Many apartments setting up public EV charging stations

Apartments in Bengaluru are setting up community charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs).

The idea of sharing charging ports is catching on, especially since EV owners living in apartments charge closer to the night, and their ports are free during the day when they are away at work. Metropolis Gurukrupa in Singasandra set up such a public charging station in March. “With the number of EVs growing, it is important to facilitate charging that is both safe and efficient,” says Ganesh Shanbagh, who lives there.

The charging station at Gurukrupa has six ports and is being used by about 20 non-residents every month. Delivery executives from app-based services often come looking for a charger, says Shanbhag.

“I hear stories about how they have trouble finding charging stations. Many apartment complexes and RWAs are still sceptical about giving permission but they should look at the bigger picture,” says the software engineer.

Hennur-based Rasheed M supports public charging infrastructure in apartment complexes. His complex set up two charging ports, open to the public, in the car parking two months ago.

“EVs are the future and the sooner we adapt to them the better. Currently, we have just two EVs in our building, so it makes sense to open up the charging station to the public,” he says.

This can even have some financial benefits for the apartment buildings, says Rupam Roy. His apartment complex in Bellandur has set up six charging points for residents and will soon be setting up a fast charging point for the public. “If you set up a fast charger just for the society residents, the return on investment isn’t that great. By opening it to non-residents, the cost is equally distributed and the society gets some financial benefits,” he explains.

Safety concerns

A shared charging station is safer than an individual charging point, says Shanbhag. “In a community, if 100 people decide to get EVs, every single person will have to do the wiring from their Bescom meters to their parking slots. About 90 cables will need to be laid, and the earthing switches need to be able to support the load. This can cause severe electrical safety concerns,” he says.

Also, a community charger attached to a general energy source may be less prone to accidents than an individual one. “The common area of any apartment will have a minimum 20 KW of spare load. This can be leveraged to create a safer charging load. Plus, there is more accountability attached to a community charging board, so the chances of overcharging and such are lower,” he says.

What about safety concerns since strangers may enter the apartment parking and charging area? “Nowadays most apartments use management systems to keep tabs. Whoever enters the building needs to be let in by one of the residents or office-bearers. This is one way to address safety concerns,” says Shanbhag. Some apartments also place their charging points outside.

HOW TO PAY
Charging stations at apartments are set up by service providers who do the wiring and instal ports. They have their own apps, and when you use a port, you pay on the app. Recharging a scooter takes about 4 hours (full charge) and costs Rs 32.

EV OWNERS’ POV
Manjunath Achari has been using an electric auto for a little over six months. While he is happy with his purchase, he is worried about the lack of public charging stations. “It’s a nightmare when your vehicle is low on charge. You have to go looking for chargers and half the time the public chargers you find are not even in good condition,” he says. College student Mythri has had to drag her scooter around in search of a charging station. “While some localities have multiple
charging stations, others have none at all. I fear getting stranded in the middle of nowhere with no chargers in sight,” she says.

SLOW UPTICK ON EV ADOPTION
In December 2021, Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF) launched its E-Vaahana campaign to facilitate smoother adoption of EVs and charging stations in
residential complexes. Of the over 1,000 apartments that are a part of the federation, only about 30 to 40 apartments are open to the idea of community charging stations, says Vikram Rai, general secretary, BAF. “They are still hesitant, especially because of the recent EV fire accidents. This is slowing adoption rates,” he says.