Solution — EV charging sites
EV Charging Station Site Survey: Cable Routes and Bays
A ground-level check of the site before chargers go in: buried services, cable route from the supply point, bay layout and drainage levels.
Quick AnswerAn EV charging station site survey checks the ground before civil work. It scans the cable route and charger bays for buried pipes and cables. Bays, plinth and trench are then laid out on a measured plan, with levels so the bays do not flood. The power connection itself is a DISCOM matter; see questions to ask before a DISCOM cable route survey.
What does an EV charging station site survey check?
Three things: what is buried where the trench and charger foundations will go, whether the planned layout fits the site, and whether water will collect in the bays. Grid capacity and tariff are for the DISCOM and your electrical consultant. The survey stops a well-planned hub being held up by a cut water main or a bay that floods in the first monsoon.
Demand has grown fast: fuel stations add fast chargers, malls and office parks convert parking rows, and fleet operators build depots for buses and delivery vehicles. The Ministry of Power's EV charging infrastructure guidelines, revised in 2024, encouraged this spread. Each new site digs into ground that is seldom free of underground utilities.
Which type of site are you building?
The survey scope depends heavily on what the site was used for before.
| Site type | Typical buried risks | Survey focus |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel station forecourt | Underground tanks, product lines, vent pipes, earthing | Scan around tank zone; respect the station's safety rules |
| Mall or office parking | Sewer and drain lines, sprinkler mains, LT cables, lighting cables | Bay row scan and trench route to the LT panel |
| Fleet or bus depot | Old fuel lines, wash-bay drains, compound lighting | Full yard grid; levels for large bay drainage |
| Highway amenity site | Few records; telecom ducts along the road edge | Plot layout, boundary and roadside scan |
| Residential society | Water lines, sewer, gas lines, society cables | Basement or surface bay check and cable path |
Table note: if the finished site needs a record drawing for the owner or the DISCOM file, add an as built survey: scope, time and cost after commissioning.
How do we survey the site?
In one visit for most sites: scan, measure, mark, then draw.
- Brief: you send the proposed layout, the supply point and any old site drawings or utility records.
- Utility scan: ground penetrating radar, which reads buried pipes from the echoes of short pulses, and a locator cover the trench route, charger foundations and plinth. Our pre-excavation scanning details describe the same method for any dig.
- Layout check: total station picks kerbs, columns, structures and bay markings, so the layout is checked against real dimensions and turning space.
- Levels: spot levels across the bays and toward drains show where water will run.
- Marking: found services are painted on the surface, and the trench can be pegged.
Why is the cable trench the main risk?
It is the longest excavation on the site and crosses everything between the supply point and the chargers. Fast chargers need heavy cables, sometimes in parallel, in a trench or duct bank from the transformer or LT panel. On a mall or depot site that trench can run tens of metres across a yard over drains, water lines and lighting cables.
Charger foundations are smaller but deeper than people expect, and on a fuel station forecourt even a small pit has to be planned around the tank and product line zone. The station's own safety procedures apply there, and we work to them.
Where a new high-capacity connection comes from a nearby substation, the cable route outside the site is a separate survey. Our page on substation cable survey rates and scope covers the supply end.
What goes wrong when the survey is skipped?
Delays more often than disasters, but delays that cost more than the survey. The operator has a commissioning date, and a site stopped for a week loses revenue it never recovers. Familiar stories:
- The trench hits a sprinkler or water main mid-car park; work stops while the maintenance team finds a valve, and the route is redrawn.
- A fast-charger foundation lands on a drain chamber hidden under pavers, so the charger moves and bay markings no longer match.
- The agreed cable route passes under a column footing or ramp and has to take a longer path.
- Bays built in the lowest corner of the yard sit in water after the first heavy rain.
- A lighting or CCTV cable is cut, and the site owner finds out first.
A few hours of utility locating and levelling before the layout is frozen avoids each of these. A measured drawing with existing utility lines marked also reassures the site owner, whether a mall, a society or a public body.
What does the survey deliver?
A measured site plan with services, proposed layout and levels on one drawing, plus marks on the ground.
- Site plan in DWG and PDF with existing structures, bays, kerbs and drains.
- Utility data layer showing each service found, its approximate depth and how it was detected.
- Proposed trench and charger positions overlaid, with clash points circled.
- Spot levels and drainage arrows across the bay area.
- Photos of the ground marking at each crossing.
Sample layouts of these items are in more about GPR survey deliverables.
What does it cost?
Most single sites fall within our minimum order, because the scan length on a charging site is short.
- GPR scanning: ₹24 per metre (₹32 per metre for an L-section along the trench).
- Minimum order: ₹50,000 in Delhi NCR, ₹1,00,000 at sites elsewhere in India.
- Total station layout or stake-out: ₹8,000 per crew-day if you want the trench and bays pegged.
- Roll-outs across many sites: whole-order discounts of 25% above 100 km of scan, 40% above 500 km, 50% above 1,000 km.
Rates exclude GST, and a written quote fixes the amount. For networks of sites, grouping several locations in one city into a single order keeps the per-site cost down.
How quickly can a site be surveyed?
One field day per site, with a crew on site the same day or within 1 working day in Delhi NCR. Elsewhere, charger sites go to the surveyor based in that city, who starts immediately or within 1 working day, and the quote lists any travel cost that applies. Drawings follow within about three working days. Fuel stations and malls often prefer early morning or night work; tell us the hours when you enquire.
Send the proposed layout and the site address, and get help with your site; we will confirm the scope in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Do you check whether the grid can supply the chargers?
No, load and connection capacity are confirmed by the DISCOM and your electrical consultant. We survey the ground the connection and chargers will occupy.
Can you survey a fuel station while it is operating?
Yes, under the station's safety rules and at the hours the dealer or oil company allows, keeping clear of restricted zones.
Is a survey needed for a basement parking installation?
A lighter one. Slab cores and wall chases need concrete scanning for rebar and conduits instead of a ground scan.
What should the civil contractor do before digging?
Follow the ground marks, protect each crossing point and see more about Call Before You Dig in India for notifying service owners.
Can you survey many sites across a city?
Yes, multi-site orders are scheduled as a route, which saves travel and lets the discount apply to the total scan length.
Do you set out the charger positions?
Yes, if you want. Bays, foundations and the trench can be pegged from the approved layout.
Get a written quote for your charging site
Services for charging sites
Written by Saniya Parveen · Technically reviewed by Rahul Rai · Updated 8 November 2026