Why EV Owners Face Difficulties in Charging At Home

Every time you strike up a conversation about EVs, the issue of ‘range anxiety’ comes up. India’s low density of public chargers – 1 charger per 235 EVs – is one of the most critical bottlenecks keeping EV adoption low in India. However, not many know that another factor lies at the heart of this problem; the resistance faced by EV users in installing home chargers in apartment complexes.

In this blog, we dive deep into the difficulties faced by EV owners in charging their vehicles at home. To gain an in-depth understanding, we study the following:

1. The Importance of Home Charging
2. Reasons for RWAs’ opposition to Charger Installation
3. Guidelines Pertaining to Charger Installation and Operation
4. Recent developments in this Sphere
5. Other Changes Needed to Enhance the Scope of Home Charging

If you’re an EV owner, or are looking to buy one, the blog will equip you with key information regarding the difficulties and developments surrounding home charging. Ultimately, it will help you make a considered decision, or contest with your RWA if you’re facing the same issue.

The Importance of Home Charging for EV Owners

The Argonne National Laboratory, a premier science and engineering research lab in the US, finds that 80% of EV charging occurring at home. Here’s why seamless home charging makes a difference:

1. Lower Cost: Charging at home is usually more economical compared to a public charging station.
2. Battery Longevity and Health: Most home setups use Level 1 or Level 2 AC charging. The gentle charging speeds enable greater battery longevity.
3. Increased Convenience: Instead of waiting in line at a charging station, you can plug in the charger as and when needed.

Effective home charging infrastructure can ensure a worry-free experience for EV users. Why then, do RWAs oppose the installation of electric vehicle chargers?

‘The Barrier to Success’: Why EV Owners Face Resistance in Installing Private Chargers

When Barathy Kolappan, a 23-year-old software developer from Chennai, was rushing to meet a friend in the hospital, he decided to charge his electric scooter using the 15-ampere power socket in the building’s basement. However, as Mint reports, this unleashed a series of consequences: the RWA in his building confiscated the charger and asked him to pay a penalty, ultimately forcing him to leave the apartment altogether.

For him and many others, installing a home charger has meant long-drawn arguments, often stretching over months, with the RWA. While the Ministry of Power’s Guidelines for EV Charger Installation and Operation expressly permit the installation of private chargers in group housing societies, RWAs remain hesitant on account of the following reasons:

Safety Hazards

In the age of social media virality, videos of EVs catching fire create a stigma in the minds of those running RWAs. Despite EVs being just as safe compared to conventional engine vehicles, RWAs remain wary of permitting home charger installation.

Cost Concerns

Financial obligations are divided into the below categories:

• Infrastructural Upgrades: The apartment complex may need a higher-capacity transformer, reinforced cabling wiring and smart distribution panels to facilitate the home charger. Since these costs may be divided amongst non-EV owners, it creates resistance to charger installation.
• Complex Electricity Tariff Structures: The problem is the lack of independent sub-metering. If power is drawn under a higher residential slab, EV users may be unable to access “EV-specific” promotional incentives.
• Insurance Premiums: In some cases, insurance companies may hike premiums from residents, thereby leading to a collective penalty for all.

Bureaucratic Hassle

Applying for load enhancement and infrastructural upgrades may invite unwelcome scrutiny: if an EV catches fire in the building, their occupational certificate (OC) may be revoked if guidelines haven’t been followed.

Weighed down by these barriers, RWAs hesitate to grant permission for home charger installation. But what does the law say?

Taking Stock of Existing Guidelines for Home EV Chargers

At present, the installation and operation of charging infrastructure for EVs is governed by the Ministry of Power’s guidelines released in 2024. With regards to home charging, they contain the following key provisions:

1. Individuals can install an EV charger in their private parking space. Additionally, they can decide whether the same is billed to their home meter, or under a separate sub-meter.
2. Individuals can themselves apply for load enhancements/ infrastructural upgrades if needed.
3. If found using household electricity connections to charge EVs, individuals cannot be fined for the same.

