Many first-home buyers do not own an electric car today. But a home loan runs for many years, and your next car may well plug in. It is worth asking about charging now, before you buy.
"Provision" can mean four things
- A working charger at your parking spot.
- A power socket ready for a charger.
- Cable trays or pipes laid, but no wiring.
- Just a space marked for future use.
All four may be called "EV provision". They are very different. Ask which one you are getting.
The real limit: building power
Every building has a sanctioned electrical load from the power company (BESCOM, in Bengaluru). Car chargers draw a lot of power. If many residents add them later, the building may need more load, which can mean cost and paperwork. Ask whether EV charging was planned into the building's load.
Running cables later is hard
Laying a cable route during construction is cheap. Cutting into a finished basement is not. A building with pipes or trays already in place makes life much easier later.
Who pays for the power?
Three common setups:
- The charger runs from your own flat's meter.
- Your parking spot has its own separate meter.
- A shared charging system bills each user.
Each has pros and cons. What matters is that it is clear and fair.
Who owns and maintains it?
If a charger breaks, who fixes it? Who is responsible if something goes wrong? These questions usually land with the residents' association. Ask what the builder will hand over.
Questions to ask the sales team
- What exactly is provided at my parking spot?
- Was EV charging included in the building's electrical load?
- Is there a cable route to my spot?
- How will metering work?
- Is my parking spot allotted in my agreement?
What the guidance says
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs amended the Model Building Bye-Laws, 2016 in 2019 to add a section on EV charging. It suggests that a share of parking (20 per cent in the model text) be made ready for electric vehicles in new buildings. Model bye-laws are guidance for states and cities. They apply in a place only once the local rules adopt them. So ask the builder which rule applied to the project's approval, rather than assuming.
A worked example: what charging at home costs (illustrative)
These figures are made up to show the arithmetic. Check your car's battery size and your tariff.
- Battery: 40 kWh (kilowatt-hours, the unit on your power bill).
- Charge from 20 to 80 per cent: 60 per cent of 40 kWh = 24 kWh.
- Allow for losses: say 10 per cent more is drawn from the wall, so about 26.4 kWh.
- Illustrative tariff: ₹8 per kWh. Cost = 26.4 × ₹8 ≈ ₹211 per charge.
- Charging twice a week: ₹211 × 2 × 52 ≈ ₹21,944 a year.
Time matters too. A 3.3 kW charger takes about 26.4 ÷ 3.3 = 8 hours for that charge. A 7.4 kW charger takes about 3.6 hours. A slower charger overnight is often enough for city driving.
A worked example: why building load matters (illustrative)
Say 30 residents each install a 7.4 kW charger. If all charge at once, that is 30 × 7.4 = 222 kW of extra demand. For many residential buildings, that is a big addition to the load the building was designed for. This is why some buildings use load management, which shares available power between chargers so they do not all run at full speed at the same time. Ask whether this was planned.
Step by step: adding a charger after you move in
- Read your agreement and the association's rules. Check what you are allowed to install in your parking space.
- Talk to the association first. It manages common areas, including cable routes in the basement.
- Get a licensed electrician to check the route and load. Ask them to put it in writing.
- Decide the metering. Your flat's meter, a separate meter, or a shared billed system. Each needs the right approvals from the power company.
- Choose the charger and installer. Ask about safety features, earthing and warranty.
- Keep the paperwork. Approvals, invoices and test reports help if anything goes wrong.
Common mistakes first-time buyers make
- Taking "EV-ready" at face value. It can mean anything from a working charger to an empty space.
- Not checking parking allotment. A charger is only useful at a spot that is yours.
- Running a long extension cable. This is unsafe and usually not allowed. Use a proper installation.
- Forgetting the association. Shared spaces need shared agreement.
- Ignoring future demand. Even if you do not drive electric today, your neighbours may. Ask how the building will cope.
Your EV checklist for site visits
- What exactly is at my parking spot: charger, socket, conduit or space?
- Which rule on EV charging applied to this approval?
- Was charging load planned for, and is there load management?
- How will charging be metered and billed?
- Who maintains chargers after handover?
Charging types in plain words
- Slow AC charging: a socket or wall box drawing a few kilowatts. Ideal for overnight charging at home.
- Faster AC charging: a wall box drawing more power, often around 7 kW. Useful if you drive a lot or charge less often.
- DC fast charging: high-power public chargers, usually at highways, malls and charging hubs. Rarely installed at individual home parking spots.
Most families charging at home use AC charging overnight. That is why the questions above focus on the circuit to your parking spot, not on fast chargers.
Safety basics
Charging puts a steady, heavy load on a circuit for hours. That needs a dedicated, properly rated circuit with protection devices and good earthing, installed by a licensed electrician. Ordinary home extension boards are not designed for this. Ask the installer to explain the protection used and to give you a test report. Basement parking also needs good ventilation and clear access for fire safety. Keep the area around your charger free of stored items.
Thinking about resale
As more people drive electric, buyers are likely to ask about charging. A flat whose parking already has a clear, approved charging route is easier to explain to a future buyer. You cannot know how fast this will change, but planning for it now costs little compared with retrofitting later. Ask the builder what is possible, and keep their written answer with your flat's papers.
If you do not plan to buy an EV soon
You may still care. Even if you never charge a car, your building's power and parking will be shared with neighbours who do. Clear rules on who pays for charging power, and how chargers are installed, protect everyone's maintenance bill and safety. Ask how the association will handle requests, so a shared system is fair to residents who do not charge. A short, written policy agreed early saves arguments later, when several residents ask at once and the basement already has many cables.
Write down what you were told on your visit, who said it and the date. Then ask for the same answer by email. Spoken promises about parking and power are the hardest to rely on later.
Get the answers in writing. If you are visiting The Shalott Marque, ask us these questions too.