Revised tariffs for EV charging stations: 30% less during 9 am-4 pm; 30% extra for rest of the day

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission has issued guidelines to revise the Time of Day (ToD) billing for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations into two zones, under which lower tariff will be effective from 9 am to 4 pm and higher rates for the rest of the day.

As per the directive, the hours between 9 am and 4 pm would be considered as the solar period, where tariff would be 30 per cent less than the normal rates. On the other hand, the remaining hours would be the non-solar period, when the tariff will increase by 30 per cent over the normal. For instance, considering ₹100 as the normal rate, an EV charging station can expect a bill of ₹70 for power consumption from 9 am to 4 pm and ₹130 for 4 pm to 9 am.

The Commission revised the tariff based on the new guidelines regarding the functioning of EV charging stations released by the Central Government. Currently, three zones exist for ToD billing in Kerala: 6 am to 6 pm, 6 pm to 10 pm, and 10 pm to 6 am.

With the new move, the Central government aims to encourage charging of EVs during the daytime. However, EV charging stations who have installed on-grid captive solar power plants could suffer a loss if they fail to consume the maximum solar power which they generate between 9 am and 4 pm. This is because, henceforth, the power they supply to the grid from 4 pm to 9 am will not be recorded in the meter. Additionally, when these charging stations supply the unused solar power generated by them to the grid between 9 am and 4 pm, and later consume power from the grid from 4 pm to 9 am, they would only be able to use 53 per cent of the power they had earlier supplied to the grid. In such a situation, EV charging stations would find that utilising the maximum solar power they generate by reducing the rates collected from vehicle owners for charging during daytime and attracting more customers would be more profitable.

The regulatory commission’s directive also says that the discount in tariff offered to charging stations should be passed on to vehicle owners. However, the Commission lacks powers to issue an order in this regard. Meanwhile, the Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd. (KSEB) has informed the Commission that the charging stations operated by it are already implementing this directive. It is pointed out that the number of people charging their vehicles during daytime would increase significantly and power consumption fall drastically during the night, once private charging stations also offer reduced rates to customers during daytime.