According to a recent report released by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on ‘Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicle‘ – India may need a minimum of 13.2 lac charging stations by 2030 to facilitate the rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). The CII report, developed in collaboration with Edelman Global Advisory, marks the second instalment in a series of its reports focusing on the ‘Roadmap for Future Mobility 2030.’
In recent years, India has witnessed a remarkable shift towards sustainable transportation, with electric vehicles (EVs) emerging as the vanguards of this change. The active support for electric vehicles from both the central and state governments has led to increased consumer options and awareness, contributing to an exponential surge in EV uptake during 2022, showing a remarkable 300% increase compared to the preceding year.
Keeping up with current momentum, in a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario with an annual growth rate of 40%, it is projected that approximately 106 million EVs will be sold every year by 2030. To ensure an ideal ratio of 1 charger for every 40 electric vehicles, India will need to install over 4,00,000 charging stations annually, with a cumulative total of 13.2 lac chargers by the targeted year 2030.
The report also highlighted the significant reliance on imported components for EV charging stations, particularly level 3 DC fast chargers, including electronic components and semi-conductors, amounting to more than $5,800 million in the period from April 2022 to December 2022.
“The Government of India has set the ball rolling on accelerated adoption of EVs, aiming to achieve sales penetration of 30 per cent for private cars, 70 per cent for commercial vehicles, and 80 per cent for two and three-wheelers by 2030. The foundation for this will be laid by the creation of robust charging infrastructure.”
Vipin Sondhi, chairperson – CII National Committee on Future Mobility 2022-23 (last year) and former MD & CEO, Ashok Leyland and JCB
Major Recommendations on Charging Stations:
The report proposed several recommendations, including
- Streamlining the approval process for public charging infrastructure.
- Rationalizing demand charges by aligning them with actual utilization.
- Integrating charging networks into town planning for both new and existing urban areas.
- Establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for deploying charging infrastructure in Tier 2, Tier 3 towns, and rural regions.
- Incentivizing domestic manufacturing of components for EV charging stations.
- Offering incentives similar to the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) program under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
As India accelerates its journey towards sustainable transportation, establishing a robust EV charging infrastructure is a crucial priority. Apart from charging stations, Charging Station Management Software (CSMS), payment mechanisms, discovery applications and other backend support is required to ensure reliable access to charging stations. Further, there is also need for integrating renewable energy generation, energy storage systems, and smart grid technologies to meet the growing demand for charging and create a greener transportation ecosystem.