India’s Revised EV Home Charging Regulations To Boost EV Growth in The Country

The Indian government has changed the restrictions for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. It now allows owners to use existing electrical connections at their homes or businesses to charge their vehicles. The new regulations have also approved the auctioning of government property to private businesses for the construction of public charging stations (PCS).

New Guidelines Or?

The Union electricity ministry announced amended promulgated rules and standards, stating that the government intends to roll out PCS in two phases. The first phase will encompass megacities with populations above 4 million according to the 2011 census, as well as expressways and major motorways connecting these megacities. In the second phase, major cities like state capitals, Union Territory headquarters, and major routes connecting these cities will be covered.

“…owners may charge their EVs at their residence or offices using their existing electricity connections… The tariff applicable for domestic consumption shall be applicable for domestic charging,” the ministry said in a statement.

Keeping Up with the Pace

According to statistics from the ministry of road transport and roads, India has 947,876 registered electric cars and the numbers are growing exponentially. However, according to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency India has only 1,028 PCS have been placed across the country thus far (BEE).

India has 947,876 registered electric cars, according to statistics from the ministry of road transport and roads. However, according to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, just 1,028 PCS have been placed across the country thus far (BEE).

… And Vision

India has set a target of 30% EV market penetration for private automobiles, 70% for commercial vehicles, 40% for buses, and 80% for two- and three-wheelers by 2030 and because of that, the amended criteria are critical. In India, only roughly 2-3 e-car versions cost less than Rs 15 lakh at the moment. But in the case of 2 and 3-wheelers, after accounting for incentives, the cost has about equalled that of existing gasoline vehicles. Apart from the expensive cost of electric vehicles, a key reason for the slow adoption of electric vehicles in India outside of Delhi has been the absence of charging infrastructure.

Not Only For Home Charging

The new guidelines specify the infrastructural requirements as well as the PCS installation specifications. “Any individual or entity is free to set up public charging stations without the need for a licence, provided that such stations meet the technical, safety, and performance standards and protocols outlined in the guidelines, norms, standards, and specifications issued by the power ministry, BEE, and Central Electricity Authority (CEA) from time to time. A comprehensive list of PCS compliance requirements has also been provided. These include standards for ‘acceptable’ civil, electrical, and safety infrastructure.

The Centre has delegated the task of determining the maximum amount of service charges to be collected by PCS to the state governments. This is a practical thing because some governments have implemented EV policies that provide incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles and the installation of charging stations.

So far, 14 states have made their electric vehicle rules public. Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Bihar are some of the states involved. According to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi account for 44 % of all-electric vehicles registered in India.

Levelling Up The Game

The government has also implemented a revenue-sharing scheme for property used for public charging stations to make charging stations financially feasible. 

“On a revenue-sharing basis, land available with the government/public entities should be granted for the installation of PCS to a government/public entity at a predetermined fee of 1 / kWh (used for charging), which will be paid to the land-owning agency every quarter.” Parties may first enter into a revenue-sharing arrangement for a term of ten years. “This approach may also be used by a public land-owning agency to lease land to a private business for the installation of PCS on a competitive basis with a floor price of 1/kWh,” 

The new regulations stated

The BEE is drafting action plans for nine major cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Surat, and Pune, to establish public charging stations. “A total of 3263 chargers are scheduled for installation of PCS in these cities by 2030 under a business-as-usual scenario, 23,524 chargers under a moderate scenario, and 46,397 chargers under an aggressive scenario,” a power ministry official said.