NHEV Acquires 4.7-Acre Site in Tirunelveli to Develop 3G EV Charging Station on Kanyakumari–Madurai Highway

The National Highways for Electric Vehicles (NHEV) has acquired a 4.7-acre site from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. The site will be used to establish a 3G electric vehicle (EV) charging station along the Kanyakumari–Madurai highway corridor. This will be the second charging station on this route and the first to be developed under the NHEV South Zone rollout.

According to Abhijeet Sinha, Project Director of NHEV, multiple locations have been finalized for 3G charging stations in the southern states following the Chennai–Trichy third technical trial involving electric and LNG vehicles such as trucks and buses. He noted that there was considerable interest in providing land for these charging stations, which are similar in scale to petrol pumps. NHEV evaluated applications from individuals and private firms offering land and also considered sites made available through public channels like the National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML). Sites from both private and public sources will be used to build the upcoming energy stations.

NHEV’s partners, Tata Steel Nest-In and HYDRA Charging, visited the Tirunelveli site and have begun work on construction planning, surveys, and cost estimations. Over 36 members of the NHEV team are expected to visit the site in the coming weeks. Sinha stated that the 3G charging stations are being developed using a hybrid Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model called AHEM (Annuity Hybrid E-Mobility). This model facilitates participation from public sector undertakings (PSUs) under the Power and Petroleum Ministries, as well as private entities and individuals, allowing broader ownership than was previously possible with traditional petrol pumps due to licensing regulations.

R. Harish Babu, Managing Director of Maaya Autobahn, who leased the site to NHEV, mentioned that the land is now open to NHEV partners for construction surveys, soil testing, and cost assessments to determine the station’s final value. A drone-based mapping of the area has already been completed. The NHEV Director also visited a public toilet facility under construction at the site.

This project is part of NHEV’s 5,500 km national charging network rollout, which was initiated after recommendations from the Estimate Committee of the 17th Lok Sabha. As part of the 2025–26 Union Budget, the Finance Ministry included this initiative in its infrastructure pipeline under Bharatmala and Sagarmala schemes. The aim is to complete the network by 2027, ahead of the initial 2030 target. Once construction and electrification surveys are completed, pricing for each station will be finalized, and operations and revenue responsibilities will be allocated to public, private, or individual owners.

The Tirunelveli site is located on NHEV’s fifth freight corridor, following the Chennai–Trichy trial run conducted in September 2024 using electric trucks from Ashok Leyland and LNG trucks from Blue Energy Motors. This site will serve as the second 3G EV charging station on the Kanyakumari–Madurai route. The location of the first station on this route is expected to be announced soon as part of the broader NHEV South Zone rollout, which includes Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Goa, and Puducherry. Given the proximity to ports and freight corridors, NHEV also plans to develop the Tirunelveli site into a hub for truck and logistics vehicle charging.