BHEL to be nodal agency for EV charging infrastructure deployment, demand aggregation

New Delhi: Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), a public sector unit under the heavy industries ministry, is being considered to be made the nodal agency for gauging and aggregating demand for electric vehicle (EV) chargers. It will also develop an application for streamlining the EV charging infrastructure, according to a press statement by the heavy industries ministry on Wednesday.

The app will allow real-time slot booking, payment integration, charger availability status and progress dashboards for tracking national deployment under the PM E-Drive scheme, the statement said.

Under this scheme, the government aims to install 72,000 EV public chargers with an outlay of ₹2,000 crore till the end of FY26. These stations will be strategically deployed along 50 national highway corridors, and within high-traffic destinations such as metro cities, toll plazas, railway stations, airports, fuel outlets and state highways.

Also read | Govt to revise EV charger costs under e-drive scheme

Heavy industries minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday consulted representatives of the ministries of petroleum and natural gas (MoPNG) and road transport and highways (MoRTH) to review and accelerate the deployment of EV charging infrastructure in the country, the statement said.

Kumaraswamy said, “Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India is on the path to becoming a global model for sustainable transport. The PM E-Drive scheme is a transformative initiative aimed at giving our citizens access to clean, affordable, and convenient mobility options. We are not just building infrastructure; we are building the foundation for energy security and green economic growth.”

He added that collaborative federalism is integral to India's clean energy missions.

“The clean energy transition cannot succeed in silos. This meeting reflects our commitment to working as one government. Ministries, public sector enterprises, and states are all aligned to deliver results on ground. We are confident that PM E-Drive will catalyse new industries, generate green jobs, and offer seamless electric mobility to every Indian,” he said.

Incentivizing green mobility

As on 1 April, there were 26,367 EV public charging stations in the country, as per data gathered by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), stated in a Rajya Sabha disclosure dated 4 April. In the first three months of calendar year 2025, there were 1,165 new EV public charging stations deployed by the government, the disclosure showed.

EV charging infrastructure is a crucial element in incentivizing green mobility in the country. A wider network of EV chargers reduced range anxiety among potential buyers. Range anxiety refers to the reluctance of buyers to shift to zero-emission electric vehicles due to the limited range they cover in a single full charge.

Also read | Centre aims green logistics at ports, eyes setting up EV charging infra

Mint reported earlier on 1 May that the government was planning to revise the costs of setting up EV public charging stations under the PM E-drive scheme, as the cost of raw material as well as components had fluctuated over the last two years.

The government has also aimed to set up EV public charging stations on national highways to incentivize public transportation between cities and allow the introduction of electric trucks in key logistical ecosystems. Under the PM E-Drive scheme, nearly 40% of the total ₹10,900 crore outlay was allocated towards incentivising electric buses in public transportation. Also, ₹500 crore was allocated towards incentivizing electric trucks.

Under the scheme, manufacturers have to sell electric vehicles to buyers at a subsidized price. The government then reimburses the manufacturers. Previous schemes, such as the two iterations of FAME schemes also had a similar operation model. FAME stands for Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric (and Hybrid) vehicles. The two iterations of the FAME schemes ran continuously for a decade from FY15 to FY24.