The Ministry of Power (MoP) has issued “Guidelines for Installation and Operation of Battery Swapping and Charging Stations”, which shall be applicable to swappable battery providers, owners and operators of battery charging stations and swapping stations in India.
The main objectives of the guidelines are to promote battery swapping as an alternative method for powering electric vehicles compared to fixed battery systems, encourage battery-as-a-service models, and develop a robust battery swapping ecosystem. Owners of battery charging stations or battery swapping stations can utilise their existing electricity connections for charging swappable batteries, with or without increasing the connected load. Larger vehicles like trucks and buses may deploy liquid-cooled swappable batteries for efficient charging and swapping. Adherence to electrical safety standards for the stations are also emphasized with extra provisions.
Clauses 5, 7, 9, 11, sub-clause 5 of clause12, and 20 of the principal guidelines titled “guidelines for installation and operation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure – 2024”, shall also be applicable for battery charging stations, battery swapping stations and battery providers. These include provision of public land at promotional/subsidised rates for public charging stations, the tariff for electricity supply to EV charging stations and guidelines for charging station network. This ensures that these facilities are integrated within broader EV infrastructure planning.
