Automakers to create a sustainable ecosystem for charging stations in the country : Step towards EVs adoptation

With electronic vehicles (EVs) comes the massive task of developing docking stations for charging and India has slowly began on the journey towards acquiring public land to build such charging kiosks.

Automakers, battery manufacturers, suppliers, dealers and power utilities are currently in talks to create a sustainable ecosystem for charging stations in the country.

Unlike the US, Canada or China, India is still far behind on creating infrastructure of charging stations for EVs but an urgency can now be sensed in the air with some EV charging points coming up in Bengaluru and New Delhi.

According to the “Urban Mobility Lab” imitative by the Delhi government and non-profit Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)says, access to charging and battery swapping infrastructure is a key driver of EV adoption.

Potential EV operators and charging infrastructure providers are experiencing challenges associated with a lack of charging and battery swapping infrastructure due to limited public land availability, long timelines for power connections, and a lack of standards,” stated a latest “Urban Mobility Lab” report.

“Provide EV charging and battery swapping service providers with greater access to affordable land. One strategy for doing so is to work with industry to identify mutually beneficial public locations for which the government can offer discounted land rentals,’ stresses the report.

The Ministry of Power’s guidelines suggest that all charging stations in India should use three charging standards: the Indian Bharat, the European Combined Charging System (CCS), and the Japanese

Cities have important roles to play in supporting the build out of public charging networks that enable EV operators to conveniently charge their vehicles.

Currently, the Bharat standard is most economical due to its lower upfront cost and higher market share; because of its lower voltage, it serves two and three-wheelers, which make up the majority of EVs in India.