In a momentous stride towards embracing electric mobility, India has achieved a significant milestone with the number of operational electric vehicle (EV) charging stations surpassing 8,700 as of the end of June.
The Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries, Krishan Pal Gurjar, disclosed this development in a written response to a question in Rajya Sabha on Friday, July 22nd. According to data from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power, a total of 8,738 Public Charging Stations (PCS) are now active across the country.
The surge in EV charging infrastructure can be attributed to the government’s efforts to promote electric vehicle adoption through the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) Scheme, which was launched in 2015 on a nationwide scale.
At present, India is in the midst of Phase-II of the FAME India Scheme, which commenced on April 1, 2019, and is set to run for a period of five years, with a substantial budgetary support of Rs 10,000 crore.
The primary objective of the scheme is to incentivize the purchase of electric vehicles, thus encouraging their widespread use in the country. Under Phase-II, buyers of electric vehicles receive financial incentives in the form of a direct reduction in the purchase price of the EVs.
The incentives are structured based on battery capacity, with Rs 10,000 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) offered for e-3W and e-4W vehicles, with a maximum cap of 20 percent of the vehicle’s cost. Moreover, for e-2W vehicles, the incentive has been set at Rs 10,000/kWh, capped at 15 percent of the vehicle’s cost, effective from June 1, 2023.
The government’s continued commitment to bolstering the EV charging infrastructure and offering lucrative incentives to EV buyers is driving the nation’s transition towards a cleaner and greener mode of transportation.
As India takes ambitious strides towards electrification, the growth of the EV charging network heralds a new era of sustainable mobility, reducing carbon emissions and promoting a cleaner environment for generations to come. With the country’s resolute focus on sustainable transportation solutions, the future of electric mobility looks brighter than ever.