Maharashtra has India’s second-largest registered electric vehicle fleet after Uttar Pradesh, but officials say headline numbers do not show how deeply EVs have entered mainstream transport.
Two-wheelers account for about 84% of Maharashtra’s EV fleet, while the state is seeking faster adoption in commercial vehicles, buses and other transport segments.
Charging infrastructure, electricity supply, interoperability between charging networks and uncertainty over used-EV resale values remain key challenges.
Maharashtra’s EV Policy 2025 aims for electric vehicles to make up 30% of all new vehicle registrations by March 2030.
Maharashtra has India’s second-largest registered electric vehicle (EV) fleet after Uttar Pradesh, but headline numbers alone do not show how deeply EVs have penetrated mainstream transport, according to the official heading the state’s electric mobility programme.
Jitendra Patil, head of Maharashtra’s EV Cell, says comparisons between states need to take account of the type of vehicles being electrified.
Uttar Pradesh had about 1.77 million registered EVs as of August 15, 2026, according to the central government’s VAHAN database, but nearly 1.15 million of them were e-rickshaws. Such vehicles have become widespread across northern India, often replacing cycle-rickshaws and manually operated carts.
“For a more meaningful comparison between states, it would be useful to separately look at e-rickshaws and e-carts and the higher-capacity EV segments — passenger three-wheelers, goods vehicles, cars, buses and other M- and N-category vehicles,” Patil said. In India, Category M and Category N are official vehicle classifications defined by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) based on whether they carry passengers or goods.
Maharashtra’s figures should therefore be assessed according to its vehicle mix and the electrification of conventional forms of transport, rather than simply its total number of EVs, Patil added.
Of Maharashtra’s nearly 1.13 million registered EVs, about 949,000 — or 84 per cent — are two-wheelers, according to figures cited by the state. There are also about 106,000 electric cars and cabs, 63,115 electric three-wheelers including e-rickshaws, 8,313 goods carriers and about 4,700 electric buses.
Patil said the state is trying to encourage adoption across different types of vehicles rather than concentrating growth in a single segment.
Maharashtra’s Electric Vehicle Policy 2025 aims for EVs to account for 30 per cent of all new vehicle registrations by March 2030.
It sets different targets by vehicle type, including 40 per cent of new two-wheelers and passenger three-wheelers, 30 per cent of cars and three-wheeler goods carriers, 25 per cent of light goods vehicles and 20 per cent of larger goods vehicles. It also aims for electric buses to account for 40 per cent of public bus fleets in six major urban areas. The policy runs from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2030.
Patil described public transport as one of the easier segments to electrify because buses and other fleet vehicles generally operate on defined routes, making charging requirements easier to plan. Replacing diesel or petrol vehicles also eliminates their tailpipe emissions.
But, he said, a successful EV policy has to create an ecosystem that can compete with conventional vehicles even after initial purchase incentives are withdrawn.
“The major bottleneck faced for introducing these EVs is powering them and creating a robust, well-distributed infrastructure with assured power supply,” he said.
Among the problems are obtaining adequate electricity connections and sanctioned loads for charging facilities, as well as co-ordinating charging companies, investors and start-ups, he added.
The question, Patil said, is how to persuade buyers to continue choosing EVs beyond the initial financial incentives.
The state policy exempts EVs sold and registered during the policy period from motor vehicle tax and, under central government rules, registration-certificate fees. It also provides a full toll exemption for passenger EVs on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Samruddhi Mahamarg and Atal Setu.
But Patil said installing chargers in residential and commercial areas — and ensuring that the electricity network can support them — remains a significant challenge.
The policy requires all parking spaces in new residential buildings to be EV-charging ready, with at least one community charging point. At least 50 per cent of parking spaces in new commercial buildings must be EV-charging ready, while 20 per cent of shared parking spaces in existing commercial buildings are to have operational chargers.
It also targets charging facilities at intervals of 25km along state and national highways. Existing and new fuel stations on those highways are expected to provide at least one fast charger, subject to technical feasibility, as are Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation bus stations and stops.
Patil said implementing these provisions will require sufficient electricity supply as well as appropriate fire and safety safeguards.
Another problem is the fragmented charging market. Drivers can currently need different mobile applications to access chargers operated by different companies, making longer journeys less convenient.
The policy encourages charging-point operators to adopt the Unified Energy Interface, an open network intended to allow different charging platforms to work together.
Battery swapping could also help commercial vehicles, Patil said, although greater interoperability will be needed as battery technology develops.
India already has national standards covering the general operation and safety of EV battery-swapping systems, while further work has been under way on interoperability, battery dimensions, connectors and communication systems.
Patil said another unresolved issue is the second-hand market.
“The state also has to think of a resale policy in the used-car market, as at present there are no defined criteria on depreciation and other aspects of EVs to determine the residual value as there are for internal combustion engine vehicles,” he said.
Uncertainty over battery health, remaining battery life and replacement costs can make the future value of an EV harder to assess, potentially affecting both buyers and lenders.
With electric two- and three-wheelers already accounting for much of Maharashtra’s EV uptake, Patil said the state now wants to increase the use of electric commercial and transport vehicles.
“A number of companies have come up with their products, including swappable batteries for transport trucks,” he said. “The aim is to explore if EVs can be used for heavy-duty work such as mining, earth-moving equipment and tractors.”
Greater predictability in charging costs will also be important for commercial operators, he said, because fluctuating operating costs can make investment decisions more difficult.