Karnataka tops the country in terms of public electric vehicle charging stations with 5,059, according to statistics from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Union Ministry of Power.
Bengaluru Urban district has the most public charging stations with 4,281, which constitutes 85% of the charging infrastructure in the State.
In 2017, Karnataka became the pioneer in India by introducing the first electric vehicle (EV) policy. At present, it leads in the number of public charging stations, with Maharashtra (3,079), Delhi (1,886), Kerala (958), Tamil Nadu (643), Uttar Pradesh (583), and Rajasthan (500) following suit.
Meanwhile, in terms of the number of EVs, Uttar Pradesh is top with 7.45 lakh, followed by Maharashtra (4.15 lakh), and Karnataka (3.31 lakh).
According to Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (Bescom), the designated agency for establishing EV charging stations in Bengaluru, there has been a notable increase in the adoption of EVs.
An official from Bescom said that they have installed charging stations through various funding sources, including the Union government’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme, Bescom’s own capital expenditure, funds from the State Transport Department’s green cess, and through a public-private partnership model.
The State government, last year, in a bid to create a robust electric vehicle ecosystem in Karnataka, unveiled a revised draft EV policy (2023-28), which aims to attract ₹50,000 crore in investment while creating job opportunities for one lakh people.
In Karnataka, the registered number of EVs has increased from 9,703 in 2020 to 33,306 in 2021, 95,892 in 2022, and 1.52 lakh in 2023.
