India's EV Charging Ecosystem is Growing, But Not Evenly: Here-SBD EV Index Finds Barriers to EV Adoption

EV infrastructure in India has evolved significantly in one year, with some states racing ahead while others have lagged behind enough to lose their leading positions, according to the India edition of the latest Here-SBD EV Index 2026, released by location tech firm Here Technologies and research company SBD Automotive.

The report, which covers 34 Indian states and union territories,  shows that over 31,500 new public charging points have come up over the past year. This is more than 4X the previous yearly increase. India’s total public charging power capacity is pegged at 1.65 GW, and the average charger’s power rating rose from 32 kW last year to 45 kW, which shows that more capable units are being installed faster than ever.

EV adoption barriers are reducing, with 87 percent of Indian car buyers now more likely to consider an EV than they would have been year ago. In the 2026 survey, 62 percent of respondents said local charging availability had improved, up from 57 percent in 2025.

On the downside, current and prospective EV owners still need more confidence in public charger reliability and accessibility, which the survey indicates is lacking, with 46 percent of respondents saying this was their biggest barrier to EV adoption. A surprising 83 percent of EV owners reported cancelling a trip because of charging anxiety, and 77 percent said they had encountered chargers that weren’t working.

In terms of policy, the report notes that the central government has focused on incentivising domestic manufacturing and public transport electrification, while each state government has decided its own priorities in encouraging private EV adoption, leading to a lot of geographic variations when it comes to EV purchase decisions.

As for infrastructure, Telangana has jumped dramatically from 25th to 1st place on the India charts, with Andhra Pradesh now in 2nd place, up from 13th. Both improved enough to push Chandigarh out of the top spot, and it is now in 3rd place despite improvements. Rajasthan and Haryana are tied at the 4th position. Surprisingly, Delhi has plummeted from 4th place last year to 17th, mainly because of a lack of progress.

This is the third annual HERE-SBD EV Index, and it comes at a time when more companies are introducing EVs even as the government’s blended petrol initiative is making people hesitate to buy new ICE vehicles. Rankings were determined by considering four factors: chargers per road length, chargers per EV, average charger power, and ratio of EVs to non-EVs on roads. These metrics were weighted equally to arrive at each state’s final score.

Internationally, 46% of respondents said rising fuel cost was the strongest motivation for increased EV interest, with improvements in range and charging speed helping sway 36 percent. Interestingly, 61 percent of respondents said they would choose an EV over an equivalent traditional ICE vehicle if both were priced the same.

Commenting on the report’s findings, Abhijit Sengupta, General Manager for India and Southeast Asia at Here Technologies, said "India's EV ecosystem is evolving rapidly. Consumer confidence continues to grow, charging infrastructure deployment is accelerating, and several states are demonstrating strong progress in building the foundations for electric mobility. More than 31,500 chargers were added in the past year alone, underscoring the momentum across the industry. As adoption accelerates, the focus must increasingly shift from simply expanding infrastructure to ensuring drivers can confidently discover, access, and use charging infrastructure whenever they need it."

Robert Fisher, Senior Consulting Manager at SBD Automotive, said "India continues to stand out as one of the most optimistic EV markets globally. The rapid growth in charging infrastructure is encouraging, but consumer feedback shows that reliability remains a key challenge. The next stage of market maturity will require balancing infrastructure scale with infrastructure quality, ensuring the charging experience keeps pace with the growing number of EVs on the road."

The survey covered over 4,000 drivers across India, the United States, 30 countries in Europe, and Australia.