How do I start an EV charging station business in India?
Under the Ministry of Power's 2024 guidelines anyone can set up and run a charging station without a licence: you need a site, an electricity connection from the discom (which is penalised for delays), chargers that meet CEA and BIS standards, and a price made of the electricity tariff passed through plus your own service charge, with the supply tariff for charging stations capped. Public land can be offered on a revenue-share basis, and the PM E-DRIVE scheme has Rs 2,000 crore set aside for public charging, though by May 2026 it had approved proposals for 4,874 chargers worth Rs 503.86 crore, routed through states, so it rarely reaches a private owner directly. The cheapest start is a few chargers where vehicles already wait: a fleet depot, a highway restaurant or an apartment complex. What kills most stations is utilisation: a charger nobody uses still pays its fixed electricity charges, so count the EVs that pass your site before you buy.
A clear summary of the Ministry of Power's 2024 guidelines: setting up and running a charging station is a de-licensed activity any entity can do, discoms are penalised for delayed connections, public land can be offered on revenue share, and the electricity tariff for charging stations is capped.
A second summary of the 2024 charging guidelines from the power sector's trade journal, useful for the connection timelines and the obligations on discoms.
The government's May 2026 update on charging subsidies: PM E-DRIVE has Rs 10,900 crore in all, with Rs 2,000 crore earmarked for public charging, and proposals worth Rs 503.86 crore covering 4,874 chargers had been approved, routed through states.
The government's only portal for registering a micro, small or medium enterprise. It states registration is free and lists the revised limits: a micro enterprise has investment up to ₹2.5 crore and turnover up to ₹10 crore, a small one up to ₹25 crore and ₹100 crore.
