RERC Sets Tariff of Rs 6 per unit Applicable on EV Charging Stations

The Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (RERC) has released a draft Suo-Motu order on the matter of Charging Infrastructure, Tariffs, and other regulatory issues for Electric Vehicles on December 21, 2020. Promoting Electric Vehicles and their Impact on the Grid, they declared the applicable tariffs on the EV public charging stations (PCS) of Rs 6 per unit used under two categories; Public Charging Station LT-8 and HT-6.

The above tariff applicable to PCS would also be applicable to EV Battery Charging Stations (BCS) and EV Battery Swapping Stations (BSS).

The standard operating procedure (SOP) for establishing the electric vehicle (EV) charging stations were released by the department. The regulatory body has also decided to provide relaxation in permanent fee from Rs 135 to Rs 40 per month for these stations.

During off-peak hours, from 11 P.M. to 6 A.M. the rebate of 15% for Public Charging Station would be considered.

Discoms may also encourage other energy companies (like IOCL, HPCL, IGL, etc.) to invest in providing a charging network, especially the fast-charging stations at inter-city routes like state and national highways.

The Discoms can also promote Smart Charging features by optimizing the charging process according to distribution grid constraints and local renewable energy availability, whereby EV charging patterns could be controlled to flatten the peak demand and support the real-time balancing of the grid by adjusting their charging levels.

For the implementation of Smart Charging, the Discom shall install a smart meter at all Public Charging Stations. Smart Charging will not only help Discom manage its load but also provide grid security in the long run.

To achieve the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP), 2020 launched by the Government of India (GoI), the commission had invited suggestions/comments from industry stakeholders. One of the responses, from Rudraksh Energy, proposed;

I) To meet additional demand, because of the high penetration of Electric Vehicles (EV), adequate generation capacity may be added primarily through renewable energy sources in the distribution grid.
ii) Electric Vehicle charging station may be designed preferably with rooftop solar generation to minimize dependence on coal/oil in the entire supply chain.
iii) Area wise integrated planning of public transport, EV promotion, and renewable generation with effective pricing of electricity and smart grid tools for monitoring may be used.
iv) Developing intelligent charging stations equipped with fast chargers, timers and capable of switching to normal charging mode, based on the real-time grid parameters.

For more information click here.