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The number of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations that are operating in the country has gone up to 12,146 as of February 2 this year, Minister of State for Heavy Industries, Krishan Pal Gurjar, said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The data provided by the minister shows that Maharashtra leads with 3,079 EV charging stations followed by Delhi with 1,886, while Karnataka is at the third spot with 1,041 charging stations.

The top three states are followed by: Kerala (852), Tamil Nadu (643), Uttar Pradesh (582), Rajasthan (500), Telangana (481), Gujarat (476) and Madhya Pradesh (341), making up the top 10 list.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) has been making consistent efforts for facilitating the promotion of EVs in India. The FAME-II scheme inter-alia included financial support in the form of subsidy for setting up of public charging infrastructure to instill confidence among the EV users, the minister said.

Further, the Ministry of Power has taken several initiatives to accelerate the deployment of public EV charging infrastructure in the country.

The government has issued guidelines and standards for charging infrastructure, which enable the owners of EVs to charge their vehicles at their residence/office using their existing electricity connections.

A revenue sharing model for provision of land at promotional rates for public charging stations has also been introduced and provision has been made for providing electricity connection to Public Charging Station (PCS) within stipulated timelines.

The government has also prescribed the single part EV tariff for public charging stations, This amount cannot exceed Average Cost of Supply (ACoS) till 31.03.2025.

The guidelines specify a ceiling of Rs 2.50 per unit and Rs 3.50 per unit of electricity used for slow AC charging of EVs at PCS during the solar and non-solar hours, respectively.

Additionally, a ceiling limit of Rs 10 per unit and Rs 12 per unit of electricity used for DC fast charging of EVs at PCS during the solar and non-solar hours, respectively, has also been specified.

Average cost of supply (ACoS) by DISCOMs to PCSs during solar hours shall have a rebate of 20 per cent and a surcharge of 20 per cent during all other times.

The Green Energy Open Access Rules, 2022, has been notified with the objective of further accelerating renewable energy adoption, ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and green energy for all, the minister added.