The electronics manufacturing division of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has issued a Request for Information (RfI) to identify a potential Indian entity for business cooperation in the electric vehicle (EV) charging business.

The exercise aims to find the right partner to explore the emerging EV charging business area in the upcoming EV market.

The last date for submission of the RfI proposal is November 22, 2019.

As per the RfI document, the applicant should have the technical know-how and should be in the business of EV charging. The successful business entity should also be willing to transfer the intellectual property rights of the developed product to HAL.

The project is expected to be completed within three to four months from the date of signing the transfer of manufacturing technology (ToT) contract. The prototype development will take place within three to four months of the signing of the development contract.

The selected Indian entity would need to share the technology of EV charging if already developed or else provide technical expertise and know-how for the joint development of EV charging infrastructure.

The scope of work includes providing the EV charging hardware and software development, communication protocols, cloud support, power handling, installation and certifications, and approvals from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).

The EV charger should also be compatible with CHAdeMO connector, CCS Connector, Type 2 AC, Bharat DC-001, and Bharat AC-001 standards.

India is at the cusp of a EV revolution, and over the past year, the domestic market has seen a slew of activity in both EV and EV charging segments.

Earlier this year, the  Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) invited proposals for deploying electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the country’s big and smart cities under the government’s FAME program. The cities have been categorized as million-plus cities, smart cities, satellite towns connected to metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Ahmedabad.

Then in July 2019, the government reduced the applicable rate of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on electric vehicles (EVs). The 36^th GST Council meeting, chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, decided that the GST rate on all the electric vehicles be reduced from 12% to 5%. Moreover, the GST rates on chargers or charging stations for EVs have been reduced from 18% to 5%.

Previously, Mercom reported that the government’s Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) had issued a tender for 200 fast chargers along with three years’ on-site warranty and annual maintenance contract.