(ET)
Setting up charging stations for electric vehicles does not need a separate licence under the Electricity Act of 2003, the government has said, giving a big boost to ambitious EV plans. The clarification follows confusion over whether during charging of battery for use in electric vehicles, the charging station performs any activity of transmission, distribution or trading of electricity, which would require a license under the Act. “The charging of battery essentially involves utilisation of electrical energy for its conversion to chemical energy, which gets stored in the battery. Thus, charging of the battery of an electric vehicle by a charging station involves a service requiring consumption of electricity by the charging station and earning revenue for this purpose from the owner of the vehicle,” the power ministry said in a recent statement.
