Safety and certification standards your chargers should meet

A charger handles high power outdoors, in all weather, used by the public. Standards exist so that it is safe, compatible with vehicles and reliable. Here is what to look for.

Product standards

IS 17017 series: the Indian standards for EV conductive charging systems, aligned with the international IEC 61851 series. Different parts cover general requirements, AC charging and DC charging at different power levels, plus vehicle-to-charger communication.
Connector standards: Type 2 for AC and CCS2 for DC fast charging of cars, following the IEC 62196 family.
Testing: charger models are tested by accredited agencies such as ARAI against the applicable standards (for example AIS-138).

Electrical safety rules

Installations must follow the Central Electricity Authority's safety regulations, which include provisions for EV charging. Key requirements include proper earthing, residual current protection, overcurrent protection and an accessible emergency shut-off.

Built for Indian conditions

Ingress protection: outdoor chargers should be rated for dust and water, typically IP54 or IP55 and above.
Impact resistance: robust enclosures (an IK rating) for public sites.
Temperature range: rated to operate in high ambient heat, with proper cooling.
Surge protection: to cope with voltage fluctuations and lightning.

Communication and security

OCPP 1.6J or 2.0.1 for connection to management software.
Secure, encrypted communication and firmware updates.
Protection of payment and user data.

Questions to ask your supplier

Which standards is this model certified to, and can you share test reports?
What is the IP and IK rating, and the operating temperature range?
What protection devices are built in, and what is required at the panel?
Which OCPP versions are supported and certified?
What warranty and spare parts support is offered in India?

EVee Buddy specifies certified hardware for every project and checks compliance at commissioning.

Sources

Figures as reported in the sources above at the time of writing. Schemes and rules change, so confirm current terms with the relevant ministry, your state nodal agency or DISCOM before making decisions.