Govt eyes auto cos-led model to fix EV charging on highways
NEW DELHI: Govt wants automakers to take greater responsibility for fixing gaps in India’s electric vehicle EV charging network. Speaking at Siam’s annual session, Kamran Rizvi, secretary, ministry of heavy industries, said nearly half of mapped charging stations were non-functional, underscoring a major consumer pain point as EV adoption expands.The ministry has identified 60 priority corridors for electrification and has shared the list with Siam. Rizvi suggested the industry body could coordinate with automakers to divide these stretches among OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), which would then work towards deploying charging infrastructure on their assigned highways.“We should be able to saturate all the important highways in the next two to three years,” he said.The proposal comes as govt gradually reduces direct subsidies for EV purchases and looks to industry to shoulder a larger part of the ecosystem build-out. Rizvi pointed to electric three-wheelers, where penetration has reached around 50%, as evidence that some segments can continue growing without perpetual subsidy support.The heavy industries ministry also has a Rs 2,000 crore corpus for charging infrastructure, which Rizvi said could be extended to automakers for deployment. Charging depots are also planned across 160 cities to support the electrification of buses.Rizvi said charging should be easier to scale than conventional fuel retailing because it does not require the same upstream supply chain. “Charging is a standalone business,” he said, urging automakers to play a more direct role not just in installing chargers, but also in ensuring they remain functional and dependable for consumers.
