Bengaluru RWAs at odds with EV owners on charging infra: Report

While RWAs are demanding that Bescom come forward to help install charging points, EV owners are accusing RWAs of being 'short-sighted'

Bengaluru's electric vehicle owners and resident welfare associations are finding themselves at odds over installing charging infrastructure at apartments, even as interest in owning the non-polluting vehicles is rising in the city.

Speaking at a session organised by Bescom, D Nagarjuna, director (technical), said: “As per Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission rules, any new apartment complex/mall spread over 5,000 sqm, which utilises more than 250 kW power, has to mandatorily provide two charging points with parking space for EV owners.”

“But there’s no provision to make charging points mandatory at existing apartment complexes, and it is left to the respective apartment owners/RWAs to make a decision. But we are ready to provide all assistance to both RWAs and EV owners,” The Times of India reported.

However, EV owners and RWAs appear to be at loggerheads over installation of the charging stations.

HA Nagaraja Rao, president of Bangalore Apartments’ Federation, said that EV penetration is still low in the city. "In any complex of 200 flats, only a dozen residents will have EVs. Drawing power for EVs, especially cars, directly from meters is not safe either," he said at the session.

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Rao said that Bescom could come forward to bear the cost of installing DC-charging infrastructure at apartment complexes and RWAs could facilitate space for that. "In a complex with 300 flats, investing huge money for charging infrastructure for only 6-10 people is not feasible and not all will be happy,” he claimed.

However, EV owners said that RWAs had no right to stop them from setting up their own charging points, and at least one EV owner alleged that his charging point, which he had installed with Bescom's nod at his parking spot, was removed by the RWA citing "violations," and that it did not budge even after the BBMP and Bescom intervened. The vehicle owner is currently pursuing a petition in the city civil court against the RWA over the matter.

“RWAs have no right to object installation of charging points. Many of them are unaware of EV technology and have no long-term vision. The number of EV users in the city may be less now but will increase in future. Bescom is helpless as it can’t intervene much in the issue. Most EV owners staying in apartment complexes are suffering and are at the mercy of these RWAs,” the vehicle owner, Anand Vedula alleged.

However, Rao said a practical option is to set up some charging points in a common area instead of separate ones for each EV owner. “It’s not feasible for each EV owner staying in an apartment complex to draw power directly from their metre. There are safety issues as well and can also affect the aesthetics of the complex,” he said.

DH had in May reported that space remains the biggest constraint to establish charging stations in the city, prompting Bescom to zero in on its own office buildings across the city to set up infrastructure and embrace the public private partnership (PPP) mode to expand it further.

“We are aware of the growing number of EVs and anticipate a demand for charging stations in the coming days. In a city, where a square foot is worth a fortune, we are struggling to find space for charging stations,” a Bescom official said.