New norms and guidelines has been issues by central government of India which allows EV charging at home or in office now using the existing electricity connection to boost sales of EVs and make it more comfortable to consumers.
India is among the few to support the global EV30@30 campaign that targets to have at least 30% new EV sales by 2030. To achieve the same, the Government of India has introduced various empowering policies to promote the development of the Charging Infrastructure Network. It needs to continue doing so by incorporating novel characteristics to customize it to the unique Indian transport ecosystem and enable on-ground expansion. It also needs to keep in mind the local requirements of electric supply and transportation networks.
In view of the same, the government has tried to delve into the needs of charging infrastructure development along with possible considerations for future planning as per the evolving needs of the dynamic EV market.
EV Charging at Home / Office – The New Guidelines for using existing electricity connection
Although regulations governing the electric supply for EV charging and the role it plays vary from one country to another, the Union Ministry of Power in India has announced on January 14, 2022 the new guidelines that allow charging your EVs using the existing electricity connection at home/office.
India has 9,47,876 registered EVs of which only 1,028 public charging stations have been installed throughout the country. As a breather towards the EV infrastructure and charging accessibility this new, revised government rule for the electric vehicle comes a savior and an incentive for more people to embrace the Go Green movement.
This move is likely to motivate more people towards transitioning to electric mobility, which in itself is a promising strategy for decarbonizing mobility, according to The Ministry of Power. The ministry was also quoted saying that “This would promote energy security and reduction of emission intensity of the country by promotion of entire EV ecosystem.”
The ministry informed through a statement that owners may charge their electric vehicles at their residence or officers using the existing electric connections infrastructure requirements for Public Charging Infrastructure along with Public Charging Infrastructure for Long-Range EVs and or Heavy Duty EVs have been outlined.
Compliance requirements for Public Charging Station (PCS)
The centre has outlined certain rules for appropriate infrastructure for civil, electricity, and safety requirements for Public Charging Station. the list of compliance requirements is drawn with an objective to enable faster adoption of EVs in India by ensuring safe, reliable, accessible, and affordable charging infra and ecosystem.
The revised guideline also informed that there would be no requirement for a license to set up public charging stations by any individual or entity provided such stations meet the technical safety as well as performance standards and protocols laid under the guidelines as well as standards given by Ministry of Power, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Central Electricity Authority (CEA) from time to time.
The centre has left it to the state governments to fix up the service charges to be levied by the PCS since 14 states have released their EV policies. These states have rolled out subsidies for purchasing an EV and for setting up charging stations.
The government has also put in place a revenue-sharing model for the land used for PCS, to make charging stations financially viable. “Land available with the government /public entities shall be provided for installation of PCS to a government/public entity on a revenue-sharing basis at a fixed rate of ₹1/kWh, which will be paid to the land-owning agency on a quarterly basis. Such revenue-sharing agreements may be initially entered by parties for a period of 10 years. This model may also be adopted by a public land-owning agency for providing the land to a private entity for installation of PCs on a billing basis with a floor price of ₹1/kWh,” as stated by an official.
Mandate and Tariff
The official photos stated that the distribution licensees shall provide new connections or modify an existing connection within the mandate timelines. The tariff for the supply of electricity to public EV charging stations shall be a single part tariff. It also states that this tariff shall not exceed the average cost of supply till 31st March 2025. The same tariff shall be applicable for Battery Charging Stations (BCS) and the tariff applicable for domestic consumption shall be applicable for domestic charging. The guidelines mandate that PCS has shall be provided within seven days in metro cities, 15 days in other municipal areas, and 30 days in rural areas as stated by the ministry.
Pros of this New Guideline
By providing the ease of EV charging using existing electricity connection at home/office will help the users save time by eliminating the distance needed to travel in order to access a public charging station. Easily accessible charging points for EVs is essential and this new guideline would help the distribution of many normal charging points supplemented by a small share of high-power charging stations, ensuring EV charging needs are met efficiently.
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