India’s EV Adoption Gains Momentum as Public Charging Demand Rises 72%

India’s electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem is showing strong growth, with electricity consumption at public EV charging stations rising by 72% in FY 2025–26, according to data cited in the Times of India report. The increase highlights growing utilisation of the country’s expanding public charging network as more consumers and commercial users shift toward electric mobility.

The rise in charging demand indicates that EVs are becoming increasingly integrated into India’s transportation system. Greater use of public chargers can also support wider EV adoption by improving charging accessibility and reducing concerns around charging availability, particularly for users who rely on public infrastructure.

The development is aligned with India’s broader push toward cleaner transportation and reduced dependence on fossil fuels. Expanding EV adoption, supported by charging infrastructure and government initiatives, is an important component of the country’s wider energy-transition and decarbonisation efforts.

For the sustainability sector, the increase in public charging consumption is a positive indicator of progress in electric mobility, clean-energy transition and sustainable transport infrastructure. However, the overall emissions benefit of EV adoption will also depend on how much of the electricity used for charging comes from renewable and other low-carbon sources.

72 percent growth in public EV charging consumption in a single fiscal year reflects the compounding effect of rising EV fleet size combined with growing charging-network utilisation. Public charging accessibility is one of the critical enablers of broader EV adoption, particularly for consumers without dedicated home charging capacity.

The renewable-electricity dimension for EV charging emissions is analytically important. EVs powered by coal-heavy grids deliver more limited emissions reductions than EVs powered by increasingly-renewable grids. India's renewable capacity expansion (see related news) combined with EV growth creates compounding decarbonisation benefit that gets stronger over time.

For EV OEMs, charging-infrastructure operators, fleet operators and financial institutions supporting Indian sustainable-mobility investment, Cognitud's climate action, energy transition and market intelligence teams help clients evaluate integrated EV-and-charging investment opportunities, structure long-term commercial arrangements aligned with corporate sustainability commitments, and prepare disclosures aligned with BRSR, ISSB and jurisdictional sustainable-mobility frameworks.