Charge of the eV Brigade pg.59 Price ` 250. february 16, 2018

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They’re making Their own rules, and Their own business models. 0 and They’re 3 deTermined under 3 To make a 0 difference

www.forbesindia.com Road to electric conglomerates & eV infra

having charging points at the right locations and informing the public about the same is essential to make EV-ready

Paving the Way Many conglomerates are dipping into their resources and technical expertise to build supporting infrastructure like charging stations, which will ensure electric vehicles have a smooth ride on Indian roads

By Ruchika Shah

ithout supporting (SMEV), there are about 4.15 lakh years, have now assumed the infrastructure, an electric two-wheelers, 18 lakh mantle of making India EV-ready. electric vehicle electric three-wheelers, 6,100 , Tata Power (EV) is just a electric four-wheelers and 21 electric Distribution Limited (TPDDL)—a showpiece— buses plying on Indian roads. joint venture between Tata Power Wan innovation sitting pretty in The public charging infrastructure, and the Delhi government, where a garage. Even as governments which alone will ensure they stay the former owns 51 percent—NTPC push to replace polluting internal on the road, is, however, negligible. Limited, JSW Energy, Bharat Heavy combustion engines with cleaner There were just 353 public charging Electricals Limited (BHEL), Oil and EVs, the major impediment to their stations in India till 2016 (100 in Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) adoption is ‘range anxiety’—the Bengaluru alone), of which less than and Power Grid Corporation fear that an electric vehicle will run a tenth were fast charging stations, of India (PGCIL) are digging out of power before it reaches its according to market research and into their resources, technical destination or a charging point. advisory firm BIS Research. expertise and experience to build According to the Society of To that end, Indian conglomerates, charging networks and supporting photographs: a mit Verma photographs: Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles with legacies spanning 18 to 100 infrastructure in the country.

74 | forbes india february 16 , 2018 The companies Forbes India spoke LoCatinG a CharGinG Point Sharma. The company’s to say they are working at a slow But what is the use of a robust charging points allow users to check but steady pace, with one eye on network if it’s not easy to locate or pay charging status and units consumed. government policies and the other on for? Unlike petrol pumps, charging the type of EVs and charging points stations are likely to be unmanned the CoSt of CharGinG that emerge from manufacturers. operations. So it will be important The cost of charging will be “We are working on three for the customer to be equipped calculated on two parameters. One, aspects: 1) Creating the necessary with all the information necessary to the fixed component, or the type of grid infrastructure to provide make optimum use of the services. infrastructure deployed and, two, electricity on demand; 2) Physical The UK and Ireland have the energy charge, which is the amount charging infrastructure for different Zap-Map app for Android and iOS of energy consumed in charging the types of e-vehicles and chargers; users that gives real-time information vehicle, explains TPDDL’s Sinha. and 3) Software to help customers about 5,000 locations, 8,000 devices TPDDL is planning to implement access the charging network,” says and 14,000 connectors. “Fortum, a variable tariff structure, where Praveer Sinha, CEO, TPDDL. the leading electricity retailer and charging during peak hours will cost charge point operator (CPO) in the more. “We want to discourage the use Grid and CharGinG StationS Nordics, has user interface clubbing of chargers during peak hours when The most important aspect is grid real-time charging station availability electricity consumption is high,” he stability, to ensure it can endure tracker with flexible payment says. Afternoons in the summer when any demand. “For EV charging, power is required in large quantities for a short span and “it is critical to define that will need necessary grid and charging solutions,” says Sinha. Whether Providing charging TPDDL has plans to set up 1,000 charging stations over the solutions Will be construed next five years in New Delhi, with as a free market-driven an investment of `150 crore. It is in talks with certain shopping service or Will it be under malls and the Delhi Metro Rail regulated license-driven Corporation (DMRC) to set up charging points in their parking lots sale of PoWer.” so that shoppers can charge their —manasvi manas sharma, tata Power, head of strategy EVs while they’re parked there. For charging points, choosing the right location is as important as options—a benchmark solution that air-conditioners take up maximum setting them up. “Availability and can simplify end-user EV adoption,” grid load and mornings and nights cost of locations, especially in large writes Prashant Mittal, strategist, in winter when most households use cities where real estate is expensive Ambit Capital, in a research note. geysers and heaters are considered and limited, can become a deterrent Fortum and the Navratna company peak hours. Sharma says, “A time- in creating charging infrastructure,” NBCC have signed a memorandum of-the-day tariff structure can says Manasvi Manas Sharma, of understanding (MoU) to develop control charging behaviour.” head of strategy at Tata Power. charging infrastructure across India. NTPC, which is evaluating In , the Tata group has TPDDL is developing an app its foray into the EV value chain set up three charging stations: that will provide information about to set up infrastructure for all One in Vikhroli and one each charging points, cost, consumption vehicle segments, says its charging at Phoenix Market City mall in and how much distance the EV tariff will be different in each city Kurla and at can travel with available battery based on the input power prices, Lower Parel to ‘charge-as-you- juice. This is so important that the battery capacities, customer price shop’. “The government can help government authorities developing EV sensitivities and charging demand. earmark important locations. Some infrastructure protocol are building Electricity apart, major costs state governments are already this requirement into charging include installation, operations and addressing this,” adds Sharma. standards, according to Tata Power’s maintenance of chargers, cost of land

