Short answer: you do not need a licence to set up an EV charging station in India. The Ministry of Power's 2024 guidelines call it "a de-licensed activity", open to any individual, company or society. What you do need is a separate electricity connection from your DISCOM, a safety clearance for the electrical installation, chargers type-tested to the Indian standards, and, for a public station, a listing on the national database. Fire and petrol-pump clearances apply only in specific places. Building and land-use rules are local. This guide goes through each in the order you will meet it, with the clause it comes from.
Everything below is from the Ministry of Power's Guidelines for Installation and Operation of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure, 2024, dated 17 September 2024, which superseded all earlier versions, and the Central Electricity Authority's safety regulations of 2023, unless a line says otherwise. State rules can add to them, so treat this as the national baseline.
The checklist
| Step | What you need | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Licence | None. "Setting up and operation of EV Charging Stations is a de-licensed activity" | Every station |
| 2. Electricity connection | A separate connection for the station, with its own meter, applied for online | Every station |
| 3. Electrical safety clearance | Self-certification below your state's notified voltage; Electrical Inspector's inspection above it. Shared with the DISCOM before the supply is switched on | Every station |
| 4. Chargers | Each charger model type-tested to the BIS standards in the guidelines, at an NABL-accredited lab | Every station |
| 5. Fire NOC | From the fire department | Chargers in a building basement |
| 6. PESO approval | From the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation | Chargers at a petrol pump or gas station |
| 7. Building and land use | As your city's building bye-laws and master plan require | Varies by city |
| 8. National database | Register the station and report energy sold per charger each year | Public stations |
1. No licence, and anyone may set one up
Clause 5(1) of the guidelines: "Setting up and operation of EV Charging Stations is a de-licensed activity and any entity is free to establish EV Charging Infrastructure by adhering to these guidelines." The connection form lists companies, individuals, co-operative societies and other entities as applicants. A hotel, a dhaba owner or a housing society can own and run its station.
2. The electricity connection
This is the step that sets your timeline. Apply to your DISCOM for a separate connection for the station: the guidelines require "separate metering arrangements" for every station, and only a separate connection unlocks the rule below. The application is online through the DISCOM's single-window system, with these documents:
- proof of the land, owned or leased;
- PAN and GST registration of the applicant;
- the type-test certificate of the charger from an NABL-accredited lab;
- an undertaking that the supply is used for EV charging;
- PESO approval or a fire NOC, where steps 5 or 6 apply.
Two national rules work in your favour. The DISCOM must give an LT connection up to 150 kW for a charging station on its own connection (clause 5(3)), even where your state's general LT ceiling is lower. And it must release the connection within three days in a metro, seven in other towns, fifteen in rural areas and thirty in hilly rural areas, or ninety where new mains or a substation are needed (clause 5(2)). Our power guide shows the general ceiling for each state we have verified, and what to do when the DISCOM quotes it instead.
The electricity tariff is regulated too. Until 31 March 2028 it must be a single-part tariff of no more than the average cost of supply, at 0.7 times that cost from 9 am to 4 pm and 1.3 times at other hours (clause 9). Your state regulator's tariff order applies it.
3. Electrical safety clearance
The Central Electricity Authority's Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply Regulations, 2023 have a chapter on charging stations: overload protection, earth-continuity monitoring, a lock on the DC connector, lightning protection, fire-retardant enclosures with fire detection, no adaptors or extension leads, and a dedicated circuit for each charger.
Who checks it depends on voltage. Each state notifies a voltage. An installation at or below it is tested and self-certified by the owner, who sends the report to the Electrical Inspector. Above it, the Electrical Inspector must inspect and approve the installation before supply starts. Maharashtra, for example, has notified 11 kV, so an LT station there is self-certified and an HT station is inspected. Either way, the guidelines require the safety clearance to be shared with the DISCOM before the connection is energised.
4. The chargers
Every charger must meet the BIS standards listed in the guidelines, the IS 17017 series for DC charging, and each charger model must be type-tested by its maker at an NABL-accredited laboratory, with a valid type-test certificate. That certificate is one of the documents the DISCOM asks for. Ask your supplier for it before you order, for the exact model and power rating you are buying.
5 and 6. Fire and petrol-pump clearances
A fire department NOC is required when the charger is in a building's basement. At a petrol pump or gas station, approval from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation is required, and the distance between the fuel dispenser and the charger follows the Central Electricity Authority's order. A charger in an open car park or on a forecourt that is not a fuel station needs neither.
7. Building permission and land use
There is no national rule here. The guidelines note that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs amended its model building bye-laws and planning guidelines for EV charging, and encourage local authorities to adopt them. Whether a canopy needs a building permit, or a plot needs a change of land use, depends on your city's bye-laws and master plan. Ask the local development authority before you build a canopy or a structure.
8. For a public station: the national database
A public station must be registered on the Bureau of Energy Efficiency's national online database, and the operator reports the energy sold per charger every year. The guidelines also set what a public station must show: its location, charger types and availability, the rate per unit and the service charge, helpline numbers, marked EV parking, and instructions in English or Hindi and the local language.
The service charge a public station adds to the electricity cost is capped until 31 March 2028, subject to annual review. For DC charging the ceiling is ₹11 per unit from 9 am to 4 pm and ₹13 per unit at other hours, excluding GST and land cost (clause 10).
Stations for heavy vehicles have one more requirement: a public station for trucks and buses needs at least two chargers of 240 kW or more each, and e-bus depots must install chargers of at least 240 kW. More in our guide to charging electric buses and trucks.
What we would not do
We would not order chargers before the DISCOM has accepted the application. The connection decides the date, and the type-test certificate the DISCOM wants is the supplier's job to produce. We would not apply for more load on an existing shop or hotel connection when a separate EV connection is what the national rules reward. And we would not build a canopy before asking the city.
Our site study prepares the DISCOM application, the load calculation and the single-line diagram, and lists the clearances your site needs. Unsure of a term? See the DC charging glossary.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence to set up an EV charging station in India?
No. The Ministry of Power's 2024 guidelines say setting up and operating an EV charging station is a de-licensed activity, and any individual, company or society may set one up.
How long does the DISCOM have to give a charging station a connection?
Three days in a metro, seven in other towns, fifteen in rural areas and thirty in hilly rural areas, or ninety days where new mains or a substation are needed, under the 2024 guidelines.
Does a charging station need the Electrical Inspector's approval?
Above the voltage your state has notified, yes, before supply starts. At or below it the owner self-certifies and sends the report to the Electrical Inspector. Either way the safety clearance goes to the DISCOM before the connection is switched on.
Is a fire NOC needed for an EV charger?
Only when the charger is in a building's basement. A charger at a petrol pump needs PESO approval instead.
How much can a public charging station charge drivers?
The electricity tariff plus a service charge. For DC charging the service charge is capped at ₹11 per unit from 9 am to 4 pm and ₹13 per unit at other hours until 31 March 2028, excluding GST and land cost, subject to annual review.
Does a public charging station have to register anywhere?
Yes. Public stations register on the Bureau of Energy Efficiency's national online database and report the energy sold per charger every year.
