Public vs Captive EV Charging: Definitions and Examples 

EV charging in India broadly falls into two models: public charging and captive (private) charging, with a growing set of hybrid use cases in between. 

Understanding the differences between these models is critical for policymakers, charging operators, fleet owners, real-estate developers, and everyday EV users. Each model comes with its own regulatory requirements, cost structures, operational challenges, and business logic.  

In this blog, we explore: 

1. The difference between public and captive EV charging  

2. How regulations, tariffs, and operational risks differ across public and captive charging setups  

3. Which charging model makes sense for different stakeholders 

Public vs Captive EV Charging 

Public EV charging stations are open to all EV users. These are typically located at highways, petrol pumps, malls or transit hubs, or city parking areas. For example, public chargers might be found along a highway rest stop or on a city street for any commuter to use.  

In contrast, captive (or private) charging refers to charging points reserved for a specific owner or group. These serve electric vehicles owned or operated by that organization or community. Typical captive sites include a company’s bus depots, fleet yards, housing society parking lots, or office garages.  

A semi-public category also exists, such as chargers at residential complexes or schools that primarily serve a community but may allow authorized visitors. 

Most EV owners charge at home or work (captive charging), while public stations are essential for travel or for those without private parking. 

Regulatory and Policy Differences 

India’s EV charging is de-licensed, meaning no special license is required to set up either public or captive stations. However, regulations differ in practice.  

Public stations (often run by dedicated Charging Point Operators, or CPOs) must register with authorities, comply with Central Electricity Authority (CEA) safety standards, and often report data to nodal agencies.  

Captive installations face fewer challenges. A 2022 policy explicitly allows EV owners to use their existing home or office power connections for charging, simplifying captive deployment. 

Tariff rules differ too. Public charging stations generally purchase electricity from the grid like other consumers, but regulators cap their tariffs to encourage affordability. The Ministry of Power capped public charger supply until 2025. They also directed distribution companies to provide grid connections quickly (within 7 days in metros, 15 in other cities, and 30 in rural areas).  

In contrast, captive chargers pay standard domestic, commercial, or industrial tariffs through existing meters, without special EV surcharges. 

Safety and approvals apply to both: all chargers need a commissioning certificate and adherence to CEA/BIS standards. Public CPOs often must file reports or register each site. Whereas captive stations (especially small home/office ones) incur minimal paperwork. In effect, private charging faces fewer regulatory hurdles (involves fewer stakeholders and requires less regulatory compliance), whereas public charging must navigate permits, multiple clearances, and mandated data reporting (e.g., to state nodal agencies or a national database). 

Risk Factors and Operational Challenges 

Both charging models face unique challenges.  
 
Grid load and reliability: Public chargers (especially DC fast chargers) can strain local networks if many are clustered. Inadequate grid planning is a concern: some reports warn of potential bottlenecks if EV charging load isn’t forecasted and managed. Captive depots can schedule charging (often at night) to avoid peak tariffs and may even add onsite batteries or solar to buffer load. However, if a captive facility’s chargers overload a transformer, it could trigger outages. 

Uptime and maintenance: Public charging has struggled with reliability. A 2024 report found that roughly 12,100 of 25,000 public chargers (approx. 48%) were non-functional at that time, severely undermining user confidence. Frequent outages lead to range anxiety and deter EV users. Captive chargers, by contrast, usually have dedicated maintenance and backup plans.  

Billing and payment complexity: Public users need convenient payment methods. Currently, public chargers often rely on apps or RFID cards to pay, leading to fragmentation. Users report juggling dozens of apps to find and pay at different networks. In captive settings, billing is simpler: companies or housing societies can charge residents via monthly flat fees or allocate costs internally, without complex payment systems. In fact, workplaces often subsidize charging for employees rather than billing per kWh, simplifying operations. 

Security and vandalism: Public stations (especially in less supervised locations) can be vulnerable to vandalism or theft of cables. Many guidelines recommend CCTV and on-site staff for larger public hubs. Captive chargers on gated property have better security by default. Safety compliance applies to both, but public sites face stricter scrutiny due to liability from third-party use. 

CAPEX and financial risk: Public operators face high CAPEX and low utilization. Early studies note many public chargers run at only approx. 5% utilization (idle 95% of the day). At such low use, stations struggle to recover costs; one analysis showed that even at approx. 15% utilization (about 7 fast-charge sessions per day), a charger only breaks even on operating costs. This makes ROI difficult without subsidies, utility incentives, or rent-sharing deals to stay viable.  

