Private chargers — one resident, one spot, one charger — suit buildings where EV owners have clearly allotted parking and pay for their own equipment and electricity. Shared charging points suit buildings with unallotted or rotating parking, many two-wheelers, or residents who charge only occasionally. Most societies eventually land on a mix: private chargers for residents who want them, plus one or two shared points for everyone else. The wrong choice shows up later as queues, billing disputes or stranded hardware, so it is worth choosing deliberately.
The private model
How it works: a resident gets permission, installs a charger at their own spot at their own cost, and pays for electricity through their own meter or a sub-meter.
- Strengths: simplest billing (the owner pays for what they use), no queuing, clear maintenance responsibility, scales one resident at a time.
- Weaknesses: needs allotted parking; duplicated wiring costs if many residents install separately; cable routes multiply across common areas.
The shared model
How it works: the society (or a group of residents) installs one or more charging points in a designated area, metered separately, with usage billed per kWh to whoever charges.
- Strengths: works without allotted parking; one professional installation; serves occasional users and visitors; can start small (even a metered 15A point).
- Weaknesses: needs booking/queuing rules; needs a billing mechanism (who reads the meter? who collects?); maintenance is a committee responsibility; peak-evening contention is real.
Decision factors
| Factor | Favours private | Favours shared |
|---|---|---|
| Parking allotment | Clearly allotted spots | Rotating/unallotted |
| Current EV count | Few, committed owners | Many occasional users |
| Vehicle mix | Cars charged overnight | Two-wheelers with smaller batteries |
| Electrical headroom | Spread across flat meters | One managed connection |
| Committee capacity | Low — owner handles everything | Needs an operating routine |
Fairness questions societies should settle in advance
- Does a private charger owner have exclusive use of "their" electrical capacity, or does a future shared installation take priority?
- Are shared-point users charged only for energy, or energy plus a maintenance contribution? (See billing model comparisons.)
- Time limits at shared points — a car that finished charging at 9 pm and stays until morning blocks everyone.
- Visitor charging: allowed? at what rate?
A pragmatic path for most societies
- Adopt a written policy covering both models (start from our draft generator or templates).
- Approve private installations that meet the policy's safety and metering conditions.
- Pilot one shared point — even a well-metered 15A socket — and learn from actual usage before investing more. Our guide to proposing a common charging station covers the pilot approach.
Safety note: both models require professional electrical design — load assessment, protection devices and earthing verified on site by a licensed electrician. Nothing here replaces that.