NEWS – Karnataka Ranks Second in EV Highway Charging Infrastructure

HIGHLIGHTS

National Ranking

• Karnataka has 489 EV charging stations along 8,191 km of its national highway network, second only to Uttar Pradesh (507 stations).
• Maharashtra (459), Tamil Nadu (456), and Rajasthan (424) follow in the rankings.
• Across India, 4,557 public EV chargers are installed along 1,46,342 km of national highways.
• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari confirmed there is no dedicated incentive scheme for charging point operators.

Urban EV Infrastructure Lead

• Karnataka leads nationally in overall public charging points: 5,880 stations.
• Of these, 4,626 are in tier-1 cities, predominantly Bengaluru.
• Tier-2 cities have 285 chargers; tier-3 towns have 969.
• India’s total public charging stations: 26,367 (BEE data, April 2025).

Policy and Drivers of Growth

• Karnataka’s 2017 dedicated EV policy laid the foundation for rapid infrastructure growth.
• Factors: rising fuel costs, worsening urban air quality, proactive policy support.
• EV registrations in 2017 were ~11,000 annually; numbers have since surged.

Budget Initiatives (2025–26)

• Plans for a state-of-the-art EV testing track and exclusive EV manufacturing & R&D hub in Bengaluru.
• Target: ₹50,000 crore investment and 1 lakh jobs in clean mobility.

Public Transport Electrification

• Deployment of 14,750 electric buses under PM e-DRIVE, PM-eBus Sewa, and other projects.
• BMTC to receive 9,000 buses.

Expert View

• Highway chargers will boost long-distance EV adoption.
• Increasing integration of EV chargers in fuel stations is a positive trend.