Telangana EV charging network among thebest in country, but fails to spur sales

Despite having one of the country’s strongest public charging networks, Telangana is struggling to convert infrastructure into electric vehicle adoption, highlighting a growing gap between EV readiness and consumer demand.

A new SBI Research report released on Wednesday shows that while the state has built an extensive charging ecosystem, EVs still account for just 4.9 per cent of new vehicle registrations, significantly below the national average of over 8 per cent.

The findings suggest that Telangana has largely addressed one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption — charging infrastructure. The challenge now appears to be convincing more consumers to make the switch from conventional fuel-powered vehicles. While Telangana is yet to gain momentum, several states are already racing ahead. Odisha leads the country, with EVs accounting for 12.7 per cent of new vehicle registrations, followed by Kerala (12.3 per cent) and Karnataka (10.9 per cent). Delhi has also crossed the 10 per cent mark.

Over 25,000 pure EVs registered this year. In comparison, Telangana has registered 25,708 pure EVs this year, with fewer than one in every 20 new vehicles sold running on electricity.

Ironically, the state’s biggest advantage lies in an area where many others continue to lag. According to the report, Telangana has 1,062 public charging stations, including 548 fast chargers, making it one of the most robust charging networks in country. Fast chargers account for 52 per cent of all public charging points in the state, well above the national average of 30 per cent.

Only Goa (60 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh (54 per cent) have a higher share of fast chargers.

The state has just 20 EVs for every public charging station, the lowest ratio among major states. The report argues that Telangana’s low charger-to-EV ratio demonstrates that infrastructure availability is no longer the principal constraint. Instead, consumer uptake is emerging as the key challenge.