India's 67,000 EV charging points fall short of electric vehicle goals

India has about 67,000 public EV charging points. That's the number cited in a Times of India report on September 13, 2026. It sounds like a lot. It isn't.

The country wants electric vehicles to make up 30% of new sales by 2030. That target covers private cars, buses, and two- and three-wheelers. Hitting it will need a charging network that's several times bigger than what exists today.

The gap isn't just about raw numbers. It's about where those chargers are. Most are clustered in a handful of cities. Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and a few other metros have the bulk of them. Smaller towns and rural areas have almost none. Highways are another weak spot. A driver on a long route can't count on finding a working charger.

There's also the question of usage. Many public chargers sit idle for hours. Others are broken or occupied. The result is a network that looks bigger on paper than it feels on the road.

The government has pushed several schemes to boost charging infrastructure. Subsidies exist for setting up stations. Oil marketing companies have been asked to install chargers at fuel pumps. But progress has been slow. Land acquisition, electricity connections, and local approvals all take time.

Industry watchers say the problem is circular. Fewer chargers make people hesitant to buy EVs. Fewer EVs on the road make companies hesitant to invest in chargers. Breaking that cycle requires either a big public push or a clear policy signal that demand is coming.

Some states have tried. Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu have announced policies with targets and incentives. But implementation varies. A charger that works in one city might be useless in the next because of different payment systems or plug types.

Standardisation is another issue. India uses several charging standards. That can confuse buyers and slow down the rollout of universal stations.

The 67,000 figure comes from official data. It includes slow and fast chargers. It does not include private chargers at homes or offices, which do most of the actual charging. But public charging is what matters for people without a driveway or a dedicated parking spot.

For now, the network is growing. Just not fast enough. The Times of India report notes that even at current pace, India will miss its 2030 target by a wide margin unless something changes.

"The infrastructure has to come first," said one industry executive, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. "You can't sell cars if people can't charge them."

That's the plug that needs fixing.