Picture this: You’ve just bought your dream electric vehicle, excited about saving money on fuel and contributing to a cleaner planet. You’re cruising down the Mumbai-Pune Expressway when suddenly, that dreaded battery icon starts flashing. Where’s the nearest charging station? Will you make it?
This anxiety, known as “range anxiety,” haunts many EV owners in Maharashtra—and for good reason.
Table of Contents
The Current State of Affairs
Maharashtra leads India with 3,079 public EV charging stations, followed by Delhi with 1,886 and Karnataka with 1,041. Impressive, right? Not quite. While the state proudly wears the crown of India’s EV charging infrastructure leader, experts are raising red flags about whether these numbers tell the full story.
With 644,779 battery electric vehicles registered in Maharashtra by December 2024—up from 394,337 in December 2023—the math becomes concerning. That’s a 63% jump in EVs on the road, but has the charging infrastructure kept pace?
The Reality Check: Numbers Don’t Add Up
Here’s where things get interesting. According to the Ministry of Heavy Industries, there’s no global consensus on the number of EV charging points required, with estimates ranging from 1 charging point per 20 EVs to 1 charging point per 150 EVs.
Let’s break it down:
| Scenario | Charging Points Needed | Current Status | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative (1:150 ratio) | 4,299 stations | 3,079 stations | -1,220 |
| Moderate (1:85 ratio) | 7,586 stations | 3,079 stations | -4,507 |
| Ideal (1:20 ratio) | 32,239 stations | 3,079 stations | -29,160 |
Even at the most conservative estimate, Maharashtra falls short.
What Industry Experts Are Saying
A senior official from an automotive OEM emphasized the need to ensure remote highways and roads have charging stations, calling the infrastructure boost “a move in the right direction” for both commercial and personal vehicles.
The concern isn’t just about numbers—it’s about accessibility. Currently, most public chargers are concentrated in urban areas, with Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu accounting for about 60% of the stations, leaving rural and semi-urban regions with limited infrastructure.
The Silver Lining: Maharashtra’s Ambitious Plans
The state isn’t sitting idle. Maharashtra’s new EV Policy 2025, with an outlay of ₹1,995 crore, aims to take EV registrations to 30% of all new vehicle registrations by 2030.
Key initiatives include:
- Viability Gap Funding: Up to ₹10 lakh support for charging station operators, with DC fast chargers receiving ₹5 lakh per unit for 1,000 units and high-power chargers over 250 kW receiving ₹10 lakh per unit for 500 installations
- Highway Corridors: Charging stations mandated every 25 km along national and state highways, with the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg designated as pilot EV-ready corridors
- Building Mandates: All new residential buildings must ensure 100% EV charging-ready parking, while new commercial developments need at least 50% EV-ready parking
The Road Ahead
To reach a 30% EV market share by 2030, India will need an estimated 1.32 million public charging stations. Maharashtra’s contribution to this national goal needs to be proportionate to its leading position in EV adoption.
The question isn’t whether 3,079 charging stations are impressive—they are. The real question is: Are they enough to sustain Maharashtra’s electric revolution? The answer, according to experts and industry insiders, is a resounding “not yet.”
But with aggressive policy measures, substantial funding, and a clear roadmap, Maharashtra is signaling its commitment to bridge this gap. The race is on—and the finish line is 2030.
The Bottom Line:
While Maharashtra deserves applause for leading India’s EV charging infrastructure, the current numbers fall short of expert recommendations. With EVs multiplying faster than charging points, the state must accelerate infrastructure development to maintain its leadership position and ensure a truly sustainable electric future.
