For an electric fleet, charging sits behind every expansion decision. The national numbers have grown fast, and they still leave the questions a fleet operator actually has to answer.
The numbers
The Ministry of Power reported 29,277 public charging stations run by 83 charge point operators as of 2025. The count grew from 5,151 in December 2022 to 25,202 in December 2024 and about 29,300 by August 2025. The PM E-DRIVE scheme set aside ₹2,000 crore for public charging, and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency is the central agency for the rollout.
That is more than five times as many stations in under three years. Set against India's EV sales, which I cover in India's EV transition is running on three wheels, it is still a thin network, and most electric two- and three-wheelers charge at home or at the owner's base.
Why location beats count
A commercial vehicle charges where it rests: at a depot, a driver's home or a stand between shifts. A public charger on a highway or in a mall car park helps a private car on a long trip and does little for a cab that needs to charge between rides in the city. For fleets, the useful network is the one near where the vehicles already stop.
Chargers also have their own utilisation problem. A charger is a fixed asset that earns only when a vehicle is plugged in, the same economics as a dark store or a cab. A charger in the wrong place stays idle and loses money, which is why operators cluster them where demand already exists.
What it means for an electric fleet
- Plan charging around where the vehicles rest, and treat public charging as backup.
- Count charging time as lost earning time, so it enters the utilisation calculation.
- Model electricity cost per kilometre at depot rates and at public rates separately.
- In a smaller city, expect to build or arrange most charging yourself.
