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E-MOBILITY
EV charging infra in India set for expansion It is now being realized with almost finality that e-mobility along with RE can help the world reach the target of global temperature reduction by the turn of this century. With this backdrop, it is prudent to take a pause and reflect on how we, as a nation, have fared in adoption of e-mobility during the year 2020.
T
he year 2020 would be etched in our memory forever, though most of us would love to forget it. However, the outbreak of the pandemic and the associated changes it forced in our behavior, have brought forward certain narratives to mitigate the impact of climate change. One such narrative is electric mobility. This article is confined to the analysis of EV charging infrastructure that has been one of the major impediments for adoption of e-vehicles, particularly for 4Ws like cars and buses.
Positive developments
The EV charging industry started the year with a very positive development, which happened in the 4Q2019 – Ministry of Power revised the Public Charging Infrastructure guidelines issued on December 14,
2018, after receiving suggestions from various stakeholders. These guidelines brought clarity to the discourse around the charging standards to follow for rapid proliferation of EVs in the country. This set at rest the ongoing debate on type of socket to be used by EV OEMs. Also, the flexibility of putting as many chargers as investors want, at any location would help an EV user find chargers closer to their location. The expectation that the State authorities would undertake Statelevel planning for identifying potential charging stations and augmenting upstream electricity infrastructure, will help potential CPO (Charge Point Operators) agencies to plan for setting up charging stations. The creation of an online database for EV charging stations will help governments, OEMs of EVs and EVSE (EV supply equipment), CPOs, and Discoms optimally plan their respective resources.
Supportive EV policies
AWADHESH JHA Vice President Fortum Charge & Drive
When we opened our eyes in year 2020, we were greeted with the positive news of DHI having made the decision of allocating 2600 EV charging stations across 62 cities in the country. Though the follow up action by the agencies that were allotted these concessions halted, due to the pandemic outbreak and consequent nationwide lockdown for 54 days. This set the tone for the climate change narrative and lifted the spirits of the industry and EV users. This was followed by another EOI by DHI for setting up EV charging stations along highways/ expressways in October 2020. Post lockdown, Delhi and | November-December 2020
Telangana came out with their EV policies. Delhi EV Policy is considered to be an enabler for demand creation. One of the favorites is the provision for creating charging infra where locations shall be provided for setting up charging stations. Access to location along with adequate electricity are two critical elements for having a robust public charging infra for mass adoption of EV in India. Telangana EV policy caters to various segments of e-mobility – from OEMs to charging infrastructure players to EV users. Another important policy announcement came from the government
