Archive · 5 Aug 2026
India Approves 6,562 EV Chargers, None Installed Yet
India wants more electric vehicles, like cars, bikes and buses, to help keep the air clean.
The government has a programme called PM E-DRIVE to help people buy these vehicles.
It has given permission to build 6,562 public charging stations where EVs can charge their batteries.
But so far, not even one of these charging stations has been built.
Even so, the programme has helped people buy more than 2.65 million electric vehicles.
Most of these were electric two-wheelers, like scooters and bikes.
The programme also gave cities 14,000 electric buses, with Bengaluru and Delhi getting the most.
Some parts of the plan are struggling: very few electric trucks have been supported, and no electric ambulances have been helped yet.
The government says the programme has spent about Rs 2,322 crore so far and will run until March 2028.
The government has approved 6,562 public EV chargers under the PM E-DRIVE scheme, but none have been installed so far, it told Parliament on Tuesday.
As of July 22, PM E-DRIVE had supported the sale of 2.65 million EVs, with electric two-wheelers (2.4 million) dominating the count.
Maharashtra recorded the highest number of supported EVs at 428,000, followed by Uttar Pradesh (278,000), Karnataka (267,000) and Tamil Nadu (259,000).
A total of 14,000 electric buses were allocated to cities, led by Bengaluru (4,500), Delhi (2,800), Hyderabad (2,200) and Mumbai (1,500).
Only 55 electric trucks were supported against a target of 5,643 and no e-ambulances have been supported, while Rs 2,322 crore of the Rs 10,900 crore outlay has been released and fully utilised.
- Who
- Union Heavy Industries Minister H D Kumaraswamy, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
- What
- 6,562 public EV chargers were approved under the PM E-DRIVE scheme but none have been installed; the scheme has supported 2.65 million EVs.
- When
- Announced on Tuesday; data as of July 22, with the scheme running from April 2024 to March 2028.
- Where
- India, with approvals and EV support across states including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
- Why
- To promote electric vehicle adoption and expand public charging infrastructure through the PM E-DRIVE scheme.
- Chargers approved
- 6,562
- Chargers installed
- 0
- EVs supported (as of July 22)
- 2.65 million
- Scheme outlay
- Rs 10,900 crore (April 2024 - March 2028)
- Funds released and utilised
- Rs 2,322 crore
- Fund earmarked for charging stations
- Rs 2,000 crore
- Electric buses allocated
- 14,000
- Karnataka charger approval
- 1,571 chargers worth Rs 153 crore