Karnataka tops in number of public charging stations for EVs in India: Govt data

Bescom's EV charging station

With 5,059 public charging stations, Karnataka has emerged as the frontrunner in the country, surpassing Maharashtra and Delhi, according to the latest data.

Statistics from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Union Ministry of Power, show that Karnataka, the first state in India to launch an electric vehicle (EV) policy in 2017, now boasts the most public charging stations. It is followed by Maharashtra (3,079), Delhi (1,886), Kerala (958), Tamil Nadu (643), Uttar Pradesh (583) and Rajasthan (500). These public charging stations include those set up by both private firms and public sector undertakings.

In terms of the number of EVs, Uttar Pradesh is at the top spot with 7.45 lakh, followed by Maharashtra (4.15 lakh) and Karnataka (3.31 lakh).

In Karnataka, Bengaluru Urban district has the maximum number of public charging stations at 4,281, which constitutes 85 percent of the charging infrastructure in the state.

Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company Limited (Bescom), the nodal agency for EV charging infrastructure in Karnataka, said there has been a surge in EV adoption. The registered EV count in the state has risen from 9,703 in 2020 to 33,306 in 2021, 95,892 in 2022 and 1.52 lakh in 2023.

Bescom officials said they installed charging stations under the Union government’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme, using Bescom's own capital expenditure, the state transport department's green cess funds, via the public-private partnership model, and others.

The Karnataka government has recently come up with EV Policy 2023-28, aiming to generate 1 lakh jobs and attract an investment of Rs 50,000 crore.

A senior Bescom official told Moneycontrol, "We are planning to set up an additional 2,560 charging locations including 140 under Bescom's planned capital expenditure, 20 funded through green cess funds and 2,380 under the PPP model." He added that 20 fast charging stations will come up at toll plazas along NH-48 (Bengaluru-Pune) within Karnataka.

Under the first phase of the PPP model, Bescom plans to set up 1,190 stations in areas like Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Belagavi, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and Haveri districts. "Tenders for 585 stations have been awarded, and the work will begin soon. Tenders for the remaining 605 locations will be floated soon," he said.

Also, read:Bescom plans 530 EV charging stations under PPP model across Karnataka

"Work on Bescom's largest EV charging hub at Kempegowda International Airport is nearing completion. The rooftop solar charging hub will allow simultaneous fast charging for 24 EVs and will be ready in a few months," he added.

Bescom's current tariff for AC charging is Rs 6.57 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), while DC charging is priced at Rs 7.38 per kWh. However, private operators are charging between Rs 20 and Rs 25 per unit from EV owners.

Private sector installs maximum charging stations

Across the country, there are 16,271 operational public charging stations, and 80 charge point operators.

BEE records show public sector undertakings have installed 4,994 charging stations. Indian Oil Corporation takes the lead, with 1,984 stations, followed by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (831), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (693), Kerala State Electricity Board (564), Convergence Energy Services (212), Bescom (187) and Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments (216).

However, private sector entities have outstripped their state-owned peers, having set up 11,277 charging stations across the country. Among them, Ujoy Technology (7,176) has the maximum number of charging stations followed by Tata Power (1,356), Ather Energy (1,019) and Kazam EV Tech (595).

Experts say the growing penetration of EVs owes to various factors, including the very high number of e-rickshaws in states like Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, favourable EV policies in states like Maharashtra, the presence of e-mobility firms/startups in states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the rise of delivery workers using battery-run vehicles, escalating fuel prices, increasing availability of charging stations and the introduction of a more affordable and diverse range of battery-run vehicle models.

Also, read: EV fast charging stations to be installed at toll plazas along the Bengaluru-Pune highway