0
0
MUMBAI, 29 November 2022: In Maharashtra, cooperative housing societies and resident welfare associations (RWAs) have been asked to grant no objection certificates (NOCs) to EV owners who wish to install charging stations on society premises within seven days of receiving the application.
Several EV owners have complained that they were unable to obtain authorization from their housing societies to install charging stations, which prompted the registrar of cooperative housing societies to issue the instruction.
Maharashtra State Electric Vehicle Policy 2021
The Maharashtra State Electric Vehicle Policy 2021 was introduced by the Maharashtra government in June 2021. By detailing infrastructure development, demand and supply-side financial and non-financial incentives to address the high upfront cost to promote a greater EV adoption rate and to boost production capacity, this strategy responds to the concerns of many players in the EV ecosystem.
The policy also includes a clause regarding NOCs given to an individual EV owner by a housing society or RWA for the installation of a personal EV charger.
In Mumbai, where private automobiles rely on home chargers for up to 80% of their demands, a separate connection specifically for charging EVs is intended to increase the adoption rate of EVs there.
According to the directive, “As installation of an EV charging station is a de-licensed activity, any individual who wishes to install an EV charger is free to do so. An NOC (template provided in Annexure-II) should be granted by the housing society/RWA to any EV owner that wishes to set up a charging point within the building premises. The housing society/RWA should grant NOC to the EV owner within seven days from the date of application (template provided in Annexure-I).”
The Maharashtra government has released recommendations stating that an electric vehicle (EV) charging outlet should be kept at least 5 metres away from a car.
Installing all of the outlets for the EV charging point within 800 millimetres of the highest flood level is required. Only areas away from the playgrounds are suitable for installing the charging stations.
EV registration until March 2022
Between April 2017 and March 2022, a total of 37,777 EVs were registered in Maharashtra. According to information from the Maharashtra Economic Survey of 2021–22, more than 18,000 EVs were registered in just 2021–22.
By 2025, the Maharashtra government hopes to electrify 25% of the public transportation in six urban areas, including Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, and Amravati.
The Maharashtra government’s decision to simplify the application procedure for creating EV infrastructure has been praised by developers.
The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India’s local chapter’s chief operating officer, Keval Valambhia, said: “It is wonderful that EV owners would receive approvals from housing societies in a timely manner to install EV car chargers. On the basis of need and viability, we developers are also making every effort to incorporate EV charging points in any new residential and commercial projects that are feasible. This is done in support of the government’s goal to electrify all road-going automobiles.”
