The government announced Indian standards for low-cost AC charging points (EVs), with target prizes starting from as low as Rs 3,500 for a charging unit, would be issued within the next two months. The Committee has worked in fast-track mode to develop specifications, prototype products and carry out testing and validation of the proposed standards, with all major stakeholder groups including the manufacturers of Electric Photovoltaics, auto-and electronic suppliers, power utilities and communication services.
Over the next two months, after field and durability tests for sample products, the standards will be officially released. The high volume, affordable infrastructure for Electricity is expected to emerge from new industries. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) of the Office of the Principal scientific advisor (PSA) to the Government of India, in close cooperation with its team, NITI Aayog, has taken up the challenge by developing most charging systems globally, which have higher levels of power and are very costly for widespread use.
For an intelligent AC charge point with a Smartphone for global success in affordable EV charge infrastructure, the group had set a target price of less than Rs 3,500. Rapid standard development, close cooperation between industry and government, and diligent testing and validation have been successful. Various Indian Manufactures are in the process of making this charging point equipment according to Indian standards, with target prices starting from Rs 3,500.
“The current market charging units for two and three-wheelers in the electric market are priced up to Rs 10,000, the most rapid adoption of EVs in both two- and three-wheelers is expected to account for about 84 percent of overall sales in India in terms of internal combustion engine ICE versions. By 2025, forecasts of 4 million such vehicles (EVs), which can grow to nearly 10 million by 2030, could still be sold each year. Any charge solution for this sector needs to be highly scalable, publicly accessible, interoperable, and affordable”, said Vinit Bansal, Managing Director of EV Motors.
“The emphasis on loaders rather than expensive loading stations led the team to rapidly develop the LCV charging standard as the next logical step”, which brought smart cost-innovation talent to India. The constraints on affordability in India require us to address both costs and scalability issues”, said Rajiv Kumar, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman.
The low-cost AC (LAC) charge-point allows e-scooters and e-autorickshaws to be loaded with up to 3 kW of power. The plants will be highly scalable and deployed in all parts of the metro, rail and railway stations, shopping centers, hospitals, office complexes, apartments, Kirana, and even other shops, with the single-stage line 220V 15A available. The low-cost AC (LAC) charge-point is communicated via Bluetooth’s smartphone and connected to a back-end in which the payment of transaction and analytics have been activated. For several accounts and payment options, the smartphone can be used. The Indian Standards were adopted by the BIS Committee on Electromobility Standards, and are formally issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
