Govt Proposes Timelines For Activating EV Charging Connections

MoP Releases Draft Guideline For Solar-Powered EV Charging Stations

The Ministry of Power has now issued a new draft notification to expedite the growth of installation of electric vehicle charging stations. The ministry has also specified a minimum time period for the electricity distribution companies (discoms) to supply electricity connections to the EV charging points/stations which goes to as low as three days for metro cities.

As per the proposed plan of the government, the power companies will now be bound to give the electricity connections within a specified time period based on the location of the area. “

The timelines for providing the connectivity for EV charging stations are as under– As specified by the appropriate Commission and not exceeding three days in metropolitan areas, seven days in other municipal areas and fifteen days in rural areas, after submission of application complete in all respects, within which the respective distribution licensees shall provide new connection or modify an existing connection,” the proposed draft plan of the ministry said.

It said that some relaxation could be given to rural areas having hilly terrain. However, the ministry said that the overall power connection time should not exceed 15 days. The ministry also proposed to push the discoms to issue a customer-friendly online single window clearance system to expedite the grant of electricity connections to EV chargers. It also talked about period mapping of the distribution of EV charging.

“State Nodal agencies and city authorities will carry out periodic mapping (at least once in every year) of the geographic distribution of potential EV charging demand,” the draft norms read.

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Some of the key aspects of the guidelines also included a recommendation to build a single-part tariff system to govern electricity supply to EV charging stations. This guideline was developed to ensure that the tariff rates do not surpass the Average Cost of Supply (ACoS) until 31st March 2026. 

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“The cost of supply by Distribution Licensee to EV Charging Station will be 0.7 times of Average Cost of Supply (ACoS) during solar hours and 1.3 times ACoS during non-solar hours. Solar hours mean 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM time and non-solar hours mean the remaining period of the day.  Separate metering arrangements shall be made for EV charging stations so that consumption may be recorded and billed as per applicable tariff for EV charging stations,” it said.

These guidelines also laid down provisions for regulating distribution costs. The guideline mandates separate metering arrangements for EV charging stations to accurately record consumption and apply appropriate tariffs. This setup supports effective billing and ensures adherence to tariff guidelines.

Under the new guideline, the per unit charges payable by the EV owner for charging their EV at a PCS are expected to pay a per unit cost of charging. These charges are equal to the applicable electricity supply tariff + ceiling limit of serving capital investment + GST (18%) on the cost of serving capital.

The guidelines stipulated deployment standards for the installation of public charging stations for electric vehicles (two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers, quadricycles). It suggested the construction of a charging network that is equipped with a 7.4 kW capacity (AC/DC). Additionally, EV owners are encouraged to collaborate with Network Service Providers (NSPs) for remote booking of charging slots and access to real-time information on station availability and rates.