Charging of electric vehicle batteries through a station does not require a licence under the provisions of the Electricity Act, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.
The written reply by Heavy Industries Minister HD Kumaraswamy in the Lok Sabha came on a question about whether the government had any plan to licence battery charging facilities, swapping facilities for electric vehicles and if so, whether the licence would be given by any existing authority or by a new authority.
"As per clarification on charging infrastructure for electric vehicles issued by the Ministry of Power on April 13, 2018, it was clarified that the electric vehicle battery charging through charging station does not require a licence under the provisions of Electricity Act," Kumaraswamy clarified.
"NITI Aayog released the draft battery-swapping policy for public consultation in 2022. Battery swapping is an alternative, which involves exchanging discharged batteries for charged ones and provides flexibility to charge them separately," the minister said.
The details of the draft Battery Swapping Policy are available at the website of NITI Aayog.
"No such proposal is under consideration in the Ministry of Heavy Industries," he said about whether the government has stipulated any technical training for operating such battery charging facilities.
Earlier in Nov. 19, Tarun Kapoor, adviser to the prime minister, had said that the government was fully supportive and there was a need to look at the goods and services tax on batteries and charging stations.
"The government is keen on taking electric vehicle penetration to 30% by 2030, and in that pursuit, there is a need to lower GST on batteries for EVs and charging infrastructure," Kapoor had said while speaking at a Ficci event named 'Electric Vehicles – Accelerating E-mobility: Enablers and Imperative' in New Delhi.
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