Highway charging decides whether people trust EVs for long trips. Coverage has grown fast, but it is uneven.
Where things stand
Government data reported in August 2025 counted 4,557 public charging stations along national highways, state highways and expressways, out of more than 29,000 public stations nationwide.
Well-served corridors
Reports from early 2026 describe the Mumbai–Pune Expressway as the best covered, with DC fast chargers every 25–30 km. Bengaluru–Mysuru, Delhi–Agra and Delhi–Jaipur have chargers roughly every 40–60 km. Chennai–Bengaluru and Ahmedabad–Mumbai are improving but still have longer gaps.
Where the gaps are
- Long stretches without fast charging: some routes, such as Lucknow–Patna and Hyderabad–Visakhapatnam, have reported 150–200 km stretches without a reliable DC fast charger.
- State and secondary highways lag well behind national corridors.
- The Northeast and parts of eastern India have far fewer chargers than their population would suggest.
- Reliability: around 18% of installed stations were reported as not operational, mainly because of grid connection delays, commissioning backlogs and maintenance.
What is being built
- Oil marketing companies have added thousands of DC fast chargers at fuel stations, which are natural highway stops.
- NHAI wayside amenities: highway service areas planned with EV charging; hundreds of locations have been awarded.
- PM E-DRIVE: funding for public fast chargers, including on highways.
- Policy targets: the Ministry of Power's guidelines aim for a charging station every 20 km on highways by 2030.
What it means for site owners
Gaps are opportunities. A reliable fast charger at a restaurant, hotel or fuel stop on an under-served stretch can become the planned stop for every EV on that route. Reliability matters as much as location: drivers remember stations that work.
EVee Buddy builds and runs highway sites, with power planning for future growth up to 1.2 MW.
Sources
- The Tribune: 4,557 EV charging points on highways
- Vahan Bazaar: India EV charging network 2026 highway gaps
- Swarajya: public charging network grows to 26,367 stations
- Power Line: MoP EV charging guidelines 2024
Figures as reported in the sources above at the time of writing. Schemes and rules change, so confirm current terms with the relevant ministry, your state nodal agency or DISCOM before making decisions.