India Develops First-Ever Indigenous Charging Standard For Electric Two and Three-Wheelers

Published On: 18 October 2023
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This brand-new cost effective combined charging connector for LEVs is a great initiative and makes charging more feasible for two and three-wheeled vehicles than getting it charged from the expensive four-wheeler charging stations.

India Develops First-Ever Indigenous Charging Standard

It is a victorious moment for India as the country has developed its first indigenously developed first ever AC and DC combined charging connector standard for LEVs or light electric vehicles comprising two & three-wheelers along with micro cars. This is going to be the world’s first-ever AC and DC combined charging connector standard for LEVs. And it is thoroughly designed and engineered in the country itself.

This new charging system saw the Department of Science and Technology, the NITI Aayog, electric vehicle makers, ARAI, and the Bureau of Indian Standards come together to develop a national standard. This new technology gives life to a new venture that combines aAC and DC charging connecting standard for LEVS. But, this will not be a gift to India’s LEVs, if adopted globally, all world’s LEVs would get enhanced and more efficient charging. This new unified charging system will not only help the EV owners but also the charge point operators as well as the manufacturers.

B V R Subrahmanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog, commented on the new charging standard for LEV, “I am happy to note the development of a combined charging standard which is an absolute necessity if we are to achieve our EV target. A strong need was felt for a combined charging system for Light EVs in India and since such an option of charging both from an AC or a DC outlet, whichever is available conveniently for them. Since more than 75% of new vehicles sold in India are either two or three-wheelers, we created a standard that impacts the biggest chunk of the vehicle market. Secvera; government bodies and private sector OEMs came together to make this happen.”

He further added,” This is a unique global innovation that has been indigenously developed by BIS. It facilitates both AC(slow) and DC(fast) charging from the same service point/station and has enormous potential for adoption and proliferation of Electric Mobility. This is also a fine example of what we can achieve when good policy, innovation, and enterprise come together to guide the country in the right direction. We expect the new standard to be one of the most helpful factors in making India a global player in the clean mobility space.”

Swapnil Jain, Founder of Ather Energy commented, “Taking our stride further in the EV space today, we have an EV charging standard for India with the potential to be implemented worldwide. This is a remarkable achievement because, for the first time, an India-designed and developed technology can be used globally. As a country, we have come a long way because we are no longer dependent on any EV technology transfer from outside India to create something that has a worldwide market. This could well be the tipping point that catapults India into a global league of technology-based solution providers in the EV-automobile sector that only a few countries in the world are capable of.”

Niranjan Gupta, CEO of Hero Motocorp commented, “A home-grown connector standard is a breakthrough achievement for the country and the EV industry, aligned with the government’s ‘Make in India’ policy. In fact, it is not just about Make in India any more, it is ‘Innovate in India and Make for the World’. Along with Ather Energy, it has been Hero Motocorp’s constant endeavour to take the industry forward and make India the global leader in the light electric vehicle category. This development will go a long way in the pursuance of our vision. We appreciate the government agencies for passing this landmark standard that will provide convenience to customers. Congratulations to the teams at Ather Energy and Hero Motocorp for supporting this significant government initiative.”

This brand-new cost effective combined charging connector for LEVs is a great initiative and makes charging more feasible for two and three-wheeled vehicles than getting it charged from the expensive four-wheeler charging stations. It not only lowers the pricing for slow and fast charging from a common connector, but also supports an interoperable network for charging, while customers need not have to carry heavy chargers with their vehicle all the time.