Public EV charging stations’ power consumption doubles in Q1 FY25

The quantity of electricity consumed by public charging stations (PCSs) for electric vehicles (EVs) has more than doubled on an annual basis in the first quarter of the current financial year.

As per data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), PCSs consumed 176.87 million units (MU) of energy during the April-June quarter in FY25, a growth of more than 108 per cent Y-o-Y. In Q1 FY24, PCSs consumed 84.95 MU energy.

The surge was due to the country’s exponential growth in EVs. The number of EVs registered in India rose by over 42 per cent Y-o-Y in FY24 (16,81,127 units) compared to FY23 (11,83,341 units).

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The total number of EVs in India stood at around 45.75 lakh, based on registrations on the e-Vahan portal until July 2024. During Q1 FY25, more than 3.94 electric passenger vehicles, three-wheelers, two-wheelers, and electric commercial vehicles (ECVs) were sold.

Delhi consumed the most electricity at 83.86 MU, accounting for more than 47 per cent of the total energy consumed by PCSs across the country in Q1 FY25.

Maharashtra was next, at 44.48 MU, accounting for a little over one-fourth of the cumulative power consumption. Gujarat was third, with 14.38 MU, accounting for roughly 8 per cent of the total energy consumed by PCSs.

In Q1 FY24, Delhi dominated, consuming 38.114 MU, which accounted for 45 per cent of the total 84.95 MU consumed. Mumbai followed with a 40 per cent share (34.239 MU) and Gujarat at 7.5 per cent (6.364 MU).

Advisory services firm Forvis Mazars in India, in an August 2024 report, posted that the EV infrastructure market in India is witnessing unprecedented growth.

The number of public battery electric vehicle (BEV) charging stations expanded significantly from 1,800 in February 2022 to 16,347 in March 2024, nearly ninefold.

India is projected to have around 50 million EVs on its roads by 2030, with a market size expected to reach US$48.6 billion. To achieve a ratio of 1-40 EVs to charging infrastructure, India will need to install over 400,000 chargers annually, totalling 1.32 million chargers by 2030, it added.

India’s charging infrastructure demands are unique due to the dominance of 2Ws and 3Ws, which primarily utilise AC slow charging and battery swapping.

In contrast, 4Ws and buses require a mix of AC and DC charging solutions. Home and workplace charging is expected to dominate for private 2Ws and 4Ws, while commercial fleets will rely on private depots or public charging networks. DC fast chargers will cater to the growing demand for public charging as the 4W EV stock increases, Forvis Mazars said.