The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said that the Government of India aims to build 5,833 additional EV charging stations on highways to promote e-mobility.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that three oil marketing companies have been given a subsidy of Rs 800 crore to build 7,432 EV charging stations.
There are currently 5,293 EV charging stations on national highways.
Of these, 4,729 were built by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas at a cost of Rs 178 crore, the Economic Times reported.
“Further, the Ministry of Heavy Industries has targeted to set up 5,833 EV charging stations along highways out of a total of 7,432 EV charging stations through three oil marketing companies under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas,” Minister Gadkari said.
There are currently no plans to set up EV charging stations along national highways.
As per the announcement, Maharashtra has the highest number of EV charging stations at 750, followed by Uttar Pradesh (577), Rajasthan (482), Tamil Nadu (369), Karnataka (300) and Haryana (284).
According to earlier reports, the government is planning a massive plan to build EV-ready highways on the Golden Quadrilateral.
The project aims to reduce fuel consumption and vehicular emissions by electrifying inter-city public transport.
The scheme, which will run for the next seven years, aims to promote the purchase of e-buses across the country and accelerate the adoption of e-mobility.
These e-highways will be equipped with green energy-enabled charging infrastructure.