Govt Planning To Boost EV Charging Infra And Invest Rs 2,000 Crore

The Indian government is set to scale up electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across critical transport hubs, including airports, highways, railways, and ports, with an added focus on battery swapping facilities. A senior official confirmed the initiative as part of a broader effort to strengthen EV adoption in the country, reported Business Standard.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) is coordinating with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and various state governments to determine optimal locations for EV charging stations.

Under the Rs 10,900-crore PM E-Drive scheme, Rs 2,000 crore has been allocated for setting up EV charging points and battery-swapping stations. 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.

Expansion of Charging Stations Along Major Routes

Several transport corridors, including Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, Kochi Airport, NH-48 (Delhi-Jaipur-Agra), and NH-179B (Chennai-Trichy), already have EV charging facilities in place. Additional locations are being assessed for further installations.

“We have received input from 14 states and conducted an inter-ministerial meeting. Once we get additional feedback from relevant departments, we will finalize the guidelines by April,” the official stated.

To facilitate long-haul EV travel, MHI has identified 20 national highways with high truck traffic for charging infrastructure. While NHAI will handle the tendering process, MHI will provide financial backing, covering up to 80 per cent of the project costs, the report noted.

The Mumbai-Pune and Bengaluru-Chennai highways are among the high-traffic routes being considered. NHAI will determine the exact locations based on traffic data, while MHI will oversee funding distribution.

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Battery Swapping and Standardisation Challenges

The PM E-Drive scheme offers subsidies of up to 80 per cent for fast public EV charging stations, with potential full funding in select cases, particularly in northeastern, coastal, and hilly regions.

Regarding battery swapping, the official clarified, “We will approve proposals submitted by airports, ports, and NHAI, provided they comply with the power ministry’s safety and technical guidelines.”

While there are no restrictions on the number or size of batteries, installations must meet the safety standards outlined by the power ministry. If AAI includes a battery-swapping facility in its tenders, it must specify power capacity and cost parameters. Operators will also need to meet service-level expectations based on investment.

Citing the official, the report said, “To ensure this level of service, companies may need to purchase batteries. While this may not be a formal condition, it will be addressed in the service-level agreement covering aspects such as uptime, power quality, and service specifics. However, the number of batteries will not be specified. This will ultimately be decided by AAI, NHAI, and state governments.”

The government is open to providing subsidies for swapping stations as part of the scheme.