Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure: NITI Aayog’s Policy Review Part – 2

So far, we have discussed EVSE, Battery Capacity Segmentation, and Battery Swapping when we reviewed NITI Aayog’s Policy Document on Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. If you missed all of these sections, along with concrete recommendations made by Exhibit, you could read all of them here. Let’s move on and go further with this document to assess what all things are here for you.

Public Charging Points

Not so important section, but you cannot ignore it. Well, it becomes important for stakeholders to think about bringing establishments and distance between such closest points. NITI Aayog has given the example of the EU and how they have kept different charging points or stations for several categories of vehicles. However, one should only see the good practices present in the EU countries and not adopt them as the conditions in India will be pretty different. In addition to this, Exhibit will also suggest you check how electricity for charging is getting produced. Even, Government and private players who will get involved in this domain need to ponder about green production of electricity. One such example is of setting up a Solar-powered electric vehicle charging station in Karnal (midpoint of Delhi and Chandigarh in the Delhi Chandigarh highway by BHEL). 

Setting Targets 

Don’t worry; you are not playing a cricket match where one of us has set a target for another. The Indian team had proved its mettle on Lord’s again a few days back when they defeated the England team by 151 runs. Since the core discussion is on electric vehicle charging infrastructure, we will stick to it. The Government of India, through different ministries, has set a target of where to install a charging station, be it in a public place, semi-public place, or private place. But, the issue is that again all this is going through different branches. Rather, the focus should be brought to a special-purpose vehicle or working group that will formulate everything in this sector. No doubt NITI Aayog has talked about nodal agencies and working groups. However, NITI Aayog has assigned different niches to them.

Assessing Demands

Trust me, but this section is very confined on which the policy formulation team has worked properly. Under this, NITI Aayog has laid out the assessment plan with which you as a stakeholder can understand the demand. NITI Aayog is right in its place to record data of how many vehicles are coming, along with the charging time it takes to refuel the batteries installed in EVs. Also, you have to examine the timeline to understand how this demand is increasing.

Leveraging Streets & Electricity Grids

NITI Aayog has also provided information on how a Germany-based startup has utilized the street poles to upgrade them and build mini charging points. Hence, there is optimum space for leveraging the street and its essential points where one recharges their EV batteries. And, to tap such poles for electricity, it becomes important to ponder electricity grid and street poles connection. But, if one thinks of such connections, one has to consider electricity tariff rates. For this purpose, all the state governments have to come up with a consolidated strategy. Consolidated strategy means instructing DISCOMS to establish a parallel framework or bring a new connection for such electricity supply. 

Final Remarks on NITI Aayog Policy’s on Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

No doubt, NITI Aayog has laid down a vibrant framework to ensure a country like India can create a conducive ecosystem. But, it also becomes necessary to work upon eliminating loopholes. For other Auto-Tech section articles, click here.

Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure: NITI Aayog’s Policy Review Part – 1

A few days ago, our Chief Editor, Ramesh Somani, came with a quote – Future is Electric. Yes, it is. As if Ramesh Somani has some sort of telepathy with one of the largest think tanks of this country – NITI Aayog. Why? Check out their website, and you will know why. Recently NITI Aayog has come up with their new handbook on Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. Now, terracotta environmentalists can differ from me that EV policy is not going to help. The 6th IPCC Report also showcases that human effort towards a better future in terms of climate change is not helping a lot. But, EVs can turn around things and reduce the penetration of pollutants in your vicinity. Let’s know what this handbook is all about from this Exhibit blog.

Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE)

If you don’t know what terminology I have just thrown towards you, let me make you understand it easily. Well, this EVSE is nothing but the core component of charging infrastructure. It’s like finding a charging station for your EV, like when you seek electric sockets to charge your smartphones. However, an EVSE has more niche than your smartphone charging point. It is because your EVSE is a public point and will not be present at your home. Hence, you must add more functionality, including user authorization, authentication process for charging, privacy, security, information storage, and network management for better regulations. 

Segmentation based on Battery Capacity

Trust me; it’s an important section. Wherever you go to fill the tanks of your car in a pumping station, you get several choices – petrol, diesel, power, CNG, etc. A similar sort of consideration should come in the charging infrastructure prospect of an EV. Why? Now, your two-wheeler EV will not have the same battery capacity that your four-wheeler will hold. Even when the Government of India will think about EV trucks, situations will become more different. So, if anyone thinks to install a charging infrastructure on any land, one must also ponder battery capacity segmentation. 

Battery Charging or Battery Swapping

EV battery charging methods will have different methods, consisting of AC or DC. Apart from this, the charging infrastructure must have a battery swapping facility if the lifespan of a battery finishes. But, it can be in a normal car repairing centre. No, it should not be there. You will like to know the reason for sure. See, many of these repairing centres will have the capital to go for such battery replacement. But batteries are a bit costly, and it won’t be possible for small repair centres. Thinking about the population of this country who will purchase EVs after the Vehicle Scrappage Policy, the demands for batteries will increase for sure. To meet such needs, charging infrastructure must add such facilities there. 

Final Remarks & Lacunae in Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

The Exhibit team has discussed hardly anything in the handbook that NITI Aayog has brought. So, I will get more editions for you by examining every aspect of this so-called future document, just like we did yesterday for these articles. However, before we wrap, this document can add some more facilities. Governments must think about installing computer vision cameras that can track the vehicle number of your car and integrate the same with the VAHAN portal to know its car details and accordingly give directions to a particular place where they can charge their batteries (due to different battery capacities). It is an age of automation, and charging infrastructure should have such arrangements. It will surely avoid a fuss even in an electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

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