India’s EV journey so far: 29,000+ EV charging stations throughout country 

India now has over 29,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, with 4,557 set up along national highways, state highways and expressways, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

In a mission to implement a wide-ranging strategy for strengthening EV infrastructure, the ministry, under the PM E-DRIVE scheme, has allocated Rs 2,000 crore. This allocated fund will be used to establish public charging facilities which can support different types of electric vehicles, an official from MoRTH said.

The official said that establishing public charging stations for EVs does not require any license and invited private players to participate. He further highlighted that the government is here to complement the expansion by incentivising and resolving the issue of standardisation and uneven distribution. 

Although the number of charging stations is already increasing in metro centres and some developed highway segments, the official recognised that it is still challenging to guarantee fair coverage in rural areas and less-travelled routes. He stated that targets for 2025–2026 would be in line with trends in demand and the reaction of private operators during bidding rounds.

In addition to EV infrastructure, the ministry highlighted a number of projects to address long-standing worries about premature highway wear and tear.

According to the official, drone-based analytics with AI and machine learning are being deployed to assess progress and quality periodically. Moreover, automated and intelligent building methods had been implemented, and the NHAI One App had been operationalised for geo-tagged defect monitoring.

He also added that the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka and Odisha have started pilot projects of deploying Mobile Quality Control Vans, which feature non-destructive testing equipment.