While charger deployment is yet to begin, the scheme has supported the sale of 2.65 million EVs as of July 22.
The Union government has approved 6,562 public electric vehicle (EV) chargers across the country since the launch of PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) scheme in 2024.
However, none of these chargers have been installed yet, the government told Parliament on Tuesday.
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Union Heavy Industries Minister H D Kumaraswamy said 6,562 chargers have been sanctioned under the scheme, including 1,571 for Karnataka.
Key Points
- The government has approved 6,562 public EV charging stations under PM E-DRIVE, but installation work has not started anywhere yet.
- PM E-DRIVE has supported more than 2.65 million electric vehicles, with electric two-wheelers accounting for the overwhelming majority.
- The scheme has allocated 14,000 electric buses to cities, led by Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.
- Around Rs 2,322 crore has been released and fully utilised under the Rs 10,900 crore PM E-DRIVE programme running until 2028.
- Unlike FAME-II, PM E-DRIVE has no state-wise targets, while incentives remain limited to EVs equipped with advanced batteries.
2.65 Million EVs Supported
While charger deployment is yet to begin, the scheme has supported the sale of 2.65 million EVs as of July 22, the ministry said.
Maharashtra accounted for the highest number of supported EVs at 428,000, followed by Uttar Pradesh (278,000), Karnataka (267,000) and Tamil Nadu (259,000).
Electric two-wheelers dominated the scheme among vehicle categories, with 2.4 million vehicles supported against a target of 2.5 million.
The scheme has also supported 268,000 electric three-wheelers under the L5 category and 6,547 e-rickshaws and e-carts.
However, only 55 electric trucks have received support against a target of 5,643, while no e-ambulances have been supported so far despite a target of 3,811 vehicles.
14,000 Electric Buses Allocated
The government said 14,000 electric buses have been allocated under PM E-DRIVE.
Bengaluru and Delhi have received 4,500 and 2,800 buses, respectively, followed by Hyderabad (2,200), Mumbai (1,500), Ahmedabad (1,200), Pune (1,000), Surat (600) and Jammu & Kashmir (200).
The ministry said Rs 780 crore has been allocated to modernise four vehicle testing agencies -- Automotive Research Association of India, International Centre for Automotive Technology, National Automotive Test Tracks and Global Automotive Research Centre -- to strengthen India's EV testing and certification infrastructure.
Rs 2,322 Crore Scheme Utilisation
According to the ministry, PM E-DRIVE has an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore for the period from April 2024 to March 2028.
As of July 22, Rs 2,322 crore had been released and fully utilised under the scheme.
Unlike FAME, the scheme does not allocate funds on a state-wise basis.
The government has also earmarked Rs 2,000 crore under PM E-DRIVE for setting up EV public charging stations across the country.
Karnataka alone has received approval worth Rs 153 crore for deployment of 1,571 chargers.
FAME-II Vs PM E-DRIVE
The ministry contrasted the progress under PM E-DRIVE with the earlier FAME-II scheme, under which 9,583 public EV charging stations had been installed across India as of July 1, 2026.
Karnataka had 788 charging stations under FAME-II, including 99 in Bengaluru, while Maharashtra had 802 and Jalgaon had 31.
FAME-II also supported the sale of over 1.671 million electric vehicles and the deployment of 5,297 electric buses.
Karnataka accounted for 258,000 supported EVs and 1,221 e-buses, while Maharashtra had 313,000 supported EVs and 830 e-buses.
PM E-DRIVE Charger Rollout
The government said PM E-DRIVE does not have state-wise, district-wise or annual targets.
Instead, it has fixed an overall target of supporting more than 2.83 million EVs across different segments.
It also said only EVs fitted with advanced batteries are eligible for incentives under FAME-I, FAME-II and PM E-DRIVE.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
