Govt Releases Revised Guidelines For EV Charging Stations

The Ministry of Power has now issued a revised guidelines for setting up electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at private, public and restricted areas. The fresh norms talked about a ceiling in the tariffs of EV charging stations, maximum service charges from consumers during solar and non-solar hours. The new rules also touched upon the role of discoms in the whole process. 

The ministry head earlier issued “Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles — Guidelines and Standards” in 2018. The objective of the revised guidelines is to increase the viability of charging stations by facilitating public land availability and encouraging the charging of EVs during solar hours. The revised norms talked about lesser service charges for charging EVs during solar hours, opening the vaults of using solar power for charging stations to reduce the costs for the operators as well as the consumers.  Additionally, these guidelines prepare the electricity grid to handle the increased demand for EV charging.

These new MoP released guidelines will be applicable for manufacturers, owners, and operators of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Through these norms, the government has planned to boost the penetration of charging stations in private parking spaces and semi-restricted places like office buildings, educational institutions, hospitals, Group Housing Societies, and e-bus depots. 

Timeframe

These guidelines set a timeframe for MoP to develop charging stations. For instance, the latest guidelines set the maximum period within which the discoms should provide a new connection: Metropolitan Area (3 days), Other Municipal Area (7 days), Rural Area (15 days), and Rural Area with hilly terrain (30 days). The guidelines also set 90 days for the extension of distribution mains or the commissioning of new substations, if required.

Tariff for supply of electricity to EV charging stations

The proposed guideline mentioned that the tariff for electricity supply to EV Charging Stations single-part and should not exceed the “Average Cost of Supply” until 31st March 2028.

Additionally, as per the guideline for setting up EV charging stations, “The distribution licensee will charge 0.7 times the Average Cost of Supply (ACoS) during solar hours (9:00 AM to 4:00 PM) and 1.3 times ACoS during non-solar hours (remaining hours of the day).”

For developing EV charging stations, the guideline mandates the manufacturers, owners, and operators of EV charging infrastructure such as the EV charging station are expected to develop separate metering arrangements. This metering system is expected to record consumption and apply the appropriate tariff accurately. Whereas, for the distribution licensees, the rule mandates providing sub-metering for EV chargers behind the meter of an existing HT connection.

Service Charges For EV Charging Stations

The ceiling limit for service charges (excluding GST & land cost) should be applicable until March 31, 2028 for conductive AC/DC charging at PCS & Co EV Charging Stations set up on either public or private land. The guidelines set the price of Rs. 3.00 per unit during Solar Hours for AC (Slow) chargers and Rs. 4.00 per unit during Non-Solar Hours. For DC fast chargers, the guidelines set the price at Rs. 11.00 per unit for both Solar and Non-Solar Hours.