To truly electrify personal mobility, India must make charging easy, reliable, and accessible for all
The Union government’s target of placing fast-charging stations for electric vehicles every 50 kilometres along the national highways is quite laudable. As India plans to rapidly increase its EV vehicle share from around 8 per cent of total vehicle stock in 2025 to 30 per cent by 2030, we must ask: Is the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure able to keep up with this rapid expansion?
Our analysis so far — specifically, an assessment of India’s current EV charging infrastructure and its alignment with national EV adoption goals — shows that it falls short in execution. India’s EV charging network, though expanding, is the latest addition to a growing list of underperforming public utilities. In practice, many existing EV charging stations are dysfunctional due to a combination of operational neglect, unreliable power supply, lack of standardisation, app-based access barriers, and poor maintenance. This is supported by data: as of early 2024, only about 50-60 per cent of India’s 25,000+ public chargers are reported to be regularly functional, with utilisation rates in many urban areas falling below 20 per cent. Despite the government’s allocation of Rs 1,000 crore under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME-II) scheme, and the sanctioning of 2,636 public charging stations across 62 cities in 24 States/UTs, and 1,544 along national highways, the functional reality of these installations is underwhelming. Technical constraints further undermine the system. Many sanctioned stations remain non-operational due to inadequate grid integration, unplanned location siting, and the absence of real-time visibility into upgrade requirements and costs—creating financial and logistical hurdles. Moreover, while EV charging has been declared a delicensed activity, and multiple states have introduced special EV tariffs, these policy efforts are insufficient without strong enforcement and regulatory clarity. True fast chargers (≥100kW) remain scarce, particularly on highways, where range anxiety persists due to sparse and often unreliable station availability. The India Charging Report 2025 by TATA.ev mentions significant improvements in road coverage, highway access, and consumer trust, yet despite these gains, issues like charger reliability, fragmented discovery, and payment barriers persist, with nearly half of public chargers being non-functional. Moreover, only 25 per cent of charging stations are profitable.
The FAME-II scheme that ran from 2019 to 2024 with a budget of Rs 10,000 crore—some Rs 1,000 crore of it meant for charging infrastructure alone—helped grow the public EV charging network from about 500 chargers in 2019 to over 25,000 by October 2024. Yet, access remains uneven. An October 2024 working paper by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) shows that five states—Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu—accounted for 60 per cent of the country’s 12,000-odd chargers. Karnataka alone had 5,700. In contrast, states like Sikkim (with five chargers) and Mizoram (with 12 chargers) are severely underserved. Nationwide, there is only one charger per 191 EVs and just two per 100,000 people.
To address this, the Union government launched PM E-DRIVE scheme in September 2024, with a budget allocation of Rs 10,900 crore. The scheme replaced the earlier Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme and was designed to support the adoption of EVs by offering buyers incentives, boosting localisation of EV components and expanding the country’s charging and testing infrastructure. Some Rs 2,000 crore was allocated for setting up EV chargers alone. In August this year, the government extended the PM E-DRIVE scheme by two years until March 2028.
Other efforts by the Union government include the planned 5,500 km ‘e-highway’ corridor from Delhi to Kanyakumari via Mumbai and Kolkata, and installing chargers at regular intervals on highways and petrol pumps. State policies are also scaling up: Delhi aims for 95 per cent EV penetration by 2027 and 13,200 new chargers; Maharashtra EV policy 2025-30 targets a station every 25 km on highways with substantial subsidies for private players.
Quantity without accessibility and functionality
While India proudly showcases its growing network of EV chargers, several critical problems undermine their actual usability and public confidence. Despite the numbers, India’s current EV charging ecosystem is dysfunctional due to poor reliability and usability. As of February 2024, nearly half of the public chargers—approximately 12,100 out of 25,000—were found to be non-functional. Moreover, users often need to navigate 17 to 20 different apps to locate a working charger, while digital payment issues continue to pose difficulties, particularly for elderly users and owners of chauffeur-driven vehicles.
