As per the riders, the e-scooters didn’t face any problem while crossing the Kunzum Pass (4,551m). “They covered the distance of 320 km from Manali to Kaza by charging the vehicle at three-four points,” he said.
EVs can cover long distances
The EV charging station has all its products, including the chargers, made in India. One of the women who rode her electric scooter to the Kaza EV charging point, was quoted by ANI saying, “All the products are made in India. Also, there is a myth that we can not cover long-distance journeys on electric vehicles. So, we both wanted to prove it wrong by riding these electric scooters today from Manali. We had a very comfortable journey.”
The EV charging station lies at an altitude of 3,720m, the highest in the country, as Kaza is located at an altitude higher than Leh, where temperatures plummet below minus 20-degree Celsius in winter. It reopens once the snow starts thawing after mid-April.
If Ladakh administration comes up with more EV charging stations along the popular routes, there could be an increase of electric vehicles, both two- and four-wheelers, in future.
Source: indiatimes.com
