The state’s green push via the Gujarat State Electric Vehicle Policy 2021 has thrown up a new challenge for municipal corporations — the safety of basement parking areas. While the policy allows for charging stations in parking lots, a series of recent fires involving electric vehicles (EVs) has cast a shadow over having such a facility in basement parking lots.
“The possibility of a fire caused by charging a vehicle in the basement, a confined parking space, which often lacks safety features, is particularly concerning,” said a senior Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) official.
The tragic incident in Delhi’s Old Rajendra Nagar, where rainwater inundated a basement coaching institute, leading to the death of three students, depicts the potential hazards of such spaces and the challenges involving rescue operations. Experts warn that a similar situation, exacerbated by an EV fire, could be catastrophic.
The city has already had its share of EV-related fires. On June 25, a fire broke out in a BRTS bus being charged at Vastral depot in Ahmedabad, spreading to two other buses. Just days earlier, on June 21, an e-vehicle battery fire in the Limbayat area in Surat caused a cylinder explosion, killing a young woman. Two years ago, a fire erupted while an e-vehicle was being charged in Hira Moti Society in Patan. Another fire occurred at an e-vehicle charging station at Navrangpura multilevel parking two years ago, reducing vehicles to ashes. In Feb 2022, an e-vehicle caught fire while being charged in Surat, and the incident went viral on social media.
Despite these incidents, the state govt has approved the establishment of EV charging stations in parking areas under the EV policy. While no basement parking has been set up in the city yet, EV charging stations have been established at Navrangpura multilevel parking and other municipal corporation properties.
While the AMC has plans to set up EV charging stations in open spaces and under flyovers through a public-private partnership, the response from private players has been tepid. Of the 81 proposed locations, only 27 have found takers. Notably, no plans have been approved for EV charging stations in basements of private societies or new constructions.
