EV charging points mandatory for new buildings in Pune; 20 percent parking space reserved for electric vehicles

The Pune Municipal Corporation has ordered that the installation of electric vehicle charging points shall be mandatory for new buildings to get construction permits in the city.
Representational image.

Representational image.

Photo : ANI
Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), through its latest order, made it mandatory for new buildings in the city to have charging facilities for electric vehicles. As per the new order, 20 percent of the total parking spaces should be reserved for electric vehicles in all commercial as well as residential buildings that have parking space for 20 or more four-wheeler vehicles.
The PMC order goes in line with the Maharashtra government’s Electric Policy which also mandates that construction permits will be given to new residential and other buildings only if the facility of electric vehicle charging is included in the plans.
The latest order further stipulates that new commercial buildings, which have parking space for 50 vehicles and above, have to install electric vehicle charging points available for 25 percent of vehicles of their parking capacity.
For old buildings with parking spaces for more than 50 vehicles, they have to install charging points for 10 percent of vehicles of their parking capacity. The building permit will be withheld if this facility is not provided, the PMC order states.
The civic authorities in Pune have been pushing for faster adoption of electric vehicles in the city. However, a recent survey showed that the majority of people in Pune chose petrol cars over eclectic vehicles. The authorities believe that the non-availability of charging facilities act a key role in pulling back the city residents from electric vehicle adoption.
Meanwhile, between January 1 and August 25 this year, as many as 1164 electric cars and 11681 electric two-wheelers have been sold in Pune.
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