As a new commercial property owner, it’s crucial to recognize the rapidly evolving landscape of transportation and energy. Installing and enabling EV (Electric Vehicle) charging infrastructure at your property is not just about meeting the growing demand from the increasing number of EV users, but it’s also about future-proofing your investment.

Providing EV charging stations enhances the value and appeal of your property, positioning it as forward-thinking and environmentally conscious. Moreover, with governments and communities globally pushing for greener transportation solutions, you may also be eligible for incentives, grants, or tax breaks for integrating sustainable infrastructure.

Select the Investment Model

In essence, there are two primary Investment models for EV Charging Station – the CAPEX & OPEX Model.

A. CAPEX Model for EV Charging Station Business

In the capital expenditure or CAPEX mode, the complete investment (cost) for setting up the charging station including the civil & electric infrastructure, charging station is borne by the property owner (manager). Consequently, the property owner (manager) receives the complete revenue for the charging station. Accordingly, the property owner decides the charging tariff and may also provide charging complementary. This model is particularly useful in case of luxury hotels, work-places & large fleet operators.

B. OPEX Model for EV Charging Station Business

In the revenue sharing or OPEX mode, the complete investment (cost) for setting up the charging station including the civil & electric infrastructure, charging station is shared between the property owner & third-party charging station operators. Here, usually the property owners provide the civil infra including space & parking shed, whereas the charging station operators provide investment for electric infrastructure including the charging equipment. Accordingly, based on ratio of investment the net-revenue of the charging station is shared between the property owner & charging station operators.

In most cases, the Charging station operator decides the charging tariff. This model is particularly useful in case of motels, hotels & restaurants located on mid-way at highways, toll-plazas, small & medium fleet operators.

How to setup an EV charging station at home 

Well, the typical EV owners sing the praise of EVs for being smooth, reliable and best of all never required to stop at a gas station journey!! However, all the above attributes are correct except for never stopping at a gas station. As we all know EVs work on electricity and the electricity to recharge vehicles has to come from some source. Unless you plan to stop and wait in a long queue of battery swapping at a public charging station. Instead, recharge EVs at your home stress-free. And technically for this setting up EV charging station at home is must and it includes Level 1 and Level 2.

Level 1 electric vehicle charger installation

The level 1 electric charger comes with your electric vehicle and doesn’t require an installation engineer but a specialised electrician. Simply use your Level 1 charger with a 230V/15A single-phase plug that delivers up to 2.5kW of output power and you are all set to go! Here you don’t have to deal with extra costs associated with installation and you can setup an EV charging station system on your own.

The Level 1 chargers that come with electric vehicles or cars are AC chargers that are usually slow and take overnight to charge an EV fully. The time taken of charging depends on the rate of charging and the amount of charge required by usable battery capacity. Level 1 home charger can charge electric scooters in (2-3 hours) and electric cars in (6-7 hours approx). Moreover, the amount of electricity consumed is added to home metering. The Bharat EV specifications suggest the installation of a residual Current Circuit Breaker and IEC 60309 industrial connector to ensure safety.

This table showcases the technical specification of Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 chargers specifications in India.

Image Source – e-Amrit

Level 2 electric vehicle charger installation

Level 2 charging offers a fast charging solution to EV owners. This type of charger comes in the DC category and requires an expert engineer or specialised installation team to Install a charging station at home. However, before installing a Level 2 charger an EV owner needs to follow the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Power. The level 2 electric vehicle chargers are versatile and cost-effective. However, YoCharge provides Type 2 AC chargers which have both single-phase (7.4kW) and three-phase (22kW) variants. To install a Type 2 AC EV charger contact us and fill out this form and get installation details. Moreover, the simple and smart charger provided by YoCharge is suitable for both residential and commercial areas.

Things to keep in mind while installing an EV charging station at home 

1. Hire a certified electrician to install Level 1 chargers 
2. Obtain a permit to install an EV charger 
3. Confirm the electric panel in your parking has space
4. Check for safety measures if required

Charging Time- What are the factors that affect charging frequency

Here is the list of factors which shows how frequently you should charge your EV battery.

