Kerala Invites CPOs: 209 EV Charging Stations Under PM e-DRIVE — KSEB Tender Open

Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has floated a fresh tender under the PM e-DRIVE scheme for the installation, commissioning, and operation of 209 EV charging stations equipped with 335 chargers across Kerala. The tender, assigned proposal number PMEDRIVE/KSEB/P0279, was published through BHEL’s EV Charging Station Management Hub for India (EVCSMHI) on 22 June 2026.

About the PM e-DRIVE Scheme

PM e-DRIVE (Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement) is a flagship scheme by the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI), Government of India, with an outlay of ₹10,900 crore. It aims to rapidly scale up public EV charging infrastructure across Indian states. BHEL has been designated as the Programme Management Agency (PMA) to aggregate state-level demand, float national tenders, and disburse subsidies to approved Charge Point Operators (CPOs).

Under PM e-DRIVE, CPOs receive a capital subsidy per charger installed, covering a significant portion of upfront CapEx. In return, CPOs are required to operate the stations for a defined Operations & Maintenance (O&M) period, maintain minimum uptime, and report real-time data to a central BHEL dashboard.

Scope of Work — KSEB Kerala Tender (P0279)

The KSEB tender covers the full lifecycle of EV charging infrastructure in Kerala’s public network under the PM e-DRIVE mandate:

• Supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of AC and DC fast chargers at 209 locations across Kerala
• Integration with BHEL’s national EVCSMHI monitoring platform for real-time telemetry, session data, and uptime reporting
• Compliance with OCPP 1.6J or higher for all charger-to-backend communication
• Minimum charger uptime obligations as prescribed in the PM e-DRIVE operational guidelines
• Multi-year O&M responsibility covering preventive maintenance, spare parts, and 24×7 helpdesk
• Consumer-facing payment integration (UPI, RFID, app-based) per BIS and MHI standards

Why Kerala? KSEB’s EV Ambition

Kerala has consistently ranked among the top states for EV adoption per capita in India. KSEB, one of the most financially stable state electricity utilities in the country, has been an early mover in public EV charging — operating an existing network of over 200 AC chargers across the state. This tender marks a significant scale-up: 209 new stations and 335 new chargers under central subsidy will more than double Kerala’s publicly accessible charging points.

Kerala’s EV push is backed by the Kerala EV Policy 2022, which targets 1 million EVs on road by 2025 and mandates charging infrastructure at fuel stations, government buildings, and shopping complexes. KSEB’s role as the tender-issuing authority ensures a utility-grade, financially credible partnership structure for any CPO that wins this bid.

Eligibility and How to Apply

Interested Charge Point Operators should:

1. Download the full tender document from the BHEL EVCSMHI portal: https://evcsmhi.bhel.in/live_tenders.php
2. Review the technical specifications, financial eligibility criteria, and O&M obligations in the tender document
3. Submit bids through the designated government e-procurement portal as mentioned in the tender document
4. Ensure your CSMS (Charging Station Management Software) is OCPP-compliant and can integrate with BHEL’s national monitoring platform

Bidders must carry relevant experience in EV charging infrastructure deployment, demonstrate financial net worth as per the eligibility matrix, and have a credible O&M track record or a partnership with an experienced CSMS provider.

How YoCharge Supports CPOs Bidding for PM e-DRIVE Tenders

Winning a PM e-DRIVE tender is only the start. The real operational challenge lies in delivering OCPP-compliant charging infrastructure, meeting uptime SLAs, and reporting real-time session data to BHEL’s EVCSMHI platform — at scale, across hundreds of distributed sites.

YoCharge’s white-label CSMS platform is purpose-built for CPOs operating at this scale: