Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in India: Challenges and Future Directions

In the international market, the electric vehicle has gradually become the focal point of the whole automotive industry. Practically, most car manufacturers either entered this segment or has the intention to develop their own range of electric vehicles. The growth of electric vehicles also accelerates the expansion of electric vehicle charging station network. At the moment, there are plenty of global companies working on manufacturing and providing charging facilities for EV users.

In order to promote the use of EVs, there is an urgent need to expand the electric vehicle charging stations in India

In our market, the electric vehicle segment is just in the fledging stage. At the moment, there are only five electric vehicles on sales in the market, including Hyundai Kona Electric, Mahindra E Verito, MG ZS EV, Tata Tigor EV, and Tata Nexon EV. However, the competition is expected to escalate in the future with the entry of giants like Maruti Suzuki and other luxury car brands like Audi, Tesla or BMW. In addition, there are also other smaller brands that are also eyeing at the EV segment. Before long the electric vehicle segment will provide a wide range of options from affordable models to high-end zero-emission cars. In the meanwhile, the government is putting a strong emphasis on this particular segment and has introduced various incentives to facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles.

Existing Infrastructure of Vehicle

Even though the EV space is expected to prosper in the future, this prospect is still far-fetched.  At the moment, the availability of electric cars in India is still limited. Moreover, the charging infrastructure is highly under-developed, which is a big turn-off for interested buyers. Till date, it is estimated that there are around 250 electric vehicle charging stations in India. In addition, car brands who are recently selling cars in the EV segment also offer fast charging points at selected dealerships and service centres. Besides the charging stations established by the government and the car manufacturers, there is also a number of additional community charging points. PluginIndia has introduced a network of charging points run by individuals and private businesses. Recently, there are around 164 charging points in this community. An app is also available for EV users to find the nearest charging stations listed on their system as well as allow individuals or private business with working charging station to join this community.

The future of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in India

While the community of individual sharing their charging infrastructure is a potential approach to expand the network of EV charging stations, it is still of ultimate importance to develop comprehensive public charging station network for everyone to access.

The government sets to set up 69,000 electric vehicle charging stations by 2030 in India

Last year, under the second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles (FAME) programme, the Government has sent out invitations to public and private entities to set up charging stations for electric vehicles across the nation. The plan is to set up one charging station every 25 km in order to promote the adaptation of electric vehicles in India. It is expected that by 2030, there will be around 69,000 electric vehicle charging stations in India. Under this programme, the government is proposing establishing both fast chargers for four-wheelers and chargers for two- and three-wheelers.

This attempt from Government received over 100 proposals from companies in both public and private sector for opening over 7,000 charging stations. However, only around 2,600 charging stations were approved. Only the public entities like Energy Efficiency Services (EESL), Rajasthan Electronics and Instrument (REIL) and NTPC made the cut.

Currently, in the Indian market, there are a few car manufacturers that took the initiative to enter the electric vehicle segment, including Tata, Hyundai, Mahindra and MG. Recently, Tesla confirmed its plan to enter the Indian market. With the presence of the world’s leading EV maker, it is expected that the buying sentiments for electric vehicles will quickly build up.