1. The battery capacity of an electric car/ vehicle decides how often you need to plug in the charger. 
2. The frequency of charging depends on how often to use your vehicle daily. The more frequently you drive the more you have to charge to gear up for subsequent journeys.
3. Get a fully charged EV by overnight charging so you don’t have to stop for top-ups.
4. During cold weather, EV batteries lose their charge faster. Thus you have to charge more frequently in winter.

How much does electric vehicle charging cost you at home in India?

There are two factors when it comes to the cost of setting up EV charging station at home.

• Electric vehicle battery capacity
• The cost per unit of energy received from an electric service provider in your state

The electricity cost per kWh is different in the states of India. The approx range is between Rs 8 to Rs 10 and the battery capacity of EVs in India is between 20kWh and 45 kWh. Therefore, it is advisable to check the cost of electricity at your home and calculate the charging cost accordingly. 

Why install an EV Charging Station at your property?

If you are a property owner or operator, hosting an EV Charging Station holds tremendous advantages for you.

• Employee Benefit
• Future-ready
• Increase in Footfalls
• Additional Income
• Customer Satisfaction
• Customer stay longer

Employee Benefit:

Workplace charging for plug-in charging vehicles is a boon to employees. Employers can increase the convenience and affordability of driving electric and help employees adopt advance technology without hassle. Rise in fuel cost has significantly triggered people to commute less through fuel vehicles. Looking at the fuel price hike, people are switching to electric mode of transportation.

Employers installing workplace charging must decide how much employees will pay for the charging station used. Many existing workplace provides charging programs free for employees. However, it is important to develop a fees structure to increase the perception of fairness. Charging fees can help offset capital and operational costs associated. Proper workplace charging implementation increase the convenience and affordability of driving electric vehicle among employees.

EVs are the future:

EVs are the future, moreover, petrol/diesel fuel prices are increasing at a constant speed. The rise in price makes EVs the best replacement option. Thus, The government of India has its own set of plans to encourage the netizens to switch to electric vehicles. This is enabled by setting up EV charging stations in the near range.

All the leading manufacturers like Tata, Hyundai, MG Motors, and Mahindra have come up with their own versions of electric vehicles. Reputed brands like Ashok Leyland, Hero, Revolt, TATA Motors have come up with electric bikes, scooters and buses. Charging demand is increasing which shows huge potential profits for upcoming EV hosts. Increased demand indicates a steep rise in the public charging base. 

Increase in footfalls:

However, there are numerous benefits of installing EV charging stations at hotel and resort or at your property. Charging stations attract higher paying guest as well as non-guest customers if public EV charging is installed. EV drivers are more affluent than other drivers and tend to be better educated.

One of the top benefits is that people who will care about sustainability and this service will appreciate it. By advertising about EV charging stations on your website, your potential guest will know they are welcome there and travel without worrying about charging stations. With all benefits at one place, the guest will stay for a longer period, upgrade plans and avail of premium service which will overall increase hotel/restaurant revenue.

Additional Income:

Earn passive income by installing an EV charging station at your home or commercial property. Electric vehicle charging is a trending technology and people are looking at smart e-mobility solutions to earn more.

Customer Satisfaction:

Install an electric vehicle charging station at your commercial property to add value to your brand and a satisfied customer is a brand advocate.

Customer stay longer:

Electric vehicle charging takes time. When an EV user stops at your charging station to charge his vehicle he ll stay there for a longer time. Make use of your commercial property like a restaurant or hotel by installing an electric vehicle charging station and earn extra. This add-on facility will increase customer footfall and the customer who stops to charge will take refreshment as well and thus tend to stay longer.

How to apply for EV charging station in India – Government Guidelines

On 14th January 2022, the ministry of power issued revised consolidated guidelines and standards for charging infrastructure. The objective of the guidelines is to manage and monitor EV charging issues and faster adoption of electric vehicles in India. The planning ensures safe, reliable, accessible and affordable EV charging infrastructure and eco-system. The guidelines and data are taken from the article shared by Niti Aayog and the ministry of power.

