New policy documents have stated that the charging plan of the Delhi government for electric vehicles offers incentives for battery swapping facility operators as well as 1 public charging spot for 15 EVs by 2024.
The government will also be able to have power distribution companies (or the discoms), study the effects of EV Charging on the grid.
Delhi government released ‘the charging action plan’ for electric vehicles after two years of its EV Policy, which was launched in 2020.
According to the plan, the greatest obstacle to the large-scale adoption of EVs was insufficient charging infrastructure.
The document was titled “Charging/Swapping Infrastructure Action Plan for 2022-25” and stated that the Delhi EV Policy will provide an incentive to operators of battery swapping facilities.
According to the plan, if the vehicle is not sold with the battery, energy operators would receive up to 50% of the purchase incentive to ensure that the end-user does not have to make a large deposit.
It stated that vehicle manufacturers would be encouraged to register swappable models separately.
The document states that it is necessary because the battery capacity of the same vehicle model can be different for swappable or non-swappable models. Therefore, the purchase incentives are tied to battery capacity.
It stated that vehicle and battery manufacturers would be encouraged to form a consortium to receive incentives. Incentives will only be given to the lead member of this consortium to facilitate administrative tasks.
According to the government, battery swapping could be a viable solution for electric two- and three-wheelers that make up the largest percentage of EVs in the country.
It allows customers to buy an EV without a lithium battery, which significantly reduces its cost.
Batteries are typically 40-50% of total EV costs. This also protects the EV user against battery degradation. It stated that battery swapping can be a key enabler to accelerating India’s electric mobility transition.
According to the action plan, Delhi will align its future actions with the draft battery swapping policy published on April 20, 2022, by NITI Aayog and any subsequent amendments.
According to the action plan, the rapid adoption of EVs will lead to the installation of large numbers of charging stations.
The document states that the grid management impact of EV charging will be examined as well.
The Discoms of Delhi will conduct joint studies to assess and recommend measures to reduce the negative effects of EV charging on grids.
It stated that the Department of Transport would work with discoms in order to recommend measures such as ‘time-of day’ tariffs or managed charges’ to regulators.
According to the document, one public charging point will be established in Delhi for each 15 EV by the end of 2024. It will be spread equally across Delhi and reachable within three kilometres of any location in Delhi.
It stated that a charger-to-EV ratio of 1:15 would translate to approximately 18,000 charging stations to meet the demand for electric vehicles (25% of total vehicle registrations).
According to the plan, customers can trust EVs if they are safe while charging. All public EV charging stations in Delhi must comply with the provisions in the Central Electricity Authority’s Technical Standards for Connectivity of Distributed Generation Resources Amendment Regulations 2019, and the Central Electricity Authority’s Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply (Amendment), Regulations 2019.
The plan stated that 42% of India’s vehicular pollution comes from two- and three-wheelers.
According to the document, land in Delhi is a limited resource. It will therefore leverage existing private and semipublic spaces (like those found in Delhi).
Shopping malls, theatres and hospitals, Kirana shops, cinemas, theatres, workplaces, group housing societies, etc. These have high dwell times for vehicles and parking spaces.
It stated that Delhi aims to be one of the most ‘Light EV-friendly’ cities in the world.
It stated that it was difficult for consumers to find chargers that work with their vehicles and that they are reliable.
It said that the installation of EV charging stations in Delhi could be hampered due to a lack of awareness, multiple stakeholders, cost of chargers and connections, as well as a lack of incentives.
