Own an EV? Now you can charge it at home, office using the existing power outlet

In an attempt to make things easier for the EV owners, the Indian government has revised the guidelines and standards for charging infrastructure for electric vehicles that will allow owners to use their existing power connections at home and offices for charging their EVs, said the Union Ministry of Power.

The ministry released a statement stating that owners may charge their electric vehicles at their residence/offices using their existing electricity connections. “Infrastructure requirements for Public Charging Infrastructure as well as for Public Charging Infrastructure for long-range EVs and/or heavy-duty EVs have been outlined," informed the ministry through the statement.

The revised guideline also informed that any individual or entity is free to set up public charging stations without the requirement of a license provided such stations meet the technical, safety as well as performance standards and protocols laid down under the guidelines as well as standards given by Ministry of Power, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Central Electricity Authority (CEA) from time to time.

A list of compliance requirements for Public Charging Station (PCS) has also been outlined. These include rules for ‘appropriate’ infrastructure for civil, electricity and safety requirements. “The objective is to enable faster adoption of electric vehicles in India by ensuring safe, reliable, accessible and affordable charging infrastructure and eco-system. This would also promote energy security and reduction of emission intensity of the country by promotion of entire EV ecosystem," the ministry said.

To tackle the challenges for making charging station more affordable as the country steadily move towards electrification, a revenue-sharing model has been put in place for land used for the same. Land under government or public entities shall be provided for PCS installations to a government or public entity on a revenue-sharing basis at a fixed rate of Re 1 per kWh that has to be paid to the land-owning agency from such PCS business payable on a quarterly basis.