EV Charging Infrastructure & BESS: Planning Deployment Across Sites

Organisations planning EV charging usually begin with the wrong question — which charger to
buy. The chargers are commodity hardware with published specifications. The project risk sits
in the connection: whether the site’s sanctioned load supports the charging demand, what the
transformer and feeders can carry, how much civil and cabling work stands between the
switchboard and the parking bay, and what happens to the demand charge when four fast chargers
start simultaneously.

Here is how to scope EV charging infrastructure — and where a BESS
(Battery Energy Storage System) genuinely earns its place.

1. Start With the Site’s Electrical Reality

Before charger selection, establish the existing sanctioned load and actual peak demand,
transformer capacity and spare headroom, available space in the LT panel and feeder routing
distance to the parking area, tariff structure including demand charges and any time-of-day
rates, and the site’s realistic charging profile — overnight fleet charging and daytime
opportunity charging are entirely different loads. Enhancing a sanctioned load takes time with
the distribution licensee, and that timeline usually governs the project.

2. Match the Charger Mix to the Dwell Time

Charging equipment and installations in India follow the Ministry of Power’s guidelines and
standards for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, along with the applicable IS 17017
series for conductive charging systems and CEA safety regulations. Specify the connector types your actual vehicle
fleet uses — this is a surprisingly common and expensive oversight.

3. The Electrical and Civil Scope Nobody Prices Early Enough

• Dedicated feeder, protection and metering for the charging load
• Cabling and cable routing from the panel to each charging bay, with volt drop checked
• Earthing and RCD protection appropriate for EV charging circuits
• Foundations, bollards, canopy and lighting at the charging bays
• Network connectivity for the charge management system and payment platform
• Load management so simultaneous charging does not exceed the site’s capacity

4. Where BESS Actually Makes Sense

Battery storage is not a default addition. It pays where a specific electrical problem
exists that would otherwise be solved by an expensive connection upgrade:

• Peak shaving: the battery supplies the spike when fast chargers start,
  keeping recorded maximum demand — and the demand charge — down
• Grid-constrained sites: fast charging where the local network cannot
  support the connection required
• Solar time-shifting: storing daytime captive solar generation for evening
  charging
• Backup: keeping critical loads or charging availability through supply
  interruptions

The engineering work is in sizing power (kW) and energy (kWh) against a measured load
profile, selecting a battery chemistry and a system built to recognised safety standards such
as the IEC 62619 series for industrial secondary cells, and designing the thermal management,
fire protection and enclosure to suit the location.

5. Delivery: Treat It as an Electrical Project

A multi-site rollout works best with a standard design template adapted per site, a
site-by-site survey confirming electrical and civil conditions, sequenced applications to the
distribution licensee, and commissioning that includes protection and earthing tests, charger
functional and safety tests, communication and payment platform verification, and a load
management trial with multiple points charging simultaneously.

VTPL delivers EV charging infrastructure and battery energy storage as part of its renewable
energy and electrical EPC portfolio — site assessment, distribution design, civil works,
installation, integration and commissioning. Backed by 33+ years of electrical EPC execution
across 19+ states and clients including PSUs, transport bodies and infrastructure developers,
our teams handle the connection side of these projects as their core competence.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is involved in setting up EV charging infrastructure?

Load and connection assessment, charger selection and layout, distribution licensee
approvals, dedicated feeders, cabling, earthing and protection, civil work at the bays, network
connectivity, load management, and commissioning.

Does an EV charging installation need a load enhancement?

Frequently, especially where DC fast charging is planned. The requirement depends on the
site’s sanctioned load, existing peak demand, transformer headroom and whether load management
or storage is used to limit simultaneous draw.

When is a BESS worth adding to a charging site?

When it avoids an expensive connection upgrade, reduces demand charges through peak shaving,
shifts captive solar generation to evening charging, or provides backup where charging
availability is critical.

Which standards apply to EV charging in India?

Ministry of Power guidelines and standards for EV charging infrastructure, the IS 17017
series for conductive charging systems, and CEA safety regulations for the electrical
installation.

VTPL executes EV charging
and battery energy storage projects alongside power distribution works
across India. Request a project consultation
→