The National Highways for Electric Vehicles (NHEV) has acquired a 4.7-acre site from NHAI in Tirunelveli to build a 3G EV charging station on the Kanyakumari–Madurai electric highway corridor. This marks the second station on the route and the first under NHEV’s South Zone expansion.

The site, pledged by Maaya Autobahn on lease, will undergo construction and electrification surveys, soil testing, and project cost estimation. According to a statement, a drone survey and public utility infrastructure have already begun.

NHEV Project Director Abhijeet Sinha confirmed this as part of a larger rollout across southern States, following the Chennai–Trichy trial for electric and LNG commercial vehicles. Tata Steel Nest-In and HYDRA Charging will lead construction efforts, with over 36 partners expected to inspect the site in coming weeks.

This station is part of the 5,500 km national rollout of the NHEV 3G charging network. Supported by the 2025–26 Union Budget, the initiative aligns with Parliament’s Estimate Committee recommendations and aims to finish by 2027, ahead of its original 2030 goal. Once construction and electrification surveys are done, stations will be priced and allocated to public, private, or citizen-owned entities for operations and revenue generation.

Multiple sites across southern States have been finalised for 3G EV charging stations. After receiving strong interest from individuals and private companies who offered land, NHEV completed its evaluation of all pledged sites. These were assessed alongside locations available through NHLML’s public auctions, and land will now be sourced from both private and public sectors for developing the 3G energy stations, he added.

The Tirunelveli site is also a planned truck and logistics charging hub, supporting five proposed freight corridors in Tamil Nadu.

Published on April 11, 2025