Charging infra guidelines for electric vehicles get nod

News:The Power ministry has revised guidelines for setting up charging infrastructure for Electric Vehicles(EVs).

Facts:

What is the need of charging infrastructure:

• The lack of charging infrastructure is one of the main reasons behind poor adoption of electric mobility in India.
• The State Transport Units(STUs) who have also started operating electric busses on different routes lacks charging infrastructure.

Highlights of the new guidelines:

• The guidelines aims at setting up charging stations in the country and to increase the availability of charging-related infrastructure in the next decade.
• It provides for installation of one electric vehicle charging station after every four kilometers in cities and twenty five kilometers on both ways of highways connecting to these cities.
• The plan to increase charging infrastructure will go through different phases wherein the mega cities with a population of over 4 million and highways connected to these cities will be considered in the first one-to three-year period.
• In the second phase within three to five years period, big cities like state capitals, union territory headquarters may be covered for distributed and demonstrative effect.
• Government will also install separate charging stations for heavy electric vehicles like buses or trucks after every 100 kilometres on both sides of highways.
• Bureau of Energy Efficiency(BEE) has been nominated as the Central Nodal Agency to facilitate installation of Charging Infrastructure.

Additional information:

About BEE:

• The BEE is a statutory body under the Ministry of Power,Government of India.
• It was set up under the provisions of Energy Conservation Act,2001.
• Its mission is to assist in developing policies with the primary objective of reducing energy intensity of the Indian Economy.
• BEE coordinates with designated consumers, designated agencies and other organizations.It recognizes, identify and utilize the existing resources and infrastructure in performing the functions assigned to it under the Energy Conservation Act.