Centre to build 5,833 new EV charging stations along national highways

New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) The country now has 5,293 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations along the national highways and has set a target of establishing 5,833 more along the highways out of a total of 7,432, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways said on Wednesday

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, said a capital subsidy of Rs 800 crore has been provided to three oil marketing companies towards the establishment of 7,432 EV charging stations.

Out of the current 5,293 EV charging stations, 4,729 were set up under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas at an expenditure of Rs 178 crore.

“In addition, the Ministry of Heavy Industries has set up a target of 5,833 EV charging stations along highways, out of a total of 7,432 EV charging stations, through three oil marketing companies under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas,” Minister Gadkari informed.

At present, the government has not planned to set up any power stations alongside national highways for EV charging stations.

Maharashtra has the highest number of EV charging stations at 750, followed by Uttar Pradesh (577), Rajasthan (482), Tamil Nadu (369), Karnataka (300) and Haryana (284).

Meanwhile, the last date of the Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS) 2024, which aims to provide further impetus to the green mobility and development of the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing ecosystem in the country, has been fixed on July 31.

The scheme’s duration was four months (April 1 till July 31) with an outlay of Rs 500 crore. The total payout under the demand incentive is limited to Rs 493.55 crore (supporting 3,72,215 vehicles).

The claims submitted under the scheme will be incentivised on a first-come-first-serve basis.

The two-wheeler industry is expected to sustain a steady volume growth rate of around 7 to 9 per cent in FY25.

The growth in FY25 is expected to be driven by higher electric vehicle (EV) sales supported by the government's EMPS 2024, according to CareEdge Ratings.