Two identical 60kW DC chargers, same brand, same CMS, same tariff — one posts strong utilisation within three months, the other struggles past 15%. The difference almost never comes down to the hardware. It comes down to the site. Here's how the major location categories actually compare in India today.
Highway / corridor sites
What works in their favour
Dwell-time need is built in — drivers on a highway trip genuinely need to stop, and charging fits naturally into a break they were taking anyway. Highway sites also tend to see the highest per-session revenue, since DC fast charging commands both higher utilisation and less price sensitivity from a driver mid-journey.
What works against them
Land and power infrastructure costs are often higher, feeder capacity upgrades can be a real bottleneck, and traffic is inherently lumpier — weekday vs weekend, festival travel spikes, seasonal patterns. A highway site also depends heavily on complementary amenities being present; a charger alone in an empty stretch underperforms badly.
Mall / commercial property sites
What works in their favour
Built-in dwell time from shopping, dining, or entertainment means drivers are parked for an hour or more regardless of charging — which suits AC or moderate-power DC charging well. Malls also typically already have the electrical infrastructure and parking management in place, lowering setup friction.
What works against them
Revenue per session is often lower than highway DC, since mall visitors are frequently on slower AC charging by nature of the dwell time. Mall footfall and EV ownership overlap varies enormously by city and property tier — a premium mall in a high-EV-adoption city looks very different from a mid-tier mall elsewhere.
Apartment / residential society sites
What works in their favour
This is the most predictable utilisation pattern of the three — residents charge overnight, consistently, on a schedule you can actually forecast. It's also the lowest-friction sale: residents already live there, so there's no awareness problem to solve.
What works against them
Revenue per charger is modest compared to commercial or highway sites, since it's typically low-power AC charging at residential tariffs. Societies also often require NOC coordination, meter inspection, and sometimes committee approval processes that add lead time before installation.
The actual decision framework
Don't start with "which site type is best" — start with "what's the dwell-time story at this specific location, and does the power infrastructure support it without a costly upgrade." A highway site with weak complementary amenities can underperform a well-placed mall charger. A mall in a low-EV-adoption city can underperform a smaller, well-run residential deployment. Charger brand and even charger power rating matter far less than getting this location logic right first.
Not sure how a specific site would perform? Talk to a CPO specialist for a deployment plan and unit economics specific to your proposed location.
Not Sure Which Site Type Fits Your Location?
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