State to amend rules to make EV charging points mandatory in housing societies

The state EV policy has a separate ‘EV Charging Station Incentive’ mechanism for societies. Eligibility and incentive amount depend on the charging station’s category or type and applicable operational guidelines.

Mumbai: The state government is considering changes to the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR) to make electric vehicle (EV) charging points mandatory in parking lots of new buildings while encouraging existing societies to make space for these stations as part of the EV policy.

Pune, India - Dec. 26, 2021: EV Charging point installed out side a cafe off FC road (Dheeraj Bengrut story) in Pune, India, on Sunday, December 26, 2021. (Photo by Ravindra Joshi/HT PHOTO)

The Maharashtra EV Policy 2025 mandates that new buildings must have 100% of their parking spaces equipped with EV-charging facilities. It also provides incentives to existing housing societies through concessions on electricity charges and taxes.

The transport department recently wrote to the urban development department, seeking changes to the UDCPR to amend existing building proposal regulations to accommodate EV-related mandates. “We have proposed that proposals for new buildings should not be approved unless an adequate plan for charging spots and stations is in place. The government expects the UDCPR changes to take effect next financial year, after the EV policy review expected by year-end,” said an official from the industries department.

The officer added that existing buildings can install charging stations and points by availing themselves of the government incentives. “If 50% of the residents demand space for installing a charging station, the society will be mandated to allot it. The shared charging infrastructure may be eligible for incentives from power distribution companies as well as concessions on taxes levied by municipal corporations,” he said.

According to transport department officials, the cost of installing charging points or setting up charging stations is a major hurdle for housing societies. “The existing distribution points (DPs) are not designed to bear the additional load of the energy consumed, and upgrading them to higher capacity is expensive. Upgrading the DPs for one charging station with 10 charging points costs around ₹40 lakh, which is unaffordable for most housing societies. We expect the energy department to offer substantial concessions on the infrastructure costs. Similarly, local bodies are also expected to provide tax concessions,” the officials said.

Urban development department (UDD) officials confirmed that they are working on a proposal to amend the UDCPR.