Open Business: Soon You Can Set Up An Electric Vehicle Charging Station Without Any Special License
The opportunity to open up an EV charging station will now be available to all the individuals in the country without the requirement of any licence. The charging stations however will be monitored and have to meet the set standards and specifications. There will also be an upper cap on the charges of these stations.
While most of the indigenous automakers have shown interest in opening electric vehicle charging stations, the Government is ready to further boost the proposition. As per a senior government official, the opportunity to open up an EV charging station will now be available to all the individuals in the country without the requirement of any licence.
There is no qualification criteria for anyone who would want to open up an electric charging station which essentially means that the possibility is open for everyone alike. The charging stations, however, will be monitored and have to meet the set standards and specifications. There will also be an upper cap on the charges of these stations.
As per the official ¡°The person (setting up a charging station) should apply for connectivity and the distribution company is bound to provide connectivity. Obtaining electricity from open access is also permissible.¡±
Reuters
The charges/ tariffs will be fixed for the electricity supply by the State electricity regulatory commissions (SERCs) with an upper cap of 15 percent over the average cost of supply. As for the charges put up by the station to the end consumer, those will be limited by an upper cap set up by the state governments.
The notification that mentioned that no requirement of a separate license under the Electricity Act of 2003 for setting up an electric charging station was issued early this year.
Through this move, the government clearly wants to push the use of electric vehicles in the country. Earlier, the centre had proposed a bill suggesting a mandate for buildings and parking lots to install electric charging facilities for vehicles.
In addition, the transport ministry also did away with the requirement of a commercial permit for electric vehicles recently. With more such initiatives, the government is certainly looking to create the ideal ecosystem for auto makers and the consumers alike to shift to electric vehicles.
