EV customers face charging roadblocks at residences, Niti Aayog assures changes – EQ Mag Pro

Many governments and leading real estate developers are taking measures to ensure at least upcoming residential complexes have adequate vehicle charging facilities as EV adoption picks up across the country. Leading real estate developers including Hirandani Group, DLF and K Raheja Corp have started including EV charging in their new complexes.

When Roshan John, a Bengaluru-based IT engineer, brought home an electric scooter in June this year, he ran into an unforeseen problem: the residents welfare association (RWA) in his housing society would not allow installation of an EV charging point at his parking bay. John has to take his scooter a kilometre away from home to charge it.

The story is the same for electric vehicle owners across Indian cities, but help is on the way.

Many governments and leading real estate developers are taking measures to ensure at least upcoming residential complexes have adequate vehicle charging facilities as EV adoption picks up across the country.

“EVs have become more mainstream… Potential residents will want EV charging as an inbuilt amenity in their apartment, like air conditioners,” said Amitabh Kant, chief executive officer of official think tank Niti Aayog.

“Several states, as part of their EV policies, have already announced that EV charging would be a mandatory requirement for new buildings, especially large-scale buildings,” he said. “It now remains to be included in the byelaws to become enforceable.”

Leading real estate developers including Hirandani Group, DLF and K Raheja Corp have started including EV charging in their new complexes.

“We have signed with EV charging and battery swapping solution provider EVRE to install and operate EV stations within the integrated township (in Thane), the electricity for which is being supplied by MSDCL service,” said Niranjan Hiranandani, founder and MD of Hiranandani Group.

“EV charging points for individual parking at the request of residents can also be installed,” Hirandani said. “Future development within the township will have pre-installed charging points, cabling and equipment.”

The company plans to follow it up by installing EV charging stations in its projects in Navi Mumbai, Chennai and Powai.

Ramesh Ranganathan, CEO of K Raheja Corp Homes, said the developer’s upcoming residential projects will be equipped with EV infrastructure through alliances with EV operators.

DLF, too, has installed EV charging points in all its new projects in Delhi and NCR. “While these are in dedicated locations in each project, we are installing meters and EV points as per customer’s requests as they buy an EV,” a company spokesperson said.

CHANGING ATTITUDE

Things are getting better for EV owners living in older residential complexes as well.

While RWAs in many societies continue to deny permissions for setting up charge points as they are not familiar with EV charging, many others are looking to set up the necessary infrastructure.

“EV users are still a minority in most residential complexes and RWAs have their own constraints of safety in setting up more charging points within the complex,” said a member of an apartment federation in South Mumbai who requested not to be identified.

There is also uncertainty about who would pay for the power used in EV charging, an RWA official said.

But experts said such fears are unfounded and, in fact, many societies have started negotiating with EV charging network operators to set up charging points.

“Residential communities have a lot of anxieties and queries but eventually they understand and welcome us,” said Sandeep Bangia, head – EV charging business at Tata Power.

Tata Power has an EV charging network of over 5,000 home chargers and nearly 700 public charging points in 129 cities across India.

“We have partnered with residential developers across the country through our EV charge network,” Bangia said. “Many of the new and upcoming residential complexes are factoring in space necessary for EV charging and we have explored such partnerships with residential societies of Lodha, Raheja and Uniworld among others.”

Experts said electricity distribution companies (discoms) should have operational guidelines for residential complexes that would like to install EV chargers.

Also, states could consider extending the benefits of the EV tariff (which is currently restricted to public chargers in most regions) to residential charging, they said.

Delhi government offers up to Rs 6,000 subsidy per charger for the first 30,000 chargers installed, including residential chargers. The installation costs for chargers borne by discoms are subsequently recovered through electricity bills.

The recent launch of the Indian Standard for Light Electric Vehicle AC charge point is expected to increase the market for low-powered, low-cost charging points, easily installable for residential charging.

Aayog’s Kant said it is easy to ensure EV owners pay for the power used for charging their vehicle by connecting the charger with her/his electricity account. In case of a common bank of chargers in residential complexes, EV owners can have their own charging account and charge their vehicles on a pay-per-use or monthly payment basis, he added.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (Mohua), in its amendments to the Model Building Bye Laws (MBBL), has recommended that 20% of all parking spots be equipped with EV charging.

Roshan John, meanwhile, is hopeful that his housing complex will get a charging infrastructure soon as the local RWA is engaging with private firms and government organisations to set up community charging infrastructure in three-four nearby complexes on a pilot basis.

Source: ETAuto