Indian government seeks proposals for 1,000 EV charging stations under FAME-II scheme

19 July 2019 Isha Sharma

The Indian government has invited bids to set up around 1,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the country under the second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme, reports Livemint. The EV chargers will be installed in cities with a population of more than 1 million as per the 2011 census, as well as smart cities as notified by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; satellite towns connected to seven metros (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai); major cities in special-category states/union territories; and capital cities of all states not covered in the above categories. Interested entities must submit their entities by 20 August.

Significance: Each of the 1,000 charging stations will be required to have at least six chargers, and at least one of the six chargers must be a Combined Charging System (CCS) or CHAdeMO fast charger with a minimum of 50 kW of power. Other chargers that are allowed include Type-2 AC fast chargers (minimum 22 kW), Bharat DC 001 chargers (minimum 15 kW), and Bharat AC 001 chargers (minimum 10 kW). The chargers must also have advanced features such as Smart Metering, Cellular Capability, and Network Connectivity. The stations will be installed at public places for commercial purposes (Category A); within the premises of a state or central government office complex, government hospitals/clinics/dispensaries, government educational institutions, or any other public office for non-commercial use (Category B); and within semi-restricted premises for commercial or non-commercial purposes (Category C). Stations in Categories A, B, and C will be eligible for maximum incentives of 70%, 100%, and 50% of the cost of the charger, respectively. A total of INR100 billion (USD1.4 billion) has been allocated to the FAME-II scheme, of which nearly INR10 billion has been earmarked to set up charging infrastructure. The scheme proposes establishing a charging infrastructure with about 2,700 EV charging stations over the three years of FAME-II. On highways, charging stations will be established on both sides of the road at intervals of about 25 kilometres.