EV charging stations under flyovers are coming to Chennai. See how the urban dead-space model works, its risks, and what it means for HP. Talk to EVision India.
EV charging stations under flyovers may soon become one of the smartest ways Indian cities squeeze value out of neglected land. Chennai has just moved this idea from the drawing board to a funded project, and it raises a bigger question for every crowded Indian city: can the dead spaces beneath our bridges quietly become the backbone of public charging?
At EVision India, we plan, build, and operate charging sites across Himachal Pradesh, so we follow experiments like this closely. Below is what Chennai is actually doing, the engineering realities behind the headline, and where a similar model could work in the hills.
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is repurposing the vacant land beneath two major flyover underpasses. The corporation has announced redevelopment projects for two major flyover underpasses in the city — at T. Nagar and Alwarpet — at a combined cost of Rs 7.5 crore.
The standout element is charging. Chennai will set up the city’s first electric vehicle charging facility beneath a flyover, as part of a Rs 3.75-crore redevelopment project at the North Usman Road–Mahalingapuram Road junction flyover in T Nagar.
Crucially, the power side is being handled by the state utility. The two-wheeler EV charging stations are to be set up in coordination with the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), and the site will also feature designated two-wheeler parking and commercial units.
The project is not only about charging. The space will be improved with landscaping, seating, decorative lighting, paved walkways, tactile features for the visually impaired, proper stormwater drains, and CCTV cameras and signage for safety and visibility. That mix of parking, greenery, retail, and charging is exactly what makes the underpass model interesting.
The core idea: turn idle, litter-prone underpass land into a serviced public asset — parking plus power plus people.
Under-flyover land is usually publicly owned, already paved, and sitting on a busy corridor. That solves the single hardest problem in public charging — finding affordable, well-located land.
Land cost and availability genuinely shape the economics. The land requirement for an EV charging station in India varies depending on whether you install compact [AC chargers or high-power DC chargers with parking and transformers, with DC fast chargers needing significantly more space](https://www.greatpelican.in/resources/blogs/how-much-land-is-required-to-start-an-ev-charging-station-in-india). A ready-made municipal footprint under a flyover removes a lot of that friction.
It also aligns with national density targets. Ministry of Power guidelines say at least one charging station should be located within a 1 km x 1 km grid in urban areas by 2030, as notified by the respective state governments. Dense urban grids are precisely where spare land is scarce and underpasses are plentiful.
If you are evaluating locations for your own network, our site assessment services and charging solutions start from exactly these questions.
A glossy render hides a lot of electrical and civil work. Here is what actually has to be solved before a single vehicle plugs in.
The first question under any flyover is simple: is there enough power, and who supplies it? Chennai answered this by tying the project to the discom — which is why the TANGEDCO coordination matters more than the concrete work.
Under Indian rules, connectivity is meant to be flexible. A distribution licensee may provide sub-metering for an EV charger, behind the meter of an existing HT connection, which can simplify how an underpass site draws sanctioned load.
A modest two-wheeler AC setup can often run off an existing low-tension supply. But the moment you add DC fast charging, the footprint grows to accommodate a dedicated transformer and switchgear. As noted above, DC fast chargers need significantly more space, and a standard setup with parking and transformers may require a larger plot. Under a flyover, the transformer and LT panel must sit clear of the carriageway, drainage lines, and pedestrian zones — not always easy in a narrow bay.
Chennai's choice of two-wheeler charging is deliberate. Two-wheelers charge on low-power AC units, take up little room, and match short-stay parking. The regulations give operators room to choose. Current [Ministry of Power guidelines allow flexibility in choosing the number and type of chargers — AC-001, DC-001, Type 2 AC, CCS, CHAdeMO — based on market requirement](https://evreporter.com/setting-up-a-public-ev-charging-station-in-india/).
Whatever you pick must meet Indian standards. AC chargers must meet IS 17017-1 and -2, DC chargers (50–200 kW) must meet IS 17017-23, low-power (<7 kW) units must meet IS 17017-25, and Bharat AC001 or DC001 chargers must be BIS approved. Our products page covers compliant hardware options for both formats.
Under a flyover, dwell time decides the charger type. Long-stay office or market parking suits slower AC units; quick top-ups suit DC. Getting this wrong strands expensive DC chargers next to cars that sit for hours — or clogs slow AC bays with drivers who need speed. Chennai pairing two-wheeler charging with two-wheeler parking is a sensible utilisation match.
Under-flyover sites carry unique risks that a rooftop or forecourt station never faces.
We design our installation process around exactly these clearances — drainage, fire, and access before hardware.
A single revenue stream rarely pays for public charging. What makes EV charging stations under flyovers commercially attractive is that they stack three: parking fees, charging revenue, and advertising or retail. Chennai's plan explicitly bundles designated parking, commercial units, and EV charging in one site.
Charging tariffs are capped, so margins come from volume and the other streams. The ceiling for service charges (excluding GST and land cost) is set for AC and DC charging during solar and non-solar hours. For municipalities, near-free land under a flyover flips a marginal charging site into a viable one — which is the whole point of the municipal EV charging model.
Yes — with caveats. Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Gurugram all have thousands of metres of under-flyover land, chronic parking shortages, and the same 2030 density targets, which makes EV charging stations under flyovers an obvious next step for these metros. The blockers are local: monsoon flooding in Mumbai, encroachment in Delhi, and grid strength on individual corridors. The Chennai template — discom partnership, two-wheeler-first charging, drainage and CCTV built in — is broadly portable to any dense metro.
Himachal's geography changes the calculus. We have fewer sprawling flyovers than the plains, but plenty of underused public land near bus stands, market complexes, and hill-town bypasses that could host the same parking-plus-charging bundle. The lessons transfer directly: partner with the discom for load, size chargers to real dwell time, and engineer aggressively for drainage and safety — doubly important in high-rainfall hill zones.
EVision India focuses solely on Himachal Pradesh, from Shimla outward across the state's service locations. If your municipality, mall, or fleet wants to convert idle land into a working charging hub, our team can help — and you can learn more about our approach.
EV charging stations under flyovers are a rare win-win: cities reclaim dead land, drivers get charging where they already park, and the grid grows denser without expensive land buys. Chennai has shown the model is fundable and practical when the discom, drainage, and safety are handled up front. For Himachal Pradesh, the same thinking — adapted for our terrain and rainfall — can turn overlooked corners of our towns into reliable charging points. That is precisely the kind of infrastructure EVision India is built to deliver.
It depends on dwell time. Two-wheelers and long-stay parking suit low-power AC units; quick top-ups suit DC. Ministry of Power guidelines let operators choose charger type and number based on market requirement, so match the hardware to how long vehicles actually park.
Waterlogging, fire safety in a confined space, security in dark underpasses, and traffic conflict at entry points. Chennai addresses these with stormwater drains, lighting, and CCTV, and raised, IP-rated electrical enclosures are essential.
By stacking revenue: parking fees, capped charging tariffs, and retail or advertising. Chennai's plan bundles parking, commercial units, and EV charging, and near-free municipal land improves the economics.
Yes, adapted for hill terrain. There are fewer large flyovers, but underused public land near bus stands and market complexes can host the same parking-plus-charging setup, with extra attention to drainage given high rainfall. EVision India plans such sites across Himachal.
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