EV charging demand is moving beyond metros: Vijayawada, Rajamahendravaram among fastest-growing markets
India’s EV charging demand is increasingly spreading beyond major metros, with Vijayawada, Rajamahendravaram and Thiruvananthapuram emerging as fast-growing markets, according to Bolt.Earth’s latest report. The shift highlights the need for charging networks to expand into Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities alongside established urban centres.
- Sep 21, 2026,
- Updated Sep 21, 2026 6:30 AM IST
India’s electric vehicle charging network is beginning to expand beyond the country’s largest urban centres, with Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities emerging as important growth markets. Bolt.Earth’s State of Charge: Exclusive EV Data Report 2026 highlights Vijayawada, Rajamahendravaram and Thiruvananthapuram among the cities where charging demand is accelerating rapidly.
The report, based on Bolt.Earth’s internal network telemetry and operational data, studied charging activity across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Kochi over FY24-25, FY25-26 and FY26-27 year-to-date. While the major metros continue to account for substantial charging activity, the company said demand is increasingly spreading into smaller cities.
Vijayawada among fastest-growing markets
Vijayawada, Rajamahendravaram and Thiruvananthapuram emerged as notable markets where charging demand is growing rapidly. The trend suggests that EV adoption and charging requirements are no longer concentrated only in established metropolitan markets.
For charging-network operators, this creates a need to identify demand at a more granular city level and expand infrastructure ahead of sustained EV usage. The report's findings point towards a charging ecosystem that will increasingly need to serve a wider geographical footprint.
Bengaluru remains the largest market
Despite the rise of smaller cities, Bengaluru continues to be the largest market in Bolt.Earth's data, recording 190,954 charging sessions and 526,990 kWh of energy consumption.
Hyderabad and Kochi were identified as the leading metro markets in terms of growth. At the same time, Delhi-NCR and Mumbai showed comparatively lower utilisation, highlighting differences in charging-network usage even among large cities.
The divergence means that simply increasing the number of chargers across major urban centres may not be enough. Operators will need to assess actual utilisation and local charging behaviour when deciding where to deploy additional infrastructure.
Two-wheelers drive charging activity
The expansion into smaller cities comes as two-wheelers continue to dominate India's charging activity. According to the report, electric two-wheelers accounted for 78.1% of charging sessions in FY26-27 year-to-date, compared with 71.6% in FY24-25.
Four-wheelers, however, consumed a substantially larger share of electricity relative to their number of sessions. They represented only 16% of sessions but accounted for 67.3% of energy consumed, up from 58.1%.
This difference has implications for how charging infrastructure is built in emerging markets. Networks need broad accessibility for high-frequency two-wheeler users while also providing sufficient capacity for four-wheelers, which require significantly more energy per charging visit.
Key city trends
| Market | Key finding |
|---|---|
| Bengaluru | Largest market, with 190,954 charging sessions and 526,990 kWh consumed |
| Hyderabad | Among the leading metro markets for charging growth |
| Kochi | One of the fastest-growing metro markets |
| Vijayawada | Emerging Tier-2/3 market with rapidly accelerating charging demand |
| Rajamahendravaram | Emerging market witnessing strong charging-demand growth |
| Thiruvananthapuram | Among the cities where charging demand is accelerating |
| Delhi-NCR | Relatively lower charging-network utilisation |
| Mumbai | Relatively lower utilisation compared with leading metro markets |
| Two-wheelers | Accounted for 78.1% of charging sessions in FY26-27 YTD |
| Four-wheelers | Accounted for 67.3% of energy consumed, despite only 16% of sessions |
Charging demand requires more than charger expansion
The report also found that charging-session volumes peak at around 6 pm, while energy demand peaks at 9 pm. This three-hour gap highlights the importance of planning infrastructure around electricity consumption rather than relying only on the number of charging sessions.
Bolt.Earth said the next phase of India's EV transition will require charging networks to expand beyond metro-centric models, while maintaining adequate availability and capacity for different vehicle categories.