Ultimately, the noticeable lack of scholarly research on this subject underscores the importance of our study, as existing numbers often mask deeper underlying issues:
App anxiety - The EV Charging Mess No One Talks About: EV users are forced to juggle dozens of provider-specific apps, wallets, and logins, leading to what users call “app anxiety”. Many EV users, particularly those traveling inter-city, find themselves downloading a new app every time they encounter a different charging station. Some owners report having over a hundred such apps on their phones, with 20-25 in regular use. The lack of a unified system results in constant app-switching and redundant wallet top-ups, which users cite as the most frustrating part of the experience. Planning a long-distance EV trip becomes an exercise in cross-referencing locations on aggregator apps like PlugShare, then separately checking individual operator apps (such as Tata Power and ChargeZone) for real-time availability. Often, the charging station in question may still be unavailable despite confirmation of working status by aggregator and operator apps.
Burden of Wallets: Multiple apps are only part of the puzzle; interoperability and reliability issues are much larger. Unlike pulling into any petrol pump, charging an EV in India often means juggling a maze of provider-specific apps, wallets, and RFID cards. Each charging network—Tata Power EV, ChargeZone, Fortum, Zeon, Statiq or dozens of others—typically requires its own mobile app or prepaid account. Upon failure of charging, the balance gets unused until you hit upon the same company charger next time and successfully charge.
Charger uptime and app reliability remain major concerns, with many public chargers—especially older or government-installed ones (such as by Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd)—often non-functional despite showing as available. Poor maintenance, unreliable electric supply, stolen parts, and inaccurate app data have eroded user trust. Compliance by these PSUs seems to be out of a desire to outwardly comply with government orders rather than to genuinely make chargers available in quick time. A June 2024 poll found 88 per cent of EV owners anxious about finding a working charger, and over half said they would consider switching back to petrol due to charging hassles. For many, charging anxiety—fear of broken, occupied, or unreachable chargers—has now surpassed range anxiety.
No real-time information or support: Many apps lack real-time charger status, leaving users stranded. There are serious risks from unreliable charging stations during hot summers in India, especially for families travelling with older adults and young infants, since the air-conditioners in these cars has to be switched off to extend range, and the vehicle interiors heat up.
On one route, one of us was stranded by a non-functional charger and forced to risk a nerve-wracking return, keeping the air-conditioner in the car turned off to conserve battery. In another case, a power outage at the charging station, due to damage to an electrical pole caused by nearby road construction, led to a breakdown and towing, highlighting the physical and emotional toll of India’s unreliable charging infrastructure. Extreme heat significantly impacts EV battery performance, reducing efficiency by up to 15 per cent and shortening driving range. Added factors like air conditioning use and increased tyre rolling resistance further drain the battery.
As EV users for over three years, the authors, too, have consistently faced charging challenges during long-distance travel across Maharashtra and north Karnataka, states that supposedly have high-density charging stations. Like many EV owners, we plan our routes based on distance and charger availability using community-sourced platforms like PlugShare. However, we are routinely forced to download individual charging apps upon arrival at a station, top up wallets, and attempt to initiate charging—only to find that it often fails. The most common issues include power outages, poor internet connectivity, software glitches, and overall system unresponsiveness. These problems are particularly frequent with Tata Power stations and chargers operated by public-sector entities such as BPCL and Indian Oil. To make matters worse, many of these apps are poorly designed, lacking real-time information on charger functionality or availability, which leaves users guessing until they reach the site.
On one occasion, one of us relied on the only available charger along a 150 km route from Dharwad to Jamkhandi, only to discover that the station was non-functional upon arrival. The return journey became a tense and difficult experience, with the constant anxiety of a complete battery discharge before reaching the destination. In another instance, our car had to be towed near the Maharashtra-Karnataka border after we were unable to charge at a station due to a power outage, resulting in hours of delay and considerable inconvenience. This also resulted in other discomforts such as having to switch off the AC to increase mileage on a very hot day, driving at the optimum (low) speed.
