You have a budget and are thinking of buying an EV car but still have doubts regarding how to charge EV cars in India. It is a valid point that the charging in EV cars is a must and it can be a nightmare when you are planning to travel somewhere that is thousands of kilometers from your home city.
In petrol-based cars, the pumps are available at different places every 10 to 15km, which makes your trip stress-free as you can refill the tank anytime. But what if you own an electric car? How can you plan such a long trip when the infrastructure is not yet fully set up in India? Would that be risky? Would that be frustrating? Well, stay tuned with me as I will let you know if you bought an EV car or planning to but it in near future, then how to charge it in India!
At Home
You can charge your electric car at home with a 3.3kW or 7.2kW charger from AC unit. This is the best and most affordable option as the home unit will cost you somewhere around 5 to 6 rupees/unit and will take up to 8 hours to charge from 0 to 100% depends how fast charger you are using.
At home 20% – 100% charging will cost you around Rs. 125 to Rs 175 (depends on which state your are leaving)
So once it is fully charged, you can take your EV car outside the home and drive it non-stop for 200km. Once the battery percentage reaches 25%, it’s time to look for a charging points that you can find at different points in public area. We have disclose the public charging stations other than home below, so must read it now to know more!
Restaurants on the Road
While traveling on well connected highways, you may find some restaurants that offer EV charging stations in the parking lot. So if your car battery drops below 25%, then you can park your car in the parking area of restaurant and charge the vehicle. As this is a commercial point, you have to pay around 200 to 500 for 1 full charge. In case of fast charging, you have to pay 10 to 20% extra which is fare enough as you are saving time too.
Dhabas
Nowadays, Indian local dhabas have been renovated and they also provide fast charging points. So while traveling on national highways where connectivity is good like Delhi to Amritsar, Delhi to Jaipur, Mumbai to Goa etc. you can find many well-maintained dhabas where charging points are available.
Here in a Dhaba, you can park the vehicle, connect the charger and wait for 1 hour or more (depends on what charging points are available). Meanwhile you can drink tea, eat fresh and hot food and charge up the body for next point. The cost of charging an EV car in Dhaba will be same as restaurants.
Shopping Malls
Shopping malls in India are the best and most secure way to charge a vehicle as they offer multiple charging points. Here the space for multiple vehicles is available, and you can easily find the charging port. Meanwhile, your car will charge, you can go to washroom, you can check out the surroundings, go to the food area and eat hot food.
This is a single place where you can easily spend 1 to 2 hours without any problem. You can take a break, eat and start the journey with full energy without fatigue.
Hotels/Resorts
At present 3-star and 5-star hotels / resorts also provide car charging facilities for free to customers. So, if you are planning a trip, make sure to book a hotel having a car charging point in their parking lot or basement, so you can plug in your car and charge it and then enjoy the day without delay.
Car Charging Stations
Like petrol pumps or CNG filling stations, you can also charge the car at nearest stations. This is one of the best options to charge a vehicle in faster way as these stations offer fast DC charging point, which can charge the car in less than 1 hour. To find the nearest station, you can download app on your mobile or take the help of google maps. This will list the nearest charging point, you can go and charge the vehicle easily.
As this is a commercial and special point made to charge the EV, you have to pay fixed per hour or higher price rate per unit which could cost around Rs 22 to 25/unit. On an average, if you prefer charging station to charge the EV, it might cost you around Rs 350 to Rs 600 only including tax.
At Office
Office is perfect place where you can charge the vehicle for free. As an employee you can park vehicle in parking area, and charge the car for free. One of my relatives has purchased an EV car, and he charges it at the factory instead of home. This is best as you know if you don’t get time at home, then you can still charge it for free at office!
Most of these facilities are available in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Gurugram, Jaipur, Bhopal, Kolkata etc. If you are from small towns, you may face some problem, but it would be better if you know which route you are using. It is advised by experts that if you are using an EV car then follow the planned route otherwise you may get into big trouble, which may spoil the memories of your trip.
Call for Help [Final Approach]
In case, you are in hilly area or traveling to rural area or you have to take unplanned route for some reasons or you stuck in jam (which is quite common in India), and you battery drop to 10 % then you can call roadside assistance provided by your car manufacturer or a towing service. They might have mobile charging options or can tow your car to the nearest charging station. The team might also charge vehicle with generator and it will cost you around Rs 1000 to Rs 1500 only, but trust me it will be day saving and it this disaster situation can be happened with anyone.
Do you still have any question in your basket regarding how to charge EV cars in India? Please let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to share.
Leave a Reply