India needs 1.32 million EV charging points by 2030 in massive opportunity: Report

New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) India will need 1.32 million EV charging points (chargers) by 2030, against 67,657 installed as of August 2026, pointing to a massive build-out ahead for the sector, according to a new report, citing CII estimates.

The report from Rubix Data Sciences said that public EV charging stations have grown nearly six-fold since 2022, from 5,000 to 29,151 as of December 2025, as per the Ministry of Heavy Industries data.

Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh lead deployment, though the top 10 states account for 78 per cent of the network.

“Despite rapid station growth, charger utilisation remains low, just 1–5 per cent by most estimates, raising questions about station economics, electricity costs, and revenue models that charge point operators (CPOs) are experimenting with (subscriptions, fleet contracts, roaming, site-host revenue sharing),” the findings showed.

Nearly 73 per cent of India’s chargers are still rated below 30 kW, suggesting significant room for DC fast and ultra-fast charging expansion along highways and urban corridors, it added.

As of August 7, 2026, India had 67,657 EV chargers, including 1,139 chargers associated with Battery Swapping Stations (BSS).

Excluding BSS, 48,709 chargers, or approximately 73 per cent of the 66,518 chargers, are rated below 30 kW. A further 15,753 chargers are rated between 30 kW and 60 kW, while only 1,513 chargers fall within

the 61–120 kW range.

Higher-power infrastructure remains limited, with 534 chargers rated at 121–240 kW and just nine above 240 kW.

The concentration of lower-power chargers is broadly consistent with India’s relatively higher electrification of two and three-wheelers, which generally have lower charging-power requirements than passenger vehicles. EV penetration stands at approximately 8.88 per cent for two-wheelers and 60.77 per cent for three-wheelers, compared to 5.70 per cent for four-wheelers, said the report.

“The limited penetration of higher-power infrastructure creates potential headroom for CPOs as passenger EV adoption scales and demand for faster charging increases,” said the report.

–IANS

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