50,000 EVs, just 350 charging stations in Indore:How safe is home charging? 8 deaths in recent incident raise concern

The fire incident at Brijeshwari Annex in Indore has raised several questions about electric vehicle maintenance. There are conflicting reports about whether the accident occurred during EV charging or due to an electric pole. Amid all this, Bhaskar’s investigation revealed that 99 percent of the batteries in the city’s 50,000 electric vehicles are being charged unsafely. Meanwhile, the electricity distribution company provides separate connections for EV charging. Its tariff is also lower than commercial electricity connections. How are people charging EV batteries unsafely? When the electricity company provides separate connections, why aren’t people taking them? What is the method of charging batteries? To find answers to all these questions, Bhaskar spoke with experts and electricity company officials. Read the report… Separate connection and tariff for EV charging
The electricity company has a dedicated policy for EV charging. Homes with electric vehicles can take a separate connection. Its tariff is also lower than domestic and commercial connections. While domestic connections charge Rs 3.50 to 7 per unit (according to slab) and commercial connections charge Rs 8 per unit. For EV charging connection, this rate is only Rs 7.14 per unit. This means that taking a separate connection is not only safe but can also be cheaper in many cases. This connection includes separate wiring, a dedicated meter and load transfer arrangement, which prevents the home’s main electrical circuit from getting overloaded. In such cases, the risk of fire-like accidents is almost eliminated. Indore Electricity Company’s Superintending Engineer Dilip Kumar Gathe says- We provide separate connections for EV charging, but people don’t come forward. The company has made arrangements to provide a second connection in the same house. If people take separate connections for charging, it will be beneficial and safe for them. Its tariff is also lower.
Charging EV with regular wiring is dangerous-Expert
Retired electricity company engineer GK Vaishnav says that about five years ago when EVs started coming, Indore gave a positive message by purchasing six electric vehicles first. At that time, this policy was made that 7 to 9 kilowatts of power is required to charge an EV. Regular house wiring and connections are not designed to handle such additional load. Therefore, separate connection arrangements were made. But people became confused that it would cost more money, and they started charging vehicles from domestic connections, which increased the risk of fire many times. People should avoid charging vehicles at homes and should use charging stations. Risking life to save 10 thousand
Another major risk factor is the increasing use of cheap and uncertified charging devices. The original charger that companies provide with four-wheelers costs more than Rs 35,000. These are installed by company experts and have safety features like auto-cutoff, which shut down the charger in case of overloading. However, when this charger breaks down, people buy cheaper chargers worth Rs 25,000 from the market to save 10-12 thousand rupees. This is where the biggest compromise with safety begins. The situation is even worse in the e-rickshaw and two-wheeler segment. Their chargers are easily available in the market for 3,000 to 8,000 rupees, whose quality and safety standards cannot be trusted. Understand charging safety precautions in 7 points Electronics engineer and EV charging system expert Ishwar Bhardwaj advises taking some necessary precautions. Wiring, Earthing and Proper Connections Essential – Expert Retired AE GK Vaishnav explains the technical reasons for accidents in more detail.