

Mint explainer: why is the Centre subsidizing public EV chargers — and can it end India’s range anxiety?
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged higher adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and reduced fossil fuel use amid the ongoing West Asia war, the ministry of heavy industries approved ₹503.86 crore to set up 4,874 public EV chargers.The approval falls under the Centre’s ₹10,900 crore PM E-Drive electric mobility scheme. It marks the first sanction for charging infrastructure under the scheme, which has earmarked ₹2,000 crore for EV chargers and targets 72,300 units nationwide.The move comes as EV penetration rises — about 60% of three-wheelers, 4.8% of cars and 6% of two-wheelers sold in India are now electric — but charging gaps persist.Mint explains the subsidy mechanism and why public charging is critical to India’s electric mobility transition.The PM E-Drive scheme allocates ₹2,000 crore specifically to support EV charging infrastructure.
It also provides subsidies for electric two- and three-wheelers, buses, medium and heavy trucks, and hybrid and electric ambulances.With the latest approval, only ambulance-related subsidies remain to be rolled out. Currently, no electric or hybrid ambulance models exist in India, though some automakers are developing them.Under the scheme, state governments and central PSUs can claim subsidies for setting up EV chargers.
For this, they first have to set up a nodal agency to identify locations for the chargers and aggregate demand. This claim is then relayed to the union heavy industries ministry, which oversees, guides, checks, and approves the subsidy, according to scheme guidelines.The ₹503.86 crore approval covers government-run oil marketing companies — Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, and Bharat
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