India Electric Vehicle Charging & EV Battery Swapping – Inputs & Insights | India Renewable Energy Consulting

The EV charging market in India is still in its niche stage, in order to boost the electric vehicle (EV) charging market in India, the government is framing new regulations and policy for mass adoption of EVs in India through FAME II. Here is a broad view of the future of EVs in the country (Click on each section for more details).

Current Scenario in India’s EV Infrastructure – Electric Vehicle Charging Station Tech, Biz Models, Battery Swapping – India is in its initial stages of electrifying road transport. The extent of EV charging and battery swapping infrastructure is hence very minimal right now. However, there is a keen interest in charging and swapping, with a number of small and large corporates taking their first steps and initiatives. This post provides an overview of the current status of India’s EV charging and battery swapping infra and the perspectives of the Indian government in enhancing this infrastructure.
EV Charging Station Growth – India & Global AC & Fast DC Electric Vehicle Charging Trends – Electric vehicles can be charged using standard AC charging (which could take up to 8 hours to charge the batteries) or fast DC charging ( which could charge 80% of the battery capacity in less than an hour). Both of these charging technologies are prevalent world over, and in India too, both these are expected to co-exist. This post provides data and details on the growth and evolution of AC and DC charging in prominent international geographies and in India.
Components of EV Charging Station – Power Electronics, Charge Controller, Network Controller, Cables – Charging an electric vehicle battery is not fundamentally very different from charging the batteries of any of our electrical or electronic devices. However, the fact that many of these charging stations will be in public areas, and many of them (especially DC fast chargers) could also be having significant capacities (some of the largest DC chargers in the world already are over 200 kW as of early 2020) mean that the components of these charging stations would need to be customized to perform such enhanced roles. This post provides details on the various components of an EV charging station, the roles they perform and basic technology background for each.
Components of BMS – Battery Management System Functions, Software & Hardware – The battery management system (BMS) is the brain of the battery-based storage system as it controls all the vital functions of a battery and manages the charging and discharging of the battery to maximize performance and safety. The BMS at the heart is software but it is embedded in a hardware that has its own role to play. This post provides detailed inputs on the BMS and its components in the context of their use in electric vehicle batteries.
India EV Charging Stations Stakeholders – Solution Providers, Installers for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations – Implementing public EV charging stations need to have in the mix EV charging technology/solution providers and installers or system integrators who can implement these solutions at the desired locations. This post provides details and profiles of these stakeholders and provides prominent companies and businesses in India in each of these categories.
EV Charging Station Installation & O&M Costs for India – Normal AC Charging, Fast DC Charging – EV charging stations (excluding land cost) could cost in a few tens of thousands if it is a small capacity AC charger or in tens of lakhs if it is a large capacity DC fast charger. The O&M costs will also vary depending on the type of charging station and the source for the electricity, among others. This detailed post provides indicative capital and O&M costs for AC and DC EV charging stations.
Cost Components for Setting Up an EV Charging Station – AC, DC Fast Charging – Hardware, Software, Permits… – Implementing an EV charging station requires, in addition to land, a comprehensive set of hardware and software solutions. These fall in the broad categories of chargers and charge controllers, power electronics, SCADA software, communication software, electricals such as connectors, cables etc., billing and administration software, and finally equipment and solutions for safety and security of operations. The total cost of installation thus comprises the costs for each these along with land costs, cost for installation services, permits for operating the charging station etc. This post provides inputs and data for the cost break-up of an EV charging station across these components.
EV Battery Swapping Stations in India – Electric Vehicle Battery Swap Companies, Biz Models… – Battery swapping is a conceptually simple mechanism in which instead of the vehicle charging the batteries, he/she simply swaps a depleted battery for a fully charged battery, and the depleted battery gets charged offline. As one can easily visualize, battery swapping for electric vehicles have the potential to eliminate the long charging times needed for a vehicle owner to charge the batteries otherwise. This post provides details of this interesting technology in India, by providing lists of battery swapping stations and companies that are investing in this idea.