Charging Infrastructure For Electric Vehicles

Question by: Girish Bhalchandra Bapat

Question

(a) Whether the Government is encouraging people to use electric vehicles instead of gasoline/diesel vehicles;
(b) Whether any action plan has been prepared to provide infrastructure like charging stations etc. for the said vehicles; and
(c) If so, the details thereof including plan for proper upkeep / maintenance of these charging stations?

Answer by: The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, New & Renewable Energy and the Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (Shri R.K. Singh)

Answer

(a) Government is providing incentives to the consumers for adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs). Some of the incentives are as follows:

(i) The Government has launched the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 which provides for the vision and roadmap for the faster adoption of electric vehicles and their manufacturing in the country.
(ii) Under Phase-I of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-India) Scheme, the Department of Heavy Industry sanctioned about 500 Charging Stations/ Infrastructure for about Rs. 43 Crore (approx.) in cities like Bangalore, Chandigarh, Jaipur and NCR of Delhi.
(iii) Phase-II of FAME-India Scheme will mainly focus on supporting electrification of public & shared transportation, and aims to support through incentives about 7000 e-Buses, 5 lakh e-3 Wheelers, 55000 e-4 Wheeler Passenger Cars and 10 lakh e-2 Wheelers.
(iv) Recent initiatives taken by the Government to promote Electric Vehicles:

— GST on EVs has been reduced from 12% to 5%.

— Income tax rebate of up to INR 1.5 lakhs on interest payable on loans for purchase of EVs.

— Customs duty exemptions on parts exclusively used in EVs (e-drive assembly, on-board charger, e-compressor, and charging gun)

(b) Following actions have been taken to facilitate installation of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles:

(i) No license requirement for charging of Electric Vehicles with reference to the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003.
(ii) The Government of India has, after extensive consultations with State Governments, different departments/agencies of Central Government and the stakeholders issued “Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles – Guidelines and Standards” in 2018 to roll out EV Public Charging Infrastructure as national priority.
(ii) Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has issued amendments to following regulations of CEA:
(iii) Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Connectivity to the Distributed Generation Resources) Amendment Regulations, 2019.
(iv) Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Amendment Regulations, 2019.
(v) Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has issued following amendments to building by-laws and Urban and Regional Development Plan Formulation for facilitation of Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles:
(vi) Amendments in Model Building Bye-Laws (MBBL – 2016) for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.
(vii) Amendments in Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation Guidelines (URDPFI – 2014) for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.
(viii) EESL and NTPC have installed Public Charging Stations (PCS) at various locations. EESL has installed 68 PCS while NTPC has installed 72 PCS in various cities across the country.