Field composites
Vikrant 40 years · Delhi NCR · Commercial-vehicle anchor corridor
Vikrant's 18-station corridor network along the Delhi–Gurugram–Faridabad commercial spine is the category outlier. ~22% average port utilization — roughly three times the sector mean — driven by a captive anchor: three logistics fleet operators who signed preferred-charging agreements before the stations went live. The commercial-vehicle demand curve is predictable; the charging window (10 PM–6 AM) is off-peak for DISCOM load, so demand-charge billing is manageable.
Vikrant's payback horizon is 4.2 years on modelled current volumes — tight but positive. The PM E-DRIVE capex subsidy covered 40% of his charger hardware cost, but transformer upgrade at two stations was not covered and ran ₹18–22 lakh each. That cost was split 60% Vikrant, 40% DISCOM under a bilateral arrangement — not a standard disbursement path.
Priya 35 years · Pune · Grid-integration + peak-load management
Priya sits at the intersection of the EV charging buildout and the distribution grid — her role is to approve new CPO feeder connections and manage load curves across Pune's western suburbs. The operational picture she sees: fast-DC chargers (60–120 kW) requesting feeder connections where the substation has no spare capacity headroom. The queue for feeder upgrades runs 8–14 months from application to commissioning.
The demand-charge billing structure — where CPOs are billed on their peak-15-minute draw, not just kWh dispensed — creates a structural cost mismatch for low-utilization stations. A station drawing its rated peak even once per billing cycle for a single fast charge incurs a demand charge calculated at full contracted capacity, regardless of actual monthly throughput. At <15% utilization, this billing structure makes positive unit economics nearly impossible without fleet-anchor contracts.
Suresh 45 years · Tier-3 Maharashtra highway corridor
Suresh franchised a 4-port fast-DC station on a state highway in Vidarbha in mid-2024, anchored by PM E-DRIVE subsidy and the Ministry's publicised highway-network push. Fourteen months in, his station records <4% average utilization. Monthly throughput: 180–220 kWh dispensed. Break-even at his tariff and demand-charge load: approximately 1,800 kWh dispensed monthly.
The EV fleet penetration in his catchment corridor has not materialized at the pace the buildout assumed. The vehicles that would use his station are still on the 36–48 month purchase cycle — the private 4W EV penetration in Tier-3 Maharashtra remains below 1.2% of new registrations as of Q1 2026. Suresh's payback timeline is not computable under current volumes. He has not received a clear path to exit the franchise without forfeiting subsidy clawback provisions.