Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles in India: Policy and Challenges:-
India has become self-reliant and advanced in various domains but still falls behind when it’s the case of provision of adequate charging infrastructure. And this impedes in successfully implementing the Electric Vehicle(EV) scheme on a large scale According to the revised guidelines for Charging Infrastructure for EV, the 2019 (“CI Guidelines”), the focus would be towards simplifying the process for establishing the charging infrastructure. Hereunder, is a brief analysis of the CI Guidelines.
As per the CI Guidelines, installing a Public Charging Station (“PCS”) is considered to be a delicensed activity, since it is deemed to be a service. A PCS can be deployed by an individual entity in the following two categories
- fast charging station (“FCS”) for long range or heavy duty EVs; or
- moderate or slow chargers.
The CI Guidelines have recommended setting up a state nodal agency under whose supervision a PCS can be installed by an intermediary. The Guidelines have also considered competitive bidding for PCS rollout. Moreover, the installation of PCS on priority basis in company owned and company operated retail outlets particularly belonging to oi l marketing companies has also been instructed under the Guidelines. Significant authority and flexibility has been provided for installing any of the prescribed charger types. Each such charger requires a separate meter and an exclusive transformer with related substation equipment
Separately, charging stations can also be put up by procuring electricity from any generation company through open access. Private: Installing private charging points in residences or offices has been permitted under the CI Guidelines. The state nodal agency can be contacted by any individual in order to set up a private charging point. Restricted public use, charging stations can also be installed in spaces such as housing societies, mal ls, office complexes, restaurants, hotels and other public places. However, they can only be utilized by selected permitted visitors. Rolling out goals, this encourages faster adoption of EVs while guaranteeing safe, dependable, affordable and accessible charging infrastructure. Foster tariffs that are affordable and chargeable from EV owners along with charging station operators/owners. Assist small entrepreneurs by creating employment or income opportunities for them. Facilitate the formation of EV Charging Infrastructure and further develop a sustaining market for EV charging business. Challenges in State Discoms determine the tariffs. Due to the variation in tariff policies and prices across the states there is a lack of uniformity in the tariffs.
One of the determinants for the success of CI Guidelines will be the competitiveness of discounts provided on the tariff for consumption for EV purposes by various states. It is worth noting that domestic consumption rates apply to domestic EV charging. But monitoring the domestic consumption is definitely an impediment. Open Access and Captive Consumption as per the CI Guidelines permits the procuring of electricity via open access from any power generation company. However, the charges applicable for that are yet to be specified. Captive Consumption has been sanctioned for 100% internal use for any company’s own or leased fleet. However, the scope of “internal use” is unclear as per the guidelines – would a company that has leased space in an office park qualify as an internal user? Simi lar ambiguity prevails around the definition of a “permitted visitor” and “consumer” of a Charging Infrastructure in a restricted public place. The guidelines do not clarify whether a Charging Infrastructure in public places can be utilized for profits akin to the captive consumption by mal ls or industrial parks. Additionally, it is uncertain if the person providing EV charging facilities is susceptible to earning a margin. Existing Transmission Infrastructure and Cooperation of Discoms, supplying uninterrupted and adequate electricity through a secure connection to the transmission lines will validate the success of CI Guidelines. Considering the state of the transmission infrastructure in India, the added burden of charging stations along with continuous provision of electric supply throughout the country are still a dubious prospect. The current EV batteries require up to 5-8 hours to charge fully, indicating the need for charging points in abundance. In India, the CI Guidelines authorize a PCS to install one or more chargers of the fast or slow/moderate charger types. Setting up network service providers and data privacy, a Network Service Provider (“NSP”) network may be joined by either a single PCS operator or a group of PCS operators for relaying information to consumers about the availability of charging points at any station and further the consumer has the option to book the slot online. As al l consumer’ vital information is preserved in the NSP database, the PCS operators must certify that al l data privacy and protection laws are safeguarded to the fullest. Battery Swapping: The last but indeed the most critical issue of battery swapping has been skipped under the CI Guidelines. The concern over EV charging time can be easily resolved by Battery Swapping. It would facilitate numerous EVs to charge their batteries, further making it feasible to own one. The productive administration of battery swapping requires a consistent standard of batteries fitted in EVs. Case in point, in China, a prerequisite for battery swapping was the effective implementation of the said uniform standards. Moreover, a battery swapping station’s infrastructure would vary from a charging infrastructure; although it is advised to be launched alongside the charging infrastructure. To conclude, it can be deduced that CI Guidelines are certainly the right way to go as a measure to upgrade the Charging Infrastructure in India. By confronting the aforementioned issues, its long term successful implementation can certainly be guaranteed.
