The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has authorized an indigenously developed AC and DC combination light EV charging connector standard, such as scooters, bikes, and rickshaws. The standards for mobile phone charging connectors, like the USB Type-C charger or Apple’s lightning charger, are essentially comparable to those for electric vehicle (EV) charging connectors.
With cooperation from NITI Aayog, the Department of Science and Technology, electric two-wheeler manufacturer Ather Energy, and numerous other government and industry stakeholders, the new standard, ISI7017 (Part 2 / Sec 7): 2023, was approved by BIS last week.
What makes the new EV charging standard for bikes and scooters unique?
For LEVs, the locally created charging standard is the first in the world to combine direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC). Electric four-wheeler combined AC and DC charging standards, such as the widely used Combined EV Charging System (CCS) standard in Europe, are already in use globally.
Because of its compatibility, which allows it to be utilized by many EV models and charging infrastructure providers, a combined charging standard is appealing.
But why does India require a national standard?
There is no requirement for EV manufacturers in India to use a particular standard for charging connectors. Consequently, multiple EV charging protocols are utilized by electric two-wheeler manufacturers including Ola Electric, Ather Energy, and Ultraviolette Automotive for their EVs. This is comparable to how Android phones use a USB Type-C port and Apple phones used a lightning port until recently.
For example, Ola’s exclusive hyperchargers are made specifically to charge Ola Electric Scooters. Hero Vida V1 e-scooters and Ather Energy’s own scooters both employ the open-source charging protocol. (Hero MotoCorp is a significant Ather shareholder.) Additionally, only charging connectors that comply with the international charging standard IEC 62196-6 are suitable with Ultraviolette’s e-scooters.
Contrary to phones, however, there are too many charging standards for EVs, making it challenging for public EV charging stations to accommodate each unique type. This contributes to range anxiety, which is the worry that a car may run out of fuel and that there won’t be a place to recharge it.
Even now, the newly accepted standard does not require EV manufacturers to use a consistent standard that can assist in resolving range anxiety and encourage the faster adoption of EVs, even while it solves the issue of disparate standards for AC and DC charging by creating a combined standard.
What is the state of affairs in other nations worldwide?
- CHINA: GB/T is the national standard for EV charging connectors. This standard is used by the world’s largest electric car market, both in terms of sales and registered vehicles. China’s national standard and one of the densest networks of charging stations globally have made it possible to effectively manage range anxiety problems.
- UNITED STATES: Although there isn’t a national standard in the US, EV manufacturers have been working together to promote some level of standardization. To enable their EVs to use Tesla’s network of fast chargers across North America, Ford and General Motors (GM) are implementing the North American Charging Standard (NACS), which was created by Tesla.
- EUROPE: The charging connector standard that is most widely used in this region is CCS, which is mandated by the European Union (EU) for EV charging networks. For the European market, Tesla incorporates CCS into all of its vehicles and incorporates it into Superchargers, which are public charging stations that are accessible to both Tesla and other electric vehicle users.
- JAPAN: CHAdeMO, a charging standard created in 2010, is the most widely used standard in Japan. The Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV are two of the few EVs that can only be charged via CHAdeMO charging stations in North America, where CHAdeMO is being phased out.