Key highlights of the government guidelines on install an EV Charging Station

• Now EV owners and users can charge their electric vehicles at their residences and offices using existing electricity connections.
• Exhaustive compliance requirements for public EV charging stations have been simplified
• Within 7 days the public EV charging station will get a connection in metro cities and 15 days in other municipal areas and 30 days, in rural areas.
• The ceiling of service charges to be charged by charging stations will be decided and fixed by the state government.
• The tariff for the supply of electricity to public EV charging stations would be a single-part tariff and would not exceed the “average cost of supply” till 31st March 2025.
• Through open access, public EV charging stations or chains of EV charging stations may obtain electricity from any power generation company.
• BEE would develop and maintain a national online database of all the public EV charging stations in consultation with State Nodal Agencies
• Public EV charging stations would be required to tie up with at least one online Network Service Provider to enable advanced remote/online booking of charging slots by EV owners.
• At least one EV charging station shall be available in a grid of 3 Km X 3 Km. Furthermore, one EV charging station shall be set up at every 25 Km on both sides of highways/roads.
• A phase-wise installation of EV charging infrastructure for megacities and big cities has been envisioned under the guidelines.

Understand the dynamics of hosting EV charging stations in India

• Worthiness of investing in EV charging station
• Government policies and initiatives
• Setup costing
  • Charger cost
  • Electricity and software cost
  • Infrastructure cost
  • Maintenance and power cost
  • Advertising cost

• Infrastructure setting requirements
• Business Earning model

How to Setup An EV Charging Station at your property?

• Select the suitable Charger Mix: The same EV user visits different types of properties with different objectives, example an EV user travelling from Delhi to Jaipur may visit a mid-way property for lunch & hence will select a property that has a fast-charging station that can charge the electric vehicle, while he/she has lunch. On the other hand, once in Jaipur the same EV user may look for a hotel with a destination charging facility so the car may get charged overnight while he/she sleeps. Consequently, for a property user it is necessary to understand the requirement of EV users & select a suitable mix of chargers

• Check for the EV Charging policy & incentives: Certain states have positive EV Charging policy, which means that electricity required for charging station comes at a subsidised rate than normal commercial rates. Understanding the policy & regulations also helps in providing reliable, uninterrupted & cost-effective power to EV users.

• Select the right partner: Once you are familiar with the basics of charging station, it is important to get the right partner, that not only installs the charging station but also helps you in promoting the charging station, getting desired visibility among the EV users, successfully operating & maintaining the charging station during its work life.

So What’s is the right mix of chargers ?

The right mix of chargers, is the combination of chargers that caters the need of EV users that visit your property in minimum capital investment. This ensures that your chargers have a high occupancy ratio and so maximise revenue.

Moreover, our modular infrastructure allows you to keep adding on charging infrastructure incrementally as your business grows. Further, we install, operate & maintain the chargers across their service life, facilitating you to earn without any hassle. Looking at technological advancement and the boom in the EV industry the electric vehicle charging station requirement in India is rising. So don’t lack behind and grab this booming business opportunity.

Wrapping up: Install an EV charging station

At YoCharge, when put a request for setting up a charging station our experts guide understand the dynamics of your business, property & location. If required we also conduct a physical survey to assess the property and after in-depth analysis suggest you first the right mix of chargers ( KW rating, AC/DC etc) that you should go for.

Furthermore, If you are looking to Install an EV Charging Station Facility at your property like a mall, shopping complex, society, hotel, restaurant, mid-ways, or petrol pump then you have reached the right place. Meanwhile, drop us a query below & our expert will get in touch with you as soon as we have a flexible investment plan to setup an EV charging station in India.

Are electric car charging stations profitable? If you are a hospitality business owner, property manager or developer, or even a city planner where many residents drive electric vehicles, then yes, indeed, it is a profitable business! Partner with YoCharge & usher in the future of mobility. Get your workplace, business, mall, restaurant or society EV Ready. What’s more, offer EV Charging services & earn additional income without any additional manpower & hassle.