As India accelerates electric vehicle (EV) adoption, experts warn that charging infrastructure policy remains overly focused on urban high-rises and public chargers, overlooking that most charging actually happens at home, particularly in Tier 2 cities and smaller towns.
“Residential charging is not just about high-rise buildings in the top five cities,” said Akshay Shekhar, co-founder of Kazam, at a panel discussion on EV infrastructure by Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE)’s Forum on Energy Efficiency & Decarbonisation 2026.
“India is also about villages and small towns. If you look at where EV adoption is really happening, it’s places like Bareilly, Agra, Lucknow and Simigudi, not metropolitan cores.
Challenge: Urban bias and limited scale
Despite government efforts such as single-window clearance portals and public charging targets, other experts on the panel said scale has remained elusive. While Delhi aimed to deploy 10,000 charge points, Shekhar noted that infrastructure alone does not guarantee usage.
“Scale comes only when every vehicle has access to charging,” he said. “Eighty per cent of charging happens at home, just like with a mobile phone. Public chargers are for intermittent use.”
High-rise residential societies, meanwhile, face structural barriers, for example, unclear cost-sharing models, resistance from resident welfare associations (RWAs), and uncertainty around future electricity load requirements.
“Who pays for the common infrastructure when a resident is renting?” asked Jaideep Saraswat, associate director, clean power, electric mobility and emerging technologies at Vasudha Foundation India. “This becomes a major deterrent.”
Regulatory constraints on utilities
Power distribution companies (DISCOMs) say they are constrained by regulation from directly investing in charging hardware.
“As a regulated entity, we are not allowed to invest in chargers beyond the meter,” said Pradeep Kumar, general manager, EV cell and open access, BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd. “If we do that, it risks creating an uneven playing field and discouraging private innovation.”
Instead, DISCOMs are opting for collaboration models, providing land and electricity while private operators invest in charging equipment. Kumar added that multiple technologies must coexist in a nascent sector to avoid monopolies and stifled innovation.
Technical reality: Grid quality and safety
Another major challenge is grid reliability in smaller towns. Voltage fluctuations, poor earthing and informal connections pose safety risks for EV charging.
“When we started installing chargers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 locations, we realised surges were a serious problem,” Shekhar said. “Some regions see fluctuations up to 20 kV. We had to redesign systems to handle Indian grid realities.”
Skill shortages compound the issue. “Not everyone understands quality earthing or surge protection,” he said, stressing the need for trained technicians.
Solutions: Bundled models, time-of-use tariffs
Industry players argue that bundling home chargers with EV sales has proven commercially viable. Kazam sells around 15,000 home chargers a month, primarily bundled with vehicles, creating early access to electricity and valuable data.
“That charger became the first digital instrument in the electricity ecosystem,” Saraswat said. “Once digitised, you can enable demand flexibility, energy trading and even virtual power plants.”
Policy experts also called for a rethink of tariffs. They said the distinction between EV tariffs and residential tariffs creates confusion.
“We should move away from EV-specific residential tariffs and adopt time-of-use pricing instead,” according to them. “That automatically incentivises off-peak charging and reduces regulatory friction.”
Way forward: Gradual load planning
DISCOMs urged RWAs to adopt phased load augmentation rather than overbuilding infrastructure upfront.
“If only five residents have EVs today, don’t plan for 1,000,” said Sumedh Agarwal, director, smart and resilient power and mobility, AEEE. “Start small and scale gradually.”
Despite challenges, they agreed that EV charging demand remains manageable. In Delhi, EVs account for less than 1 per cent of total electricity consumption, even with over 3,800 electric buses in operation.
“EVs are a sunrise sector,” Pradeep Agarwal said. “They offer growth without overwhelming the grid if we plan wisely.”
