How Urban Institutions Can Solve the India's EV Charging Puzzle

India’s electric vehicle (EV) industry is growing fast. EV adoption has surged from 0.01% to 7.31% in just a decade. In H1FY26, electric car sales reached 91,076 units, up 108% YoY! At the same time, India’s charging landscape is also expanding rapidly, at least on paper. According to Redseer’s "Powering India’s EV Future" report, the country has grown from just 1,800 public chargers in FY22 to more than 30,000 by August 2025. Growth has doubled year after year — 6,586 in FY23, more than 16,000 in FY24, and now 30,000. But, of the 30,000+ public chargers installed as of August 2025, less than half are operational, and overall utilization remains below 10%.

This isn’t just a hardware problem. It’s a systems failure — and the plausible solution, I argue, is lies in social engineering as much as in electrical engineering.


Charging Is a Dwell-Time Activity

Unlike petrol-diesel refuelling, EV charging takes time — anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes depending on the vehicle and charger type. That transforms charging into a dwell-time activity, not just a technical transaction. India must rethink where charging happens — not just highways and fuel stations, but housing colonies, shopping malls, and office complexes.

These institutions are expanding fast and offer:-

- Underutilized parking infrastructure  
- Captive user bases  
- A need for new revenue streams

These institutions should be incentivised to lease out their available spaces to specialist charging infra providers. This can be a steady source of income for them, without upfront costs. This could potentially even reduce the exorbitant service fees they charge to their tenants and residents.


Fleet Charging Infrastructure and Institutions 

A major driver of EV adoption is bulk procurement by fleet operators — across two-, three-, four-, six-, and ten-wheeler categories. These operators must be encouraged to build dedicated fleet charging stations at their depots, either individually or through joint ventures with other operators of the same vehicle type.

This would:-

- Prevent congestion at public charging stations  
- Enable route planning and efficient logistics operations 
- Create new institutional nodes in the charging ecosystem

Fleet charging isn’t just a logistical fix — it’s a form of infrastructural institution building, with long-term implications for energy management and urban development.


Highway Dhabas as Strategic Nodes

India's highway and expressway infrastructure are expanding at breakneck speed. These highways and expressways could catalyse further expansion of charging infrastructure. But charging on highways isn’t just about coverage—it’s about traffic flow. India must strategically pick highway-stretches with high volumes of buses, taxis, and private cars. Here are a few examples from my personal knowledge:-

Delhi–Dehradun, Delhi–Kotdwar, Delhi–Haldwani, Delhi–Chandigarh, Delhi–Jaipur, etc 

All such highway-stretches have dhabas at specific places. Many of such dhabas can be encouraged to establish charging stations, by offering favourable leasing plans. 


Technical Feasibility

According to Microsoft Copilot, this model is technologically viable:-

- AC Level 2 chargers suit urban dwell zones; DC fast chargers fit highways  

- Leasing models are already used by firms like ChargeZone and Statiq  

- Grid upgrades are manageable in urban and peri-urban zones  

- AI and IoT can monitor charger uptime, grid balance, and demand surges


The Need for Systems Agglomeration

India must build a layered EV charging stack:-

- Hardware Layer: Standardize cables, pins, jacks across vehicle types  

- Software Layer: Create a unified app platform—like ONDC—for charger discovery, booking, and payment  

- Grid Layer: Use AI and IoT to monitor demand, balance loads, and forecast peak hours  

- Governance Layer: Mandate uptime guarantees, open APIs, and public accountability

This stack can transform EV charging into an industry in itself — like ICE fuel retailing, but with deeper integration across urban and energy systems.


Conclusion: From Chargers to Institutions 

India’s EV future depends not just on more chargers—but on better institutions. Housing societies, malls, offices, dhabas, and fleet depots must become partners in the electric charging ecosystem. And right now is the opportune time for the Central government to step in and shape this ecosystem's architecture and future.

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