KOCHI: The free charging enjoyed by electric vehicles (EV) owners at Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) charging stations will come to an end in two weeks. It will cost the EV owners Rs 15 per unit.
Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission has given directions to KSEB in this regard. Officials said that customers could charge EVs free of cost on a pilot basis for three months and it was planned to collect payments after that. But it got delayed due to glitches in the app ‘Electrify’ which allows the customer to identify the place of charging station, book slot and charge the vehicle and pay the amount digitally.
“The inauguration of the charging stations was held in December last year and we planned to start payment mode after three months. But it got delayed for eight months due to glitches. Now they have rectified it. We have to execute an agreement with a digital payment firm for the transaction of payments to KSEB’s account. Once it’s done, we will move to the payment mode,” said a senior board official.
Charging stations in Thrissur and Kozhikode reported more energy consumption and the one in Thiruvananthapuram reported less consumption. The regulatory commission has created LT10, a tariff category applicable only for energy consumption at EV stations.
As per the current rate fixed by the commission, energy charge per unit is Rs 5, besides fixed charge, service charge and GST adding up to around Rs 15 per unit. “We are collecting only the minimum amount, though it is nothing compared to the expenses by the board for setting up stations and other allied expenses. The board aims to promote the EV sector,” said another official.
When new charging stations become operational, new mobile apps will be developed with more features and KSEB will create a common platform. The construction of 25 EV charging stations under the board is going on in various districts.
Agency for Non-conventional and Rural Technology (ANERT) also operates five EV charging stations in the state and they charge around Rs 15 per unit from customers.
The state has witnessed a jump in registration of EVs following the pandemic. As many as 3,313 EVs were registered in the state till August 16 this year as against 1,324 registrations last year. The highest number of EV registrations were recorded in April and July this year with 631 and 668, respectively.
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