(a) whether the Government has formulated any plan to roll out charging infrastructure across the country for electric vehicles;
(b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons for the delay; and
(c) the steps taken by the Government for promoting vehicles among the people as much as possible to reduce air pollution?
THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
( SHRI R.K. SINGH)
(a) & (b) : Yes, Sir, following actions have been taken to facilitate installation of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles:
(i) No license requirement for charging of Electric Vehicles: Ministry of Power on 13.04.2018 has issued clarification on Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles with reference to the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003 that no license will be required for setting up charging stations.
(ii) Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles – Revised Guidelines and Standards: The Government of India have, after extensive consultations with State Governments, different departments/agencies of Central Government and the stakeholders issued “Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles – Guidelines and Standards” dated 14.12.2018, which was further revised on 01.10.2019 to roll out EV Public Charging Infrastructure as national priority.
(iii) Grid Connectivity and Safety regulations: Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has issued amendments to following regulations of CEA:
1. Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Connectivity to the Distributed Generation Resources) Amendment Regulations, 2019.
2. Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Amendment Regulations, 2019.
(iv) 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:
a. Amendments in Model Building Bye-Laws (MBBL – 2016) for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.
b. Amendments in Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation Guidelines (URDPFI – 2014) for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.
(v) 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.
(c) : Government is providing incentives to the consumers for adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs). Some of the incentives are as follows:
(i) The Department of Heavy Industry (DHI), Government of India 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. This plan has been designed to enhance national fuel security, to provide affordable and environmentally friendly transportation and to enable the Indian automotive industry to achieve global manufacturing leadership.
(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. In addition, creation of charging infrastructure will be also supported to address range anxiety among users of electric vehicles. The scheme provides for INR 1000 Crores for installation of Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles for year 2019-22. Under Phase-II of Fame India Scheme, Department of Heavy Industry has sanctioned 2,636 EV Charging Stations amounting to Rs 500 Crore (Approx.) in 62 cities across 24 States/UTs till date.
(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)
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