The global adoption of electric vehicles continues to progress as governments worldwide promote them as key weapons to combat the ongoing climate change crisis.
India’s EV industry enjoys the same upward trend as customers develop an interest in more sustainable mobility options. In fact, it successfully topped the 1 million sales threshold in 2023.
However, the lack of an enormous and reliable charging network remains among the top concerns that impede the full EV transition across the world.
The Government of India’s data revealed that there are just 6500 public charging stations (PCS) in the country. It demonstrates a significant gap compared to more than 2.8 million EVs on the roads.
Overview
Mondaq’s article provided some key information regarding India’s EV charging infrastructure overview, including stakeholders and business models. These facets largely complete the country’s EV charging value chain.
Major stakeholders
Here is the table of India’s EV charging industry stakeholders, along with their respective roles, as presented by the article:
| Stakeholder | Role |
| Site-owners | Site-owners refer to the owner of the real estate on which the PCS is built. |
| Charge point operators | A charge point operator installs, manages, maintains, and operates PCSs. |
| Power distribution companies (“DISCOMs”) | DISCOMs are utility companies that typically purchase power from electricity generation companies and sell it to consumers (in this case, to charge point operators). |
| Network service providers | Network service providers’ act as service providers whose primary responsibility is to help EV drivers find PCSs by offering mobile apps with labelled maps, assist connectivity with the PCS, as well as billing and payment functionalities. |
| Charging management software companies | Charging management software companies assist charging stations in providing back-end services such as energy management, hardware and load monitoring, payment processing, fleet management, etc. |
| EV manufacturers | EV manufacturers collaborate and partner with charge point operators to ensure the availability and accessibility of PCSs for their EV customers |
| Governmental ministries | The government assists the EV Charging Industry in developing and implementing policies, regulations, and incentives that support the growth, accessibility, and sustainability of EV charging infrastructure. |
| End consumers | End consumers are the primary users of EV charging infrastructure by utilising PCSs, providing feedback for improvement, and influencing demand through their choices and preferences. |
These stakeholders are either interconnected or interdependent. For instance, operators partner with site owners to benefit from ideal PCS locations. Meanwhile, site owners depend on operators to oversee the operations at the site.
They can also collaborate in some situations, like when an electric automaker owns the PCS and the site’s land. In effect, customers can take advantage of these projects and use them for their daily activities, depending on their demand.
These stakeholder engagements significantly aid the country’s charging network to grow through various business models emerging in the industry.
Business models
As mentioned, India’s EV charging industry currently has multiple business models with varying value propositions from key stakeholders’ points of view.
For instance, the operator’s outlook may involve interchanges in the value chain, including site owners, end consumers, and utility firms, among others.
Mondaq indicated some of the most prevalent business models in the country’s EV charging industry, as presented below:
| Interaction | Model | Description |
| Interactions with site-owners | Owned and operated | The charge point operator owns the real estate on which it sets up a PCS. |
| Interactions with site-owners | Renting and leasing | The charge point operator rents or leases real estate from the siteowner to set up a PCS. |
| Interactions with site-owners | Revenue Sharing | The charge point operator collaborates with a site-owner for installing PCSs at commercial establishments, wherein the revenue is shared between the charge point operator and the siteowner. |
| Interactions with end consum | Parking-based | Where the charge point operator is also a site-owner, it may offer a combination of charging and parking facilities to attract more customers. For example, a mall may offer bundled EV charging with its parking facility to attract more footfall |
| Interactions with end consum | Subscription services | Charge point operators offer its users the option to pay a recurring fee for access to charging. They may often bundle other benefits such as discounted charging rates, priority access, or faster charging speeds. |
| Interactions with end consum | Pay-per-use | Charge point operators charge their users on the basis of amount of electricity consumed or the duration of their charging on a persession basis. |
| Interactions with end consum | Bundled charging | Some charge point operators are empanelled with EV manufacturers such as Audi and BMW, to offer free bundled charging for a fixed period. |
| Interactions with utility companies | DISCOM connections | In India, power distribution is carried out mostly through publicsector DISCOMs and is a highly regulated activity. Charge point operators generally have to apply for electricity connections with DISCOMs for their electricity needs |
| Interactions with utility companies | Open Access Energy | Charge point operators may obtain electricity through open access from any power generation company directly. |
| Interactions with other industry stakeholders | Partnership revenue model | Charge point operators often partner with EV manufacturers to offer charging solutions for the EV manufacturer’s customers. For example, Mahindra has tied up with Jio-bp to offer charging solutions by using Mahindra’s channel locations to set up Jio-bp Mobility Stations.3 |
| Interactions with other industry stakeholders | Franchise model | Charge point operators such as Statiq offer franchisee opportunities to set up an EV PCS. This allows the market entrant to take advantage of a unified charging app and brand name, while strengthening the franchiser’s PCS network. |
It must also be noted that other stakeholders like fleet operators, cab aggregators, charging infrastructure developers, or software firms may also engage with the ecosystem through other business models, such as the following:
| Other business models | Definition |
| Mobility-as-a-Service | It allows customers to plan, book, and pay for various mobility services that are usually depicted by a shift from personally owned transportation modes. It may be cab aggregators like Uber and Ola, car subscription services like Revv, or bicycle-sharing platforms like Santander. |
| Micro-mobility | It focuses on small vehicles with notably low speeds like cycles, scooters, skateboards, etc. for last-mile mobility. |
| E-roaming services | It integrates charge point operators and their network in a digital platform, enabling drivers to access chargers at any station regardless of the provider. |
| Battery Swapping Stations | It enables drivers to immediately regain range by simply replacing their emptied batteries with fully charged ones instead of waiting for their batteries to charge for a longer time. |
See Also:
- Mercedes-Benz to open its charging network to other automakers in India
- Delta Electronics shows off India’s first green EV charging station at Elecrama 2023
- India will partner with Japan for affordable EV Charging Standard
- Two-wheeler and Three-wheeler EVs boost clean mobility shift in India
- Delhi to impose a new EV policy focusing on charging infrastructures and purchasing incentives
The mentioned business models are only some of the most popular in India’s electric vehicle charging industry. They significantly aid the country’s efforts to shift to more sustainable e-mobility by establishing a sufficient and reliable charging network. It encourages customers to join the shift, alleviating “range anxiety” concerns.
