HERE-SBD EV Index 2025: India’s EV boom outpaces its charging network

A row of white electric cars charging at an EV charging station.

India’s growing gap between flourishing EV demand and slow public infrastructure investment revealed in new survey

The EV market in India is maturing fast. Demand is rising and drivers are optimistic about an electric future. However, slow-moving infrastructure is failing to keep pace with the growth.

The insights are from the HERE-SBD EV Index 2025, which ranks countries, states and territories based on infrastructure readiness and EV adoption. The India edition of the index (now in its second year) is supported by a survey of more than 1,000 drivers carried out by HERE Technologies and global automotive and mobility consulting firm, SBD Automotive.

The survey found that support in India for the phasing out of internal combustion engine vehicles within the next 10 –15 years is among the highest globally. Furthermore, of those surveyed, 49% expect more than half of all vehicles sold in 2030 to be electric. However, nearly half of people surveyed said charging infrastructure is the top barrier to adoption.

Robert Fisher, Principal at SBD Automotive, said it’s not clear why India has such strong affinity for electric vehicles, suggesting the market is still quite nascent, with just 0.4% of vehicles on the road battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

“All markets go through fluctuations in the amount of interest in new technologies, and it’s likely that India’s early adoption phase is propping up the general mood around electric vehicles,” said Fisher. “As less-tech-savvy drivers begin to experience EVs in the country, we expect to see a dose of reality and pessimism dampen the spirits around BEVs just as we’ve seen in other markets.”

Fisher told HERE360 the Indian national government’s supply-side incentive program is helping fuel the demand for EVs, noting that it’s similar to the incentive scheme seen in China. These differ significantly from those seen in many Western countries, which tend to favor demand-side incentives.

“Both types are important drivers of market growth,” added Fisher. “We’re curious to see if India will continue primarily with supply-side incentives or begin to offer more demand-side incentives as well. In either case, the country’s overall climate and pollution ambitions can only be met if their electricity production shifts away from fossil fuels while at the same time enabling adoption of clean transportation.”

State of play

That adoption—and EV readiness—varies greatly by state and union territory in India. The top five in order of EV infrastructure are Chandigarh, Karnataka, Goa, Delhi and Tamil Nadu. The bottom five are Jharkhand, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh.

Each state is ranked based on four key infrastructure metrics: how far must you drive to find a charger (chargers per road length), how quickly can you charge (average power capacity of public chargers), how many EVs are there compared to internal combustion engine vehicles (EV fleet share), and what’s the likelihood of finding an unoccupied charger (ratio of public chargers to registered EVs)? Each question has a possible maximum score of 25, for a combined potential overall score of 100.

This year, Chandigarh retained its top position with a score of 87.90, buoyed by a near 1% increase in BEV fleet share and state support for uptake of EVs and infrastructure deployment.

“As a small urban Union Territory (just 114 km2), it’s size and population density are similar to that of Washington D.C,” said Fisher. “With Chandigarh ranked 1st place in India and Washington D.C. ranked 2nd place in the United States, these are two great examples of how small urban areas are well-positioned to create positive EV user experiences.”

However, he believes these “urban islands” must work with the bordering regions to ensure infrastructure support continues outside of the official urban zone’s boundaries. “One difference between Chandigarh and Washington DC is that Chandigarh has a very respectable average charger power of 45kW while Washington D.C. is lagging behind with an average power of just 21kW,” he added.

Fisher also noted that urban environments often struggle to install sufficient high-power chargers due to the difficulty of connecting to high-power grids, and locating appropriate real estate for the chargers, yet concludes that Chandigarh is making strong progress.

Elsewhere in the index, the southwestern state of Karnataka rose from fourth last year to second this year, helped by the relative strength of the state’s number of chargers per BEV—or charger availability. While this ratio declined from last year, other regions experienced greater declines. This is largely due to the massive uptake of BEVs across various regions outpacing the uptick in chargers, highlighting the interconnectedness of the index’s metrics in assessing EV maturity. Third place Goa actually leads in BEV fleet share at 0.91%. Delhi, with a population estimated at 35 million, continues to lead in charger density with an estimated one public charger for every 9km of road.

Entering the top five this year is Tamil Nadu, which was previously sixth in the 2024 index, thanks to steady growth in its EV fleet share.

This year’s index also introduces a balance score. This assesses how the movement across each of the four infrastructure metrics within each region work together to support an optimal EV uptake and charging experience. Advancing evenly across all four metrics sets the stage for more balanced growth. This year, Sikkim, Ladakh,

Manipur, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Delhi lead the charge.

On Coal

In the past year, India’s BEV adoption has risen resulting in 12 BEVs to every charger in 2024 to 20 BEVs to every charger in 2025, showing that BEV adoption is accelerating faster than public charging deployment. While infrastructure is expanding—India added 6,800 new public chargers between 2024 and 2025—average charger power remains at 33 kW. The results reveal that the rate of infrastructure investment is not keeping pace with India’s growing appetite for electric vehicles.

“Sufficient charging infrastructure is critical to the adoption of EVs, and all countries will face some similar challenges,” said Fisher. “India does have a few unique challenges, however, with electricity production being one of the most critical.

As of 2023, 74% of India’s electricity came from the combustion of coal, and with an ever-increasing share that’s outpaced the growth of renewables. While that trend may change in the future, it’s clear that a shift from internal combustion vehicles to electric vehicles is likely to have a limited impact on air pollution across the country.

“As India shifts to cleaner sources of electricity, electric vehicles will naturally reap the benefits of those cleaner sources,” added Fisher. “In addition to the pollution from India’s electricity production, the country has also struggled for decades to produce sufficient electricity to meet peak demands, leading to rolling blackouts. If implemented without smart charging controls, EVs will only make this problem worse.”

However, he believes smart charging can help EVs smooth out peaks and valleys—making electricity production and distribution simpler and cheaper for utility companies—by delaying charging until there is excess electricity.

“Bidirectional Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) charging can go one step further and help to fill in deficits in the grid’s capacity, yet implementing this technology requires careful coordination across multiple sectors,” said.

Fountain of youth

The HERE-SBD consumer survey shows that among the three regions surveyed – India, Europe and the US – India is one of the most EV-optimistic markets. This could partly be explained by the fact the average age of EV owners surveyed in the country is 35 years old, younger than those surveyed in other countries. The results also reveal strong urban adoption, with 63% of those surveyed living in major urban centers.

Indian respondents also selected more motivators for EV adoption than any other markets. The top reasons include environmental benefits, lower maintenance and running costs, better performance and advanced in-car technology.

When all Indian respondents were asked about the main perceived barriers to EV adoption, the limited availability of charging stations was cited as the main consideration, with short driving range and recharging time named as other off-putting factors. Accuracy of range estimates were the main frustration among EV-owners surveyed, followed by cost of charging and access to maintenance.

This year’s index also introduces a balance score. This assesses how evenly each surveyed region is advancing across the four infrastructure metrics to support an optimal EV uptake and charging experience. This year, Sikkim, Ladakh, Manipur, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Delhi lead the charge.