Question 1

1. What's the difference between an EV charging station franchise and a dealership?

Accepted Answer

A franchise rents you the brand, the pricing bands, and the software stack in exchange for a fee and, usually, an ongoing revenue share. A dealership sells you the hardware at wholesale pricing and lets you operate far more independently, typically without an ongoing royalty. Franchise trades autonomy for brand pull and support; dealership trades support for margin and control.

Question 2

2. How much does an EV charging station franchise cost in India?

Accepted Answer

Entry-level AC charging setups run ₹1–5 lakh; commercial DC fast-charging sites typically need ₹10–25 lakh; a highway-scale DC hub can run ₹50 lakh to ₹2 crore. Franchise fees for established brands commonly add ₹1–2.5 lakh on top of infrastructure costs.

Question 3

3. Can a CPO run company-owned, franchise, and dealership sites on one platform?

Accepted Answer

Yes — that's the point of a shared charging management system. Company-owned, franchise and dealer-operated sites can all report tariffs, uptime and revenue into the same backend even when each carries different branding or ownership.

Question 4

4. What should a franchisor standardize across an EV charging network?

Accepted Answer

Brand identity and signage, pricing floor/ceiling bands, uptime SLA, the software/CMS stack, and safety compliance under BIS/ARAI standards like IS 17017. Everything else — site sourcing, local promotions, day-to-day support — can be left to the local partner.

Question 5

5. Is a channel-partner model realistic with no capital to invest?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Channel partner programs pay a success fee per converted lead rather than requiring station ownership, making them the lowest-capital way to participate in EV charging network growth — suited to consultants, electrical contractors and business-development professionals with existing relationships.

Question 6

6. Do GST and the PM E-DRIVE scheme change franchise and dealership economics?

Accepted Answer

Both lower the entry barrier. GST on EV chargers and charging stations sits at 5% under the GST 2.0 structure reconfirmed in September 2025, and the PM E-DRIVE scheme's ₹2,000 crore outlay subsidizes up to 100% of upstream infrastructure costs at eligible public locations — reducing the capital a new franchise or dealership partner needs to bring.

channel partner program

EV Charging Station Franchise vs Dealership: Scaling Without Losing Control