In The Future, You Will Get Parking Only If You Drive An Electric Vehicle

The state of Karnataka is trying to pass a new mandate upon vehicle parking soon. By making changes to the Model Building Bye-laws 2017, the state plans to reserve 20 percent of the parking space of any residential or commercial infrastructure for electric vehicles. The space would need to offer charging facilities so that the EVs can be charged while parked.

The mandate is another in line of a string of measures announced to promote the use of electric vehicles in the state. A recent ET report mentions that the proposed regulation and amendment draft has already been prepared and sent to the urban development department for approval.

The new initiative to promote EV use complies with the guidelines of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Earlier this year, these guidelines were amended to include provisions to set up an EV charging infrastructure in the premises of a building based on its occupancy pattern and total parking provisions.

Karnataka, however, is not the only state to work towards the cause. As the Indian states are forming policies and committees for increasing electric vehicle adoption, several have mandated such perks for EV owners. A reserved parking space is one of the most common mandates mentioned in most of these policies.

A reserved parking space for EVs (Representative Image: Reuters)

Chandigarh, for instance, recently came up with a draft of its own EV policy. The policy clearly mentions the required infrastructure to be setup in the near future. While it includes a total of 1000 charging stations to be set up across the union territory, a corresponding focus is put on creating parking spaces around these chargers and dedicated lanes to access them.

A pan-India look will easily reveal that its a growing trend. Delhi is set to necessitate the same. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and others are also in line.

Dire Need

Electric vehicle adoption in India has been facing an uphill task. Mostly because of a lack of a widespread charging network in the country inducing range anxiety in the buyers. While charging stations are being set up, an immediate relief is being provided by singular charging points across the residential and commercial complexes.

That calls for a dedicated space in any complex for such chargers to work on. The spot has to be reserved only for an electric vehicle. Lest an IC engine vehicle is parked on the spot, the charger is rendered useless at that location.

Reserved parking spaces for EVs are thus necessary in India if the country is to make this transition to electric vehicles. Even with these though, a new set of problems will arise for sure, that of a long queue waiting for the charging spot to be free. Tesla recently found a solution to this problem for its supercharging stations. Read all about the smart measure taken by the EV major here.