Finally, after opening a public consultation to citizens, Colombia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy published interoperability conditions for public access charging stations for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
According to sources consulted by Mobility Portal Latinoamérica, this step represents a significant milestone for the country by achieving regulation ahead of Chile.
Although an initial recession is anticipated due to the necessary technical adjustments, it’s expected that once adapted, these measures will boost investments in the sector.
The resolution applies to agents involved in the public access charging station segment and to natural or legal persons who are owners or commercial representatives of public access charging station projects.
It’s emphasised, however, that it applies to all individuals and entities interested in the regulated subject.
Among the novelties is the charging station platform, a digital tool that allows users of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to identify the technical and commercial characteristics associated with charging points nationwide.
It will be operational from 1st May and will integrate data from various actors, charging service providers, and CPOs, aiming to ensure interoperability, accessibility, availability, and quality of charging services.
Once operational, interested individuals will need to visit the website and register.
Once the information is reported, the Ministry of Mines and Energy will have 15 days to enable it.
This information must be kept up-to-date, and in case of modification, charging providers will have five working days from the event.
Likewise, during January and July of each year, charging service providers and CPOs must inform the Ministry that the information is updated.
This supervision will be overseen by the network operator to which the public access charging station is connected.
An important point is that service providers will have to offer, at public access charging stations, the possibility of charging to users without subscription or membership, without any kind of restriction.
Additionally, they must offer recurring payment options on the market and have at least one of the following payment methods: cash, bank card, or payment gateway.
They must also ensure the provision of charging services during the operating hours reported on the platform and provide communication channels to access information about the services provided.
The resolution specifies that measures must be adopted to provide the service in case of eventualities related to software and hardware.
All public access charging stations must, within six months following the resolution’s entry into force, be connected to the service providers’ management system.
Depending on the case, this can be through an open communication protocol, either the latest stable version of the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) or an equivalent standard issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), or the Colombian Institute of Technical Standards and Certification – ICONTEC.
The Ministry of Energy’s official channels were open to receive comments and observations from 11th to 26th September 2023.
Comments, observations, and proposals on the referred resolution project had to be made through a forum or by completing the comment reception form.
Read more: Government of Colombia announces plan for “reindustrialization” of electric mobility
