After three years of poor response, PCMC to seek fresh bidders for EV charging stations project

Pune: After five failed attempts to attract bidders over the past three years, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has decided to restart its plan to set up electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the city.

The civic administration will soon float fresh Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the project after scrapping the earlier tendering process. A senior PCMC official said the decision was taken during a review meeting chaired by the municipal commissioner last week.

“Fresh RFPs will be invited this week and a new tendering process will be initiated,” the official confirmed to TOI.

The municipal corporation plans to establish 22 EV charging stations at various locations. Under the proposed model, PCMC will provide the land, while the selected private operator will install, maintain and operate the charging stations for a period of 10 years.

Officials said the project has struggled to find takers since it was first proposed in 2023. In the last two rounds of bidding, only one company submitted bids. Although a firm was finalised in Oct 2025, objections raised during the process forced the civic body to cancel the proceedings and begin the exercise afresh.

Earlier, in 2024, a Delhi-based company was awarded the contract. However, despite repeated notices from PCMC, the firm failed to commence work, leading the civic body to terminate the process and issue fresh tenders.

To improve participation, the municipal corporation had revised tender conditions several times and even held discussions with companies operating EV charging facilities elsewhere in Maharashtra to understand their concerns. Despite these efforts, the project remained stuck on paper. When asked whether changes will be made to the existing terms while floating a fresh tender, the civic officials said decision in this regard can be taken based on the response to RFPs.

A civic official said the issue gained urgency during a recent review meeting amid growing emphasis on reducing dependence on conventional fuels due to war in the West Asia.

“Concerns over energy security and the need to promote alternative fuels were discussed. With the Centre also pushing EV adoption, it was decided to expedite the project,” the official said.

At present, PCMC does not operate any EV charging stations of its own. The proposed network is expected to provide much-needed charging infrastructure as the number of electric vehicles in the city continues to rise.