In order to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, the government has brought guidelines for availing subsidy for vehicle charging stations, battery swapping stations and battery charging stations offering up to 100% subsidies.
The guidelines are under the ₹10,000 crore PM E-drive scheme for promotion of electric vehicles in the country within which ₹2,000 crore has been apportioned for charging infrastructure.
The guidelines released late on Sunday (September 28, 2025) evening identifies entities that are eligible for subsidies and offers support for deployment of upstream infrastructure costs, and in certain cases, also for EV Supply Equipment (EVSE) costs.
Upstream infrastructure includes distribution transformers, low- and high-tension cables, distribution boxes, circuit breakers/isolators, mounting structures, fencing, and civil works. EVSE consists of EV chargers including charging guns.
According to the scheme guidelines, ministries of the Government of India, Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), States and Union Territories, and public sector undertakings (PSUs) under them are eligible to submit proposals to the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI). These entities will be required to appoint nodal agencies to aggregate demand and identify suitable locations for charging stations before forwarding proposals to the ministry.
Entities may set up, operate, and maintain EV charging stations directly, or engage Charge Point Operators (CPOs) for the same.
Key central ministries such as Petroleum & Natural Gas, Road Transport & Highways, Health & Family Welfare, Power, Housing & Urban Affairs, Railways, Civil Aviation, Steel, and Ports, Shipping & Waterways will be able to put forward proposals through their CPSEs or appointed nodal agencies.
Public sector companies and bodies including Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Airports Authority of India (AAI), Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Container Corporation of India (CONCOR), Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL), and metro rail corporations are also eligible to apply either directly or through their parent ministries.
The eligible entities will be expected to coordinate within their networks to map demand and finalise installation sites for the charging infrastructure.
States and Union Territories will perform a similar role, designating nodal agencies to aggregate demand.
The government’s PM E-DRIVE scheme will prioritise the installation of electric vehicle charging stations in cities with a population exceeding one million as per the 2011 census, smart cities as notified by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), and satellite towns connected to the seven major metros — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Ahmedabad.
Additionally, capital cities of all states and Union Territories not covered by these categories, along with cities identified under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), will receive focused attention for deployment. However, eligible entities may also choose to install EV charging stations in other cities based on specific requirements such as EV penetration levels, ensuring a flexible and demand-driven rollout of charging infrastructure across India.
In addition to city limits, the scheme contemplates making select inter-city and inter-state highways EV ready for chargers. Route selection will be done in consultation with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and other stakeholders.
Published – September 29, 2025 10:21 pm IST
