PM E-DRIVE: Centre Launches Rs 2,000 Crore Subsidy for EV Charging Stations

New Delhi – The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) has released operational guidelines for the Rs 10,900-crore PM E-DRIVE scheme, allocating Rs 2,000 crore to provide subsidies for public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across cities and highways.

Under the scheme, government premises such as offices, hospitals, educational institutions, and central public sector units will receive a 100 per cent subsidy on both upstream infrastructure and EV charging equipment, provided the chargers are accessible to the public free of cost.

For bus stations run by state transport undertakings, metro stations, municipal parking lots, ports, and highway way-side amenities, the subsidy will cover 80 per cent of infrastructure costs and 70 per cent of EV equipment costs. Locations like airports, railway stations, fuel retail outlets of state-owned oil companies, and public transport hubs will receive similar support. Battery swapping stations are also included, with 80 per cent subsidy on infrastructure.

The scheme prioritizes urban centers with populations over one million, smart cities, satellite towns linked to the seven metros, state capitals, and high-density highways.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) will serve as the Project Implementation Agency, while IFCI will act as Project Management Agency. BHEL will also develop a National Unified Hub and mobile app to integrate EV chargers, enabling discovery, real-time updates, slot booking, and payments.

Subsidies will be disbursed in two stages — 70 per cent during procurement and 30 per cent after commissioning and integration with the Unified Hub. Charging standards are set at up to 12 kW for two- and three-wheelers and 50–500 kW fast chargers for cars, buses, and trucks.

With inputs from IANS