Captive projects are funded internally (by a company or RWA) and don’t rely on user fees. Their return is measured in reduced fuel costs rather than direct revenue. Electrifying a fleet can save hundreds of crores in fuel costs (national estimates show ₹1.63 lakh crore saved by electrifying all govt. vehicles), offsetting the initial CAPEX. 

Business Models: Monetization vs Cost Optimization 

Public charging is a commercial service, earning revenue from energy sales, parking, or partnerships with retailers or hotels, e.g., malls. Subsidies and “free land” provisions help. Open-access networks and aggregator apps aim to maximize charger use. However, low utilization often forces reliance on subsidies or revenue-sharing deals. Some business models (franchising, COCO) have emerged, but all hinge on growing EV traffic. 

In contrast, a captive charging setup is an internal cost center, not a profit-making venture. Companies or fleet operators install chargers to minimize their own operating costs. For high-mileage fleets (delivery vans, cabs, buses), total cost of ownership (TCO) already favors EVs.  

Industry analyses find many EV fleet vehicles are cheaper over time than diesel equivalents due to savings on energy and maintenance. Thus, a logistics firm may invest ₹5–10 lakh per depot charger, confident that each unit of electricity (₹5–10 per kWh) displaces much pricier diesel (₹80+ per liter) and pays back in years.  

Housing societies, likewise, charge residents a modest fee or include electricity in maintenance dues. Captive sites often schedule charging for off-peak tariffs and pair chargers with on-site solar generation to cut costs. They rarely “monetize” charging, instead they work to optimize energy use and decouple the fleet’s fuel expenses from oil price swings. 

Hybrid models blur the line. For example, a workplace may open its chargers to the public during off-hours (a semi-public model), or a delivery fleet depot might charge visiting taxis at a premium. Such approaches can improve utilization and share CAPEX. 

Infrastructure, Land Use and Investment 

Public chargers require dedicated land. But finding suitable land is a major hurdle: in cities, land parcels are controlled by many agencies (municipal, transport authorities, etc.), complicating site selection. Even when space is identified, grid infrastructure (transformers, feeders) may need costly upgrades. The government has tried to ease this by subsidizing distribution network upgrades (e.g., via RDSS funding) and providing land at concessional rates. By contrast, captive chargers typically use existing property (office or apartment parking lots) and tap into the owner’s power supply. This greatly reduces land and development costs. A housing society usually can install a charger in its basement parking with minimal additional wiring, whereas a standalone public station might need full civil work. 

Investment size also differs. Public fast-charging hubs often bundle multiple DC chargers (150kW or higher) along with amenities (restrooms, cafes), driving CAPEX into crores. Captive sites usually install slower AC chargers (3–22 kW) sufficient for overnight charging; while each charger is cheaper, a large fleet can still entail multi-million-rupee setups. Both models are increasingly integrating batteries or solar to shave peak demand charges. For instance, some highway stations now include battery storage to manage grid load spikes, an expense borne by the public operator. Captive depots similarly adopt microgrids or V2G (vehicle-to-grid) controls to optimize cost, using state programs like the PM e-Drive scheme to offset some capital cost. 

Choosing the Right Model: Who Uses Which?

• Individual drivers: Those with private parking can rely on captive charging. Apartment dwellers may use society chargers (semi-public) or rely more on occasional public chargers.  

• Fleets: Buses, delivery vans, and taxis almost always use captive depots. Transport companies install depots with multiple chargers to serve their own vehicles. Such depots may start as purely captive but can become shared hubs if usage allows. 

• Real-estate developers and businesses: Install captive chargers for tenants or employees, sometimes adding public chargers for visitors. Government buildings and universities follow similar mixed models. 

• Urban planners and utilities: Focus on public charging in dense areas (transit stations, government parking) to meet public-access needs. Some city policies allow RWAs (resident welfare associations) to run chargers for residents (effectively captive) and even permit opening them to outsiders as public charging under certain conditions. 

• Rural authorities: Prioritize highway and district-level public chargers, while captive charging supports public services like buses and railways and is usually handled as an internal project by those agencies. 

In summary, use case dictates the model. A delivery company wants reliable high-volume charging and will invest in captive infrastructure. A middle-income family without a garage will press for accessible public chargers nearby. A corporate campus will likely offer both: onsite charging for employees (captive) and some open slots for guests (semi-public). Government fleets (e.g., buses) are virtually always captively charged at depots, but public bus stops may also get chargers for private vehicles to use.