India has reached an important milestone in its electric vehicle (EV) transition, with 25,202 public EV charging stations are now in operation. This achievement comes as a result of the government’s ongoing efforts to promote electric vehicles and enhance the necessary infrastructure. The update was shared by Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Steel, in a response to the Rajya Sabha.
Karnataka leads with the highest number of public charging stations at 5,765, followed by Maharashtra with 3,728, Uttar Pradesh with 1,989, and Delhi with 1,941. Chhattisgarh has also made progress, with 271 charging stations installed. The government is working to speed up EV adoption through various initiatives. One of these is the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) scheme, launched on September 29, 2024. The scheme has a budget of Rs 10,900 crore for two years, with Rs 2,000 crore allocated for expanding public charging stations.
To support this growth, the Ministry of Power has introduced new guidelines for setting up EV charging stations. These guidelines aim to create a standardized and efficient network that can serve all types of electric vehicles and adapt to the needs of different regions. However, experts point out that the exact number of charging stations needed is still unclear due to the evolving nature of EV adoption across the country. As of December 4, 2024, India has over 28 lakh electric two-wheelers and 2.5 lakh electric four-wheelers. The EV charging market is expected to grow to $3.7 billion by 2030. Battery swapping is also becoming more popular, especially for two- and three-wheelers. Many automotive companies are investing in this technology to make EVs more affordable and accessible.
