Centre Mulls Expansion Of EV Charging Infra With INR 2,000 Cr Fund: Report

The Centre is reportedly planning to ramp up its electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across major public infrastructure, including at airports, highways, railways and ports, with focus on battery-swapping services.

A Business Standard report, citing an official, said that the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) is in talks with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the Airport Authority of India (AAI), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and multiple state governments to identify potential locations for EV charging stations at ports, highways and airports.

Under the INR 10,900 Cr PM E-DRIVE scheme, INR 2,000 Cr has been allocated for setting up EV charging points and battery-swapping stations, the report added. 

The government aims to increase public charging stations from 32,500 to 72,300 by FY26 to support the growing number of EV users and reduce reliance on internal combustion engine vehicles.

The official further said, “We have received inputs from 14 states and held an interministerial meeting. Once we receive further feedback from relevant ministries, we will finalise the guidelines by April.”

India’s EV market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years, driven by rising demand, especially in two and three wheelers, with the four wheeler market also set for growth with the launch of new models. 

This push for EVs is part of the country’s larger strategy to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, cut down emissions and promote clean energy. However, a major challenge to EV adoption is the lack of widespread charging infrastructure.

According to government data, as of December 2024, India had 25,202 public EV charging stations. Based on the number of EVs registered last year alone, this translates to only one public charging station for every 80 new EVs.

With over 58 Lakh registered EVs in India to date, the gap widens further to just one public charging station for every 230 vehicles. 

Although EV adoption is on top gear in UP, the state lags behind in charging infrastructure with only 1,989 public EV charging stations, which works out to one station for 190 vehicles. 

Karnataka, which ranks among the top three states in EV adoption rate with 1.8 Lakh vehicles registered in 2024, leads the infra league with 5,765 charging stations. 

Maharashtra secured the second spot both in adoption tally with 2.5 Lakh EVs registered last year and in charging station count with 3,728 units.

The EV market is dominated by two-wheeler (2W) vehicles, contributing 85%–90% of sales. In the three-wheeler (3W) passenger vehicle segment, the penetration remains at 5%–7%, hindered by high costs and alternative options like CNG. The market lacks four-wheeler (4W) passenger EVs tailored for fleets, with prices still higher than CNG and ICE models, according to the Inc42 report.