Karnataka Leads The Way In EV Infrastructure With Most Public Charging Stations, Surpasses Maharashtra, Delhi; Here's All About It

Karnataka has taken the lead in the country with 5,059 public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, surpassing Maharashtra and Delhi, according to a report from Moneycontrol.

Data from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Union Ministry of Power reveals that Karnataka, the first state in India to introduce an EV policy in 2017, now boasts the highest number of public charging stations.

Maharashtra follows with 3,079 stations, and Delhi with 1,886. Other states with notable numbers of public charging stations include Kerala (958), Tamil Nadu (643), Uttar Pradesh (583), and Rajasthan (500).

These stations are a combination of those set up by private firms and public sector undertakings.

Regarding the number of EVs, Uttar Pradesh leads with 7.45 lakh vehicles, followed by Maharashtra with 4.15 lakh and Karnataka with 3.31 lakh.

In Karnataka, Bengaluru Urban district leads with the highest number of public charging stations at 4,281, which accounts for 85 per cent of the state's charging infrastructure.

According to Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company Limited (Bescom), the nodal agency for EV charging infrastructure in Karnataka, there has been a notable increase in EV adoption.

The number of registered EVs in the state has surged from 9,703 in 2020 to 33,306 in 2021, 95,892 in 2022, and 1.52 lakh in 2023.

Bescom officials mentioned that the charging stations were installed under the Union government's Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme, utilising Bescom's own capital expenditure, green cess funds from the state transport department, through the public-private partnership model, among other sources.

Recently, the Karnataka government introduced the EV Policy 2023-28, aiming to create 1 lakh jobs and attract an investment of Rs 50,000 crore.

A senior Bescom official stated, "We plan to establish an additional 2,560 charging locations, including 140 through Bescom's planned capital expenditure, 20 funded by green cess funds, and 2,380 under the PPP model." He added that 20 fast charging stations would be installed at toll plazas along NH-48 (Bengaluru-Pune) within Karnataka.

In the first phase of the PPP model, Bescom intends to set up 1,190 stations in areas such as Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Belagavi, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, and Haveri districts.

Bescom is also nearing completion of work on its largest EV charging hub at Kempegowda International Airport.

The rooftop solar charging hub will enable simultaneous fast charging for 24 EVs and is expected to be operational in a few months.

Nationally, there are 16,271 operational public charging stations and 80 charge point operators.

Public sector undertakings have installed 4,994 charging stations, with Indian Oil Corporation leading the way with 1,984 stations.

On the other hand, private sector entities have established 11,277 charging stations, with Ujoy Technology having the highest number of stations at 7,176.

Experts have attributed the growing EV penetration to various factors, including the high number of e-rickshaws in states like Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, favourable EV policies in Maharashtra, the presence of e-mobility firms/startups in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the increasing use of battery-run vehicles by delivery workers, rising fuel prices, the growing availability of charging stations, and the introduction of more affordable and diverse battery-run vehicle models.