The Indian Government has been promoting faster adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs). However, the biggest challenge EV manufacturers face is the lack of EV charging infrastructure across the country. Thus, establishing an EV charging station is an excellent opportunity in India. An EV charging station facilitates electric charging points for EVs.

Any individual or entity can establish EV charging stations in parking lots or on the roads to provide charging services for EVs.

Government Policy On Ev Charging Stations

The Central Government has issued the following guidelines regarding setting up EV charging stations in India:

• Putting up an EV charging station every 3 km in the cities, 100 km on roads for heavy-duty vehicles, and 25 km on the highway is compulsory.
• Setting up an EV charging station is license-free for an individual in India.
• Individuals setting up EV charging stations should follow the guidelines of the Power Ministry of India

EV Charging Station Guidelines

The Ministry of Power has issued consolidated guidelines and standards for EV charging infrastructure. These guidelines also provide a phase-wise installation of EV charging infrastructure for big cities and megacities. Below are the crucial guidelines and data issued by the Ministry of Power and Niti Aayog:

• EV users can charge their electric vehicles at their offices and residences using the existing electricity connections.
• The state government will fix and decide the ceiling of service charges that the charging stations can charge.
• The tariff on the supply of electricity in public EV charging stations will be a single-part tariff and will not exceed the average supply cost till 31 March 2025.
• The public EV charging stations or chains of EV charging stations can obtain electricity from a power generation company through open access.
• The government has made it compulsory for electricity boards to grant new EV charging stations with a connection within seven days in metro cities, 15 days in municipal areas and 30 days in rural areas.
• Public EV charging stations should tie up with at least one online network service provider to enable online booking/advanced remote charging slots by EV owners.
• Public EV charging stations must follow the performance standards set by the Ministry of Power and the Central Electricity Authority for electric charging stations.
• The Electricity Distribution Company licensed for a particular area will accept the request of an individual or entity asking for connectivity to set up a public EV charging station.
• The power supply can also be granted to EV charging stations directly from the electricity generation and supply company.
• Public EV charging stations can be set up at private offices and residences, and the electricity DISCOMS will facilitate the same

Infrastructure Requirements For Setting Up Ev Charging Stations

The following infrastructure requirements are essential to set up an EV charging station:

• Installation of substation equipment, transformer and safety equipment.
• 33/11 KV cables and related equipment for meters and lines.
• Civil works and installations.
• Land space for charging vehicles and entry or exit of vehicles.
• A designated and safe parking area to enable customers to park their cars while charging them.
• Installation of all charger models approved by international and local standards.
• Installation of chargers used by EV users, i.e. rapid chargers, fast chargers and slow chargers. Their charging ability varies in each charger.
• Adequate security measures to wait while vehicles are getting charged