1,400 private EV charging points set up in Delhi in the last year

Officials said that while there were some private charging points, no residential society in the city set up a charging point or station till last year.

At least 1,400 private charging points have been set up across the city, mostly by housing societies, in the last year since Delhi’s charging/swapping infrastructure action plan 2022-25 was rolled out, according to the Delhi electric vehicle (EV) cell.

At least 1,400 private charging points have been set up across the city, the Delhi electric vehicle (EV) cell.(File)

Officials from the Delhi transport department said that with an increased push towards switching to EV in the past year, many individuals, housing societies, and cab fleet operators are opting to set up EV charging infrastructure, even though the number of EVs in the area is still not high. The action plan is part of Delhi EV policy 2020.

Officials said that while there were some private charging points, no residential society in the city set up a charging point or station till last year. “From a negligible number till last year, we now have 1,400 private charging stations across residential societies. Many residence welfare associations (RWA) want to set up charging infrastructure with the growing number of EVs. Additionally, cab fleet owners are setting up stations as several operators are including EVs in their cab fleet,” said N Mohan, head of Delhi EV cell.

Under the policy, one can apply online for a subsidy of up to ₹6,000 and get a charging point installed for ₹3,000. Every charging point costs approximately ₹9,000. People can approach their distribution companies (discom) online or offline to start the installation process through the single window system.

The discoms have empanelled charger manufacturers (EOMs). Once you select the EOM, they will get in touch and install the charging point. One of the largest discoms in the city is the BSES, which has facilitated the installation of nearly 2,300 charging points at over 900 locations. Around 1,600 of these were installed in the fiscal year 22-23 alone. Officials said that the demand for private charging stations has been increasing.

“The data shows that 49% of charging points are private, 33% are public and 18% are for the captive use of BSES. A total of 60% of the 1,100 private charging points is installed at RWA locations and societies while 35% is installed at commercial premises like malls, hospitals, colleges, etc. EV charging points at individual homes constitute 2%,” a BSES official said.

A majority of the BSES private charging points are installed in Dwarka, RK Puram, Nizamuddin, Mayur Vihar, Patparganj, Karkardooma, IP Extension,Vivek Vihar, Preet Vihar, Saket, Tagore Garden, Nangloi and Punjabi Bagh.

Some RWAs said that they have been able to get the system installed within 15-20 days.

“We have a charging station with 12 points. We have two EVs in the society so far, but we want to be ready. We downloaded the app and allotted a location and the rest of the work was handled by the EOM,” said Sanjeev Bhatnagar, RWA president of Shyam Vihar in Dwarka Phase 1.

The society has about 100 families with 150 four-wheelers. The RWA paid ₹36,000 to set up 12 points and that residents pay per use to the RWA.

Happy Homes Apartment in Sector 7, Dwarka, also has about two or three EV owners. However, the society installed six points in its six towers around eight months ago, keeping in view the increasing number of EV owners.

Experts, however, said that the charging stations can be increased substantially if some of the minor administrative issues were resolved and the government mandated charging points in every locality as part of its bylaws. “One of the most important concerns people have is where will they charge EV. This has been simplified now. All one needs is a 15-ampere plug to charge an EV. If these small issues were resolved, it will be simple and cost-effective to have an EV charging point, especially in Delhi,” said Amit Bhatt, India managing director of International Council on Clean Transportation.