february 16 , 2018 forbes india | 75 Road to electric conglomerates & eV infra and even back-end power supply CoSt to Set uP its board of directors to venture infrastructure. NTPC recently signed a CharGinG Station into EV manufacturing, energy an MoU with the Jabalpur Smart City ● slow Charging: `50,000 storage and charging infrastructure authority to cooperate on e-mobility in ● Fast Charging: `10-15 lakh either directly or by setting up the city and is in talks with other city, subsidiaries. With a target to municipal and transport corporations launch its own “futuristic” EV by and potential partners like airports 2020, it expects to incur a capital and metro corporations for last-mile expenditure of `3,500-4,000 crore. connectivity space. “You can expect JSW Energy had earlier signed an some pilot projects in the near-term,” MoU with the Gujarat government says an NTPC spokesperson. “Given to set up a factory to manufacture our ability to mobilise cheap capital EVs and its ancillaries. While much from multiple sources, investment hasn’t been said about its upcoming planning is not a big challenge.” car, reports suggest it may make a Like TPDDL and Tata Power, sedan in the `10-12 lakh range. It NTPC too prefers a time-of-the-day is also studying off-grid solutions tariff structure. “To encourage early which will allow people to integrate adoption of EVs, the power tariff rooftop solar power generation at needs to be structured at the lowest home with batteries, once prices slabs. Being a regulated entity, NTPC drop significantly, to take EV will be able to pass on the benefits charging off the grid completely. of reduced power tariffs to end Likewise, Anil Agarwal-led consumers,” says the spokesperson. Vedanta Resources is looking at “It is critical for the government to cobalt, a byproduct of its copper mines, to aid its energy storage plans. Other state-run entities in the EV there Were just 353 Public fray include ONGC which has plans to venture into battery manufacturing charging stations in india units, storage facility and charging. It may use till 2016; less than a tenth Corporation Limited’s (HPCL)— Were fast charging stations ONGC recently agreed to acquire 52.5 percent stake in HPCL for `36,915 crore—13,000 petrol pumps to set up define whether charging solutions will While Goldstone imports its charging points. PGCIL and BHEL be driven by the free market forces its electric motors, chassis and are eyeing charging infrastructure and or if it will be licence-driven,” says controllers from BYD, the bus building electric buses, cars, two- Sharma. This policy can set the level body is designed in India. To meet wheelers and boats, respectively. and pace of proliferation of charging charging requirements, it provides An ideal electric vehicle ecosystem networks in the country, he adds. fast chargers at depots. Going is where the EVs are charged using Hyderabad-based Goldstone ahead, “we would be very keen to renewable energy, many experts Infratech, which assembles electric provide e-chargers for the public believe. NTPC, which has a large buses in partnership with China’s when the demand develops,” adds solar power capacity says, “if we BYD, has supplied six e-buses Rawal. Goldstone is also planning can own and operate the charging to the Brihanmumbai Municipal to set up a greenfield electric bus infrastructure and supply power from Corporation and also fulfilled a part manufacturing facility in South India renewable sources, the whole effort of its 25-bus order to the Himachal with an investment of `500 crore. Its will become environment friendly”. Road Transport Corporation. It current capacity of 500 buses will be But given the fact that India’s EV forged a partnership with BYD, the scaled up as EV adoption increases. sector is in a nascent stage, idealism world’s largest electric vehicles Goldstone is not the only Indian isn’t realistic. What will be important maker, two years ago “sensing an company to realise the potential of is to achieve the task at hand—creating acute need for such vehicles”, says manufacturing EVs. JSW Energy a supportive infrastructure network NK Rawal, MD, Goldstone Infratech. has received a go-ahead from with urgency—and doing it right.

76 | forbes india february 16 , 2018