The company said the competitive advantage by 2030 will increasingly depend on placing the right charger in the right market, maintaining availability during peak demand and managing electricity consumption according to actual user behaviour.
India’s electric vehicle charging network is beginning to expand beyond the country’s largest urban centres, with Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities emerging as important growth markets. Bolt.Earth’s State of Charge: Exclusive EV Data Report 2026 highlights Vijayawada, Rajamahendravaram and Thiruvananthapuram among the cities where charging demand is accelerating rapidly.
The report, based on Bolt.Earth’s internal network telemetry and operational data, studied charging activity across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Kochi over FY24-25, FY25-26 and FY26-27 year-to-date. While the major metros continue to account for substantial charging activity, the company said demand is increasingly spreading into smaller cities.
Vijayawada among fastest-growing markets
Vijayawada, Rajamahendravaram and Thiruvananthapuram emerged as notable markets where charging demand is growing rapidly. The trend suggests that EV adoption and charging requirements are no longer concentrated only in established metropolitan markets.
For charging-network operators, this creates a need to identify demand at a more granular city level and expand infrastructure ahead of sustained EV usage. The report's findings point towards a charging ecosystem that will increasingly need to serve a wider geographical footprint.
Bengaluru remains the largest market
Despite the rise of smaller cities, Bengaluru continues to be the largest market in Bolt.Earth's data, recording 190,954 charging sessions and 526,990 kWh of energy consumption.
Hyderabad and Kochi were identified as the leading metro markets in terms of growth. At the same time, Delhi-NCR and Mumbai showed comparatively lower utilisation, highlighting differences in charging-network usage even among large cities.
The divergence means that simply increasing the number of chargers across major urban centres may not be enough. Operators will need to assess actual utilisation and local charging behaviour when deciding where to deploy additional infrastructure.
Two-wheelers drive charging activity
The expansion into smaller cities comes as two-wheelers continue to dominate India's charging activity. According to the report, electric two-wheelers accounted for 78.1% of charging sessions in FY26-27 year-to-date, compared with 71.6% in FY24-25.
Four-wheelers, however, consumed a substantially larger share of electricity relative to their number of sessions. They represented only 16% of sessions but accounted for 67.3% of energy consumed, up from 58.1%.
This difference has implications for how charging infrastructure is built in emerging markets. Networks need broad accessibility for high-frequency two-wheeler users while also providing sufficient capacity for four-wheelers, which require significantly more energy per charging visit.
Key city trends
| Market | Key finding |
|---|---|
| Bengaluru | Largest market, with 190,954 charging sessions and 526,990 kWh consumed |
| Hyderabad | Among the leading metro markets for charging growth |
| Kochi | One of the fastest-growing metro markets |
| Vijayawada | Emerging Tier-2/3 market with rapidly accelerating charging demand |
| Rajamahendravaram | Emerging market witnessing strong charging-demand growth |
| Thiruvananthapuram | Among the cities where charging demand is accelerating |
| Delhi-NCR | Relatively lower charging-network utilisation |
| Mumbai | Relatively lower utilisation compared with leading metro markets |
| Two-wheelers | Accounted for 78.1% of charging sessions in FY26-27 YTD |
| Four-wheelers | Accounted for 67.3% of energy consumed, despite only 16% of sessions |
Charging demand requires more than charger expansion
The report also found that charging-session volumes peak at around 6 pm, while energy demand peaks at 9 pm. This three-hour gap highlights the importance of planning infrastructure around electricity consumption rather than relying only on the number of charging sessions.
Bolt.Earth said the next phase of India's EV transition will require charging networks to expand beyond metro-centric models, while maintaining adequate availability and capacity for different vehicle categories.
The company said the competitive advantage by 2030 will increasingly depend on placing the right charger in the right market, maintaining availability during peak demand and managing electricity consumption according to actual user behaviour.