EV push: Bureau of Indian Standards approves indigenous charging standards for 2Ws, 3Ws

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has granted approval to an indigenous AC and DC combined charging connector standard designed for light electric vehicles (LEVs), known as IS17017 (Part 2/Sec 7): 2023.

This is claimed to be the world’s first-ever combined AC and DC charging connector standard for LEVs and is designed and engineered in India and can become the benchmark globally for LEVs.

The introduction of this standard benefits all stakeholders in the EV ecosystem, including vehicle owners, manufacturers and charging point operators.

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In addition, OEMs will now have a choice to move away from relying solely on international standards and protocols. “Since more than 75 per cent 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. Several government bodies and private sector OEMs came together to make this happen,” said BVR Subrahmanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog.

“This is a unique global innovation indigenously developed by BIS. It facilitates both AC (slow) and DC (fast) charging from the same service point or station and has enormous potential for the adoption and proliferation of electric mobility,” he added.

The initiative was undertaken by NITI Aayog, the Department of Science and Technology, ARAI, EV makers and the Bureau of Indian Standards to develop a national standard to help create an open ecosystem that will drive faster EV adoption across the globe.

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Addressing the gap

Moreover, the standard addresses a large gap in the market for a standardised connector for an AC and DC combined charging system for light electric vehicles (two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and microcars).

A combined AC and DC charging connector ensures that a hybrid, cost-efficient infrastructure emerges for all forms of charging, whether fast or slow, for light electric vehicles. The customer benefits from having an interoperable network for fast and slow charging without carrying a bulky charger with them.

Swapnil Jain, Founder, Ather Energy, said, “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 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.”