These experiences highlight a core issue: lack of interoperability, both in terms of networks and payment, and poor on-ground reliability, which are undermining user confidence. Without addressing these, charging anxiety and related range anxiety will continue to slow down the electric mobility revolution.
Learning from abroad: EU and China’s approach
India’s EV charging struggles are not unique—other regions have tackled similar issues with more user-friendly solutions. In Europe, EV drivers benefit from roaming interoperability, using a single app or RFID card across networks and countries. With over 600,000 public chargers and new AFIR regulations mandating credit/debit card payments at all public chargers from mid-2024, Europe ensures seamless, app-free access. Standardised connectors like the Combined Charging Systems (CCS) further simplify use across borders. This means an Indian tourist in France can roll up to a fast charger and simply tap a contactless bank card or phone to initiate charging — no local app download is needed.
China, meanwhile, leads globally with over 3.2 million public chargers, driven by state investment and integration with widespread digital wallets like Alipay and WeChat. Users can pay by scanning QR codes—no new apps or accounts needed. These international models show how interoperability, common standards, and user-centric payment systems can dramatically ease EV charging, offering key lessons for India.
Bridging the gaps: The road ahead
To truly electrify personal mobility, India must make charging easy, reliable, and accessible for all. Here are some key recommendations to close the functionality gaps:
Unified digital platform for charging: India needs a government-backed open platform—akin to UPI—for EV charging. This would allow any operator to publish charger info and accept payments through a standard API. A universal app or any compatible third-party app could access all chargers, eliminating the need for hundreds of proprietary apps. Real-time visibility of charger status, availability, and pricing should be mandatory.
Mandate interoperable payments: Public chargers must accept multiple payment options: UPI QR codes, RFID cards, and credit/debit card tap/swipe. Many existing chargers can support this via simple software upgrades and affordable hardware add-ons. Walk-up and pay—without needing to top up wallets or download a new app—should become the default, just like petrol pumps.
Reliable power supply as core infrastructure: Frequent power cuts—common in rural towns and even some highway areas—often render chargers useless. Local utilities, DISCOMs, and operators must coordinate to ensure reliable grid connections and provision for backup power (like batteries or diesel gensets) at isolated or high-traffic stations. The real-time price of power (especially that provided by charging stations running on back-up diesel generators) must be made available to consumers to make informed, least-cost charging decisions.
Offline and low-bandwidth functionality: Since network connectivity is unreliable on many highways and in remote areas, chargers must support SMS or phone-call-based activation. For example, users could dial a number displayed on the charger to start/stop sessions, ensuring access even without smartphones or data.
Enforce uptime standards and transparency: Installation of charging stations are not enough; chargers must remain functional. Government authorities should audit charging station availability times via regular and random inspections and must condition license renewal and other incentives/subsidies for charging station operators to high availability. Real-time status must be shared across locator apps. If a charger is down or vandalised, it must be reported immediately to prevent wasted trips. Penalties for repeated outages and local partnerships for charger protection are essential for long-term reliability.
Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for Private Operators: In low-demand areas, private firms often hesitate to invest due to poor returns. Viability Gap Funding (VGF), a model of public-private partnership, helps bridge this gap by covering up to 30 per cent of the capital cost or offsetting operational shortfalls, making such installations commercially viable. Under this model, the state invests significant capital to enable privately-funded projects to succeed, ensuring strategic infrastructure coverage without burdening the state with the full cost.
With the right reforms, India can move beyond merely increasing charger counts to building a functional, inclusive, and trusted EV charging ecosystem. To realise its clean energy and sustainable transport goals, it must prioritise economic viability, universal accessibility, reliability, and user trust. A seamless charging experience—not just infrastructure on paper—is essential to build public confidence in the EV transition.
Shivakumar Jolad and Chaitanya Ravi teach public policy in the Department of Social Sciences at FLAME University, Pune. Mimansa Sharda is an undergraduate student of public policy and environmental sciences at the university.
Views expressed are the authors’ own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth