EV adoption risen from 0.1% to 5% in India in 6 years, charging infra crucial: Shailesh Chandra
The new EV charging hub in Mumbai runs on 100% renewable energy, charges 16 EVs at once and has 8 charging ports
- Sep 9, 2025,
- Updated Sep 9, 2025 5:47 PM IST
India’s electric vehicle (EV) adoption has moved from the margins to the mainstream, with penetration rising from just 0.1% six years ago to nearly 5% on the back of charging infrastructure, which has built trust among customers, says Shailesh Chandra, MD and CEO, Tata Motors. Speaking at the launch of Mumbai’s largest EV charging hub on World EV Day, he also said that charging infrastructure remains the single most critical factor for expanding EV adoption across the country. The new EV Mumbai charging hub is built jointly by Tata Motors and Tata Power runs on 100% renewable energy and is located near the Mumbai airport. It offers eight charging points capable of charging 16 vehicles at once, including 120 kW ultra-fast chargers that can power up vehicles in about 40–50 minutes. Tata EV customers will also receive a 25% discount on tariffs, incentivising greater utilisation.
Chandra further highlighted how India’s charging network has expanded from a few hundred stations in 2018 to nearly 25,000 today.
He credited Tata Power’s role in not only rolling out public charging but also making home charging accessible for over 1.5 lakh Tata EV owners, a task he called a “logistical nightmare” given the challenges of site surveys, load assessments, and installations across different cities.
“From highways dotted with chargers every 75–100 km, to community charging in residential complexes, Tata Power has provided solutions across every format. In the first eight months of 2025 alone, EV sales grew by over 70%,” he added.
He also said that the company invested ahead of the curve in EV and today, they are at the forefront of building India’s EV industry. He said, “Six to seven years ago, creating an EV ecosystem in India was considered a risky bet. There were hardly any entrepreneurs willing to invest in charging because there were no cars on the road. It was a classic chicken-and-egg problem, but Tata Motors and Tata Power decided to take that leap of faith.”
The company also intends to replicate this EV charging model in other metros and large cities in the coming years.
Tata Power CEO & MD Praveer Sinha stressed that the new facility which runs entirely on renewable energy sourced from solar and wind is one of the country’s first large-scale hubs to offer clean charging end-to-end. He also outlined Tata Power’s roadmap for the next five years is to ensure 95–99% of its charging network runs on renewable energy. He also added that clean energy and clean mobility are not just good for business, they are a national necessity. "This transition has to happen, and as pioneers, we must lead by example,” he added.
India’s electric vehicle (EV) adoption has moved from the margins to the mainstream, with penetration rising from just 0.1% six years ago to nearly 5% on the back of charging infrastructure, which has built trust among customers, says Shailesh Chandra, MD and CEO, Tata Motors. Speaking at the launch of Mumbai’s largest EV charging hub on World EV Day, he also said that charging infrastructure remains the single most critical factor for expanding EV adoption across the country. The new EV Mumbai charging hub is built jointly by Tata Motors and Tata Power runs on 100% renewable energy and is located near the Mumbai airport. It offers eight charging points capable of charging 16 vehicles at once, including 120 kW ultra-fast chargers that can power up vehicles in about 40–50 minutes. Tata EV customers will also receive a 25% discount on tariffs, incentivising greater utilisation.
Chandra further highlighted how India’s charging network has expanded from a few hundred stations in 2018 to nearly 25,000 today.
He credited Tata Power’s role in not only rolling out public charging but also making home charging accessible for over 1.5 lakh Tata EV owners, a task he called a “logistical nightmare” given the challenges of site surveys, load assessments, and installations across different cities.
“From highways dotted with chargers every 75–100 km, to community charging in residential complexes, Tata Power has provided solutions across every format. In the first eight months of 2025 alone, EV sales grew by over 70%,” he added.
He also said that the company invested ahead of the curve in EV and today, they are at the forefront of building India’s EV industry. He said, “Six to seven years ago, creating an EV ecosystem in India was considered a risky bet. There were hardly any entrepreneurs willing to invest in charging because there were no cars on the road. It was a classic chicken-and-egg problem, but Tata Motors and Tata Power decided to take that leap of faith.”
The company also intends to replicate this EV charging model in other metros and large cities in the coming years.
Tata Power CEO & MD Praveer Sinha stressed that the new facility which runs entirely on renewable energy sourced from solar and wind is one of the country’s first large-scale hubs to offer clean charging end-to-end. He also outlined Tata Power’s roadmap for the next five years is to ensure 95–99% of its charging network runs on renewable energy. He also added that clean energy and clean mobility are not just good for business, they are a national necessity. "This transition has to happen, and as pioneers, we must lead by example,” he added.