Ministry of Power, Government of India, on the 8th of June, 2020 announced amendments in the revised guidelines and standards for ‘Charging Infrastructure for Electrical Vehicles’. Initially, the ‘Charging Infrastructure for Electrical Vehicles – Guidelines and Standards’ was issued by the Ministry of Power on 14th of December, 2018 which proposed the coverage of 70 cities and 20% of the country’s highways under a budget of INR 5,000 crores by 2025.
The Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) had been provided with the mandate to procure electric vehicles and establish charging stations across the country. EESL had been actively playing a role in promoting the adoption and deployment of EVs by installing EV chargers in the country. The coverage of 70 cities required time and it was becoming difficult for EVs to function. Keeping this in mind, the guidelines were subsequently revised on 1st October 2019. With the expanding need for adequate transportation, the revision on 1st October 2019 required certain revisions. Keeping the issues and volatility of the environment in mind, the Ministry of Power decides to undertake certain amendments for better operations.
The amendment of 8th June 2020 includes the said guidelines and standards of Tariff for the supply of electricity to EV Public Charging Stations. The tariff for supply of electricity to EV Public Charging Station shall be determined by the appropriate Commission following the extant Tariff Policy issued under Section 3 of the Electricity Act 2003. The tariff shall not be more than the average cost of supply plus fifteen per cent unless otherwise specified by the Tariff policy.
Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) shall mean an element in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure that supplies electric energy for recharging the battery of electric vehicles. Public Charging Station (PCS) shall mean an EV charging station where any electric vehicle can get its battery recharged. Battery Charging Station (BCS) shall mean a station where the discharged or partially discharged electric batteries for electric vehicles are electrically recharged.
For all practical purposes, Battery Charging Station (BCS) shall be treated at par with Public Charging Station (PCS), and the applicable tariff for electricity supply shall also be the same as for PCS. Captive Charging Station (CCS) shall mean an electric vehicle charging station exclusively for the electric vehicles owned or under the control of the owner of the charging station e.g. government departments, corporate houses, bus depots, charging stations owned by the fleet owners etc. and shall not be used for commercial purpose. Battery Swapping Station (BSS) shall mean a station where any electric vehicle can get its discharged battery or partially charged battery replaced by a charged battery.
