Govt Pushes Nationwide EV Charging Expansion, Karnataka Gets ₹123 Crore

The Centre on Tuesday intensified its push towards electric mobility by accelerating the rollout of EV charging infrastructure across the country under the PM E-DRIVE scheme, with Union Heavy Industries Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy announced fresh approvals for charging stations and reiterating the government’s commitment to building a nationwide EV ecosystem.

Addressing a national conference on “Enabling Nationwide EV Charging Infrastructure under PM E-DRIVE Scheme” in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said the government aims to create a modern and reliable charging network to support India’s transition to clean mobility.

The minister announced approval of ₹123.26 crore for the installation of 1,243 EV charging stations in Karnataka. He added that proposals worth ₹503.86 crore have so far been cleared nationwide for setting up 4,874 charging stations through states and Central Public Sector Enterprises, including Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum.

The PM E-DRIVE scheme, launched to promote electric mobility, has a total financial outlay of ₹10,900 crore, including ₹2,000 crore earmarked specifically for public EV charging infrastructure. The scheme supports electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, buses, ambulances and trucks.

Under the initiative, the Centre aims to provide incentives for nearly 24.79 lakh electric two-wheelers and 3.16 lakh electric three-wheelers , while extending financial support of ₹4,391 crore for deploying more than 14,000 electric buses across the country.

The government is also backing EV manufacturing and battery production through multiple incentive schemes, including the PLI Auto Scheme, PLI ACC battery scheme, Payment Security Mechanism and Rare Earth Magnets initiative.

While Karnataka has emerged as one of the first states to receive a clearly announced sanction under the charging infrastructure plan, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are also preparing projects under the PM E-DRIVE framework.

Telangana has invited private stakeholders and landowners to participate in the rollout of EV charging stations through state renewable energy agencies, while Andhra Pradesh has identified Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Nellore and Tirupati as model e-mobility cities under its Sustainable Electric Mobility Policy 4.0.

Officials said Andhra Pradesh’s Southern Power Distribution Company had earlier proposed setting up 162 EV charging stations under the scheme.

However, the Centre has not yet publicly disclosed specific sanctioned amounts for Telangana or Andhra Pradesh under the latest phase of PM E-DRIVE approvals.

Senior officials from Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala and Odisha participated in the Bengaluru conference and discussed strategies for implementing charging infrastructure in their respective states.

The Centre views expansion of EV charging facilities as critical for reducing dependence on fossil fuels, lowering pollution and encouraging wider adoption of electric vehicles across India.