A Closer Look at the Impact of India's EV Public Charging Stations and Adoption Policies
In January 2022, the Ministry of Power in India amended the Guidelines and Standards for Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles (EV). The revision aims to accelerate electric vehicle adoption in India. One specific revision criterion caters to the need for accessible and affordable EV public charging stations in every region. Interestingly, the amendment has already impacted how fast India is creating an EV ecosystem to support your EV adoption.
Let’s dive into the Indian government’s strategies for an expedited timeline and its impact on EV adoption.?
An Update to Government Guidelines on EV Public Charging Stations
Current government guidelines allocate provisions for individual owners of electric vehicles and EV public charging stations. Below, we’ll discuss all the updates and how they benefit you.
1. Use of Existing Power Sources?
Every EV owner faces the same problem from the outset; they need to charge their EV with the trickle charger bundled in the EV sale. Using a trickle charger is slow and excessively wastes energy. You’ll also find it impossible to use these chargers in poor weather. A particular revision now allows EV owners to charge their vehicles at their homes or places of business using their existing power supply.?
It also states that you only need a certified electrician to install a charging device. The new revision no longer requires you to get residential premises rezoned. This significantly lowers the entry cost for dedicated home or office charging stations.?
2. No License Required
The second major update to the government's guidance document is removing the need for any person or business to be licensed to operate EV public charging stations. However, the charging station must still meet the previously set technical, safety, and performance standards. To this end, vendors must ensure all hardware complies with EV Supply Equipment (EVSE) standards through third-party testing by an agency accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).?
3. Expediting Permission on Public Charging Stations
You can now power open-access EV public charging stations using any energy supplier. Additionally, open-access applications will be processed within 15 days of the application date. However, the revisions apply a? surcharge to meet electrical subsidies. This will be, at most, 20% of your revenue. The amendment will speed up and bolster the EV adoption process.
4. Provision for Long-Range and Heavy-Duty EVs?
The guideline also covers long-range and heavy-duty EVs. These are typically commercial vehicles like trucks and buses that need same-day fast charging. Usually, level 3 and 4 EV public charging stations cater to these vehicles.?
The guideline firstly mandates that these fast charging stations have two charging stations of at least 100 kW power level each, with different specifications of charging guns (CCS/CHAdeMO). Secondly, it mentions optional liquid cooling for cables and onboard charging circuits in cases where companies operate EVs with fluid-cooled batteries.??
5. Improved EV Charging Station Coverage
The revisions intend to create at least one charging station for every 3 square kilometers of area. Every 25 km of highway roads will have a charging station on both sides. Fast charging stations will be on both sides of the freeway every 100 km. This measure is comparable to current gasoline pump requirements. This ensures EVs get the same accommodation as ICE vehicles, in the long run, further helping EV adoption.
6. Subsidized Electricity Tariffs?
The update has more incentives on electricity tariffs and the setting up of public charging stations. The guidelines limit electrical tariff costs to the average supply cost until March 31, 2025. It demands that a? separate meter enable billing for each EV charging station. Additionally, the government has presented a revenue-sharing business model which offers land owned by government/public entities for building public charging stations on a revenue-sharing basis of ?1 per 1 kWh.
These updates are exciting news for EV owners and businesses. However, you need to know a few more things about India’s EV adoption policy. Next, we’ll discuss the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles in India (FAME) program, which is the cornerstone of the country’s EV policies. Then, we’ll go through FAME’s impact so far.?
FAME - What Are the Program Objectives?
This EV infrastructure development project aims to deliver the following objectives:
FAME I: Onboarding Early Adopters
The FAME I implementation phase of India’s EV infrastructure roll-out started in April 2015 and was completed in late 2019. The government added public charging stations to all megacities with populations over four million. Moreover, they added charging stations at critical locations on key highways connecting these megacities to allow easy inter-state commutes for? EV owners. The growing demand for EVs also led EV infrastructure OEMs and pushed industry players to expand their operations to meet demands for charging stations in heavily visited travel locations.?
FAME II: Expanding the Reach
Phase II started immediately after Phase I ended in 2019. The Indian government plans to finalize its implementation within 3 to 5 years. It has raised ?100 billion through private partnerships for Phase II, allowing them to offer incentives to help drive sales. This move was specifically for public transport and commercial use vehicle categories. That said, private EV owners can benefit from the upfront-reduced purchase price incentives when purchasing two-wheelers.?
Additionally, they are adding charging stations in large cities and state capitals to improve user accessibility and coverage. Phase II includes adding charging stations to highways connecting new locations in line with the distances mentioned earlier.?
With a plan in motion, let’s look at how private EV charging station manufacturers can play a vital part in achieving FAME II.?
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EV Charging Companies Can Help?
Given the growing charging demand in the country, the roll-out of a nationwide charging network will be a major challenge for India's government. However, the government could leverage private EV charging companies and startups providing innovative solutions to accelerate charging infrastructure growth. These companies could implement both private and public solutions.??
Closer home, we have seen substantial growth in our charging network across India here at BOLT — with stark differences before and after 2022. We believe this growth aligns with FAME policies' impact on India's EV ecosystem. The figure below displays the growth of the BOLT charging network across major Indian cities before and after 2022.?
Final Thoughts
The Indian government is taking the initiative to facilitate EV adoption. For that reason, it’s streamlining requirements to expedite the process and provide incentives to lower upfront costs. To that end, the industry, media, startups, and private firms will all likely support the Indian government’s targets to reach electrification objectives by 2030. Meanwhile, the government needs a unified national charging network that you can easily find and use to kickstart your EV transition. Building and nurturing the local EV ecosystem will be critical to its success in India.?
Want to know more about EV charging and charging stations? Check out our FAQ and Resources sections below.
FAQ
How do I install a home EV charging station?
Get a charging device and a certified electrician to install an EV charging station at home. These devices are more efficient, faster, and convenient than a trickle charger. They also don’t need commercial power sources.?
Where is my nearest charging station in India?
If you’re part of a charging network like BOLT’s, you can open the BOLT app on your mobile and book one to recharge your EV. BOLT has thousands of charging stations in the country and operates 50% of the EV charging marketplace.
Why are home EV charging stations popular?
EV owners need a way to regularly charge their vehicles that doesn’t involve driving to a charging site, waiting for an available charger, and then waiting for charging. Home EV charging stations allow you to plug in at home whenever you need. Chargers are low-cost and easy to install and operate.?
Is a trickle charger useful for charging my EV each day?
No. Trickle chargers are energy inefficient. Ideally, you should only use them when you don’t have any other means to charge your vehicle. In short, you need a home EV charging station to charge your EV efficiently. Get one from BOLT today!
Resources
BOLT: Home EV Charging Stations
BOLT: Home EV Charging Station Installation?
BOLT: BOLT’s EV Charging Network
Learn about how large India’s biggest EV charging network is.
BOLT: Be Part of an EV Charging Network
Get more information on why you need to be part of an EV charging network.
BOLT: The Latest News from BOLT
Stay informed about BOLT’s latest ventures.