By incorporating the above provisions, the guidelines aim to ease the implementation of home charging for EV users. However, the intent and execution differ; as a result, people face a variety of problems when attempting to install private chargers. Below is a list of some notable examples covered in the news sphere.

Instances of EV Users Facing Difficulties in Home Charging

With RWAs remaining wary about permitting EV charging, buyers are finding it difficult to meet this basic need.

Stopped from Using Residential Power Connection

• In a GHS in Noida, a resident named Saurabh Srivastava was fined Rs. 25,000 by the Apartment Owners’ Association (AOA) for charging his EV using his domestic power connection
• Another EV user staying Bengaluru was disallowed from doing the same on the following grounds: the power connection can only supply power to devices inside the boundary of one’s home.

Forced to Undertake Serious Effort

• A software professional staying in a Greater Noida housing society has to drop a charging cable from the balcony and wrap it up every time he charges his electric scooter – a process that takes 40 minutes every day.

Locked in Administrative Battle

• In Coimbatore, Mr. Harish purchased a Tata Nexon EV. Thereafter, he waited for two months to obtain permissions from his RWA for access to the electricity board meter line. Upon installing the charger after this period, his RWA began harassing him.

The most basic need is denied to EV users on arbitrary grounds. But all isn’t lost, yet. Recent developments can relieve the troubles surrounding home charging.

‘The Silver Lining’: Why a Recent Petition May Expand the Scope of Home Charging

In response to a recent petition filed in the Supreme Court, the Court agreed to examine a plea seeking a direction to State governments to permit the installation and operation of charging infrastructure, especially within housing societies, as an effective anti-pollution measure.

• What did the Petition say: The petition said installing EV chargers would help residents have “safe and sufficient infrastructure for charging their e-vehicles in the society at their own cost”.

• Who filed the Petition: A resident of the Nirala Estate housing society in Greater Noida, Rachit Katyal had been denied permission to install a home charger for their electric vehicle. The society has nearly 4,000 apartments and 56 EVs; however, only two low-capacity charging points of 7 kW and 3 kW exist, alleged the petitioner.

• How will this impact Home Charging: If the Supreme Court seeks effective implementation of existing guidelines and makes them legally mandatory, it may stop the arbitrary denial of NOCs by RWAs for home charger installation.

…but is that enough?

What is Missing in the Home Charging Framework

While RWAs are hesitant to permit the installation of chargers in private parking spaces, some of those fears are rooted in reality. Why should everyone bear the cost of EV chargers? Are EVs really safe? Which financial mechanisms can draw down their costs?

1. Building Community Chargers: If housing societies establishes community charging spaces, it can help divide the cost of infrastructural expenses and other key upgrades amongst multiple users.
2. Accounting for EV Use at the Time of Construction: The EV story is only going upwards. Building necessary infrastructure right at the time of construction proves cheaper than retrofitting later.
3. Installing Smart Sub-Meters: The misallocation of tariffs poses a serious problem. It can be overcome with smart sub-meters attached to private connections; by measuring the power used to charge each EV, it can reduce confusion and keep the books clean.
4. Partnerships Among OEMs, CPOs and RWAs: By inviting OEMs and CPOs to set up charging points, the RWA can enjoy these benefits:
   • Zero Capital Investment: In certain models, the OEM and/ or CPO may undertake the entire capital investment for the charging infrastructure.
   • Revenue Sharing: Depending on the nature of the agreement, the RWA and other parties may split the revenues earned from public users.
   • Property Rate Appreciation: Having extensive charging infrastructure installed by leading service providers may increase the property rates too.
5. Leverage Incentives: In Maharashtra, housing societies can avail property tax exemption between 2-5% upon installing chargers.

These changes can substantially expand the scope of home charging. From unfair cost distribution to multiplying income sources, it helps users overcome a series of problems.

Conclusion

With India aiming to achieve 30% EV sales by 2030, making home charging easier should be the number one priority. A large number of EV users in cities reside in apartment complexes. By undertaking awareness campaigns and implementing the above changes, the country can reap the benefit of removing the barriers to secure, reliable home charging.

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Interested in supercharging your EV journey? Reach out to us and take a leap towards reliable EV charging today.