Govt set to release Indian standards for low-cost EV charging point in next 2 months

• Several Indian manufacturers are already on board to make this EV charging point device, as per Indian Standards, with target prices starting as low as Rs 3,500

• The draft Indian Standard has been taken up by the BIS Committee on Electromobility Standards

New Delhi: The government is optimistic about releasing Indian standards for innovative, low-cost electric vehicle (EV) charging point within the next two months to accelerate the adoption of EVs, said an official statement released by the Office of Principal Scientific Advisor to the government on Wednesday. It also said that the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Government of India have been working in close coordination with the Niti Aayog to develop a low-cost EV charging infrastructure. 

A committee involving all the key stakeholders including EV manufacturers, auto and electronic component suppliers, power utilities, and communication service providers has worked in fast-track mode to develop specifications, prototype products, and undertake testing and validation of the proposed standards. These will be formally issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), said the statement.

The low-cost EV charging point will cost as low as Rs 3,500

The group had set a target price of less than Rs 3,500 ($50) for a smart AC charging point operated with a smartphone, for a global breakthrough in affordable EV charging infrastructure. Fast-track development of the standard, close working between industry and the government, and diligent testing and validation has facilitated the success of the project. "This Low-Cost AC Charge point (LAC) allows up to 3 kW of power to be drawn charging eScooters and eAutorickshaws. The user's smartphone will communicate with the LAC via low-power Bluetooth and links up to a back-end where transaction payment and analytics are enabled. The user's smartphone can be used for multiple accounts and payment options," said the statement.

Several Indian manufacturers are already on board to make this EV charging point device, as per Indian Standards, with target prices starting as low as Rs 3,500. The LAC device is intended to be highly scalable and deployed in any place where a 220V 15A single phase line is available — mainly targeting parking lots of metro and railway stations, shopping malls, hospitals, office complexes, apartments and even kirana and other shops.

Formal release of Indian standards to be done within next 2 months

The draft Indian Standard has been taken up by the BIS Committee on Electromobility Standards. The formal release of the standards will be done within the next two months, after the completion of field and durability trials of sample products. It is expected that a new industry sector will emerge catering to the high volume, low-cost charging infrastructure for EVs, said the statement.

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Dr V Sumantran, Chairman, DST-PSAO Group on Charging Infrastructure, observed, "When industry and government entities come together to work on national goals, remarkable progress can be achieved with speed. Furthermore, this effort brought out the talent in India for intelligent cost-innovation. Affordability constraints in India demand that we address problems keeping in mind both cost and scalability."

Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog said, "The emphasis on charging points rather than costly charging stations has led to accelerated efforts by the team for developing the LAC Charging standard for the light electric vehicles segment, as the next logical step."

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