Bengaluru: Electric vehicle users across Karnataka could soon have many more places to charge their vehicles, with the state government planning to establish 1,250 public EV charging stations at government-owned and managed locations under the PM E-DRIVE scheme. The move is expected to address one of the biggest concerns for EV users — easy access to reliable charging infrastructure. Charging stations are planned at government offices, hospitals, schools and college campuses, as well as public locations such as railway stations, airports, metro and bus stations.Aimed at speeding up the rollout of the project across Karnataka two-months after the approval of the proposal by the Centre, Gaurav Gupta, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department, held a meeting with officials of key government departments in Bengaluru on Saturday. He directed departments to identify suitable parking areas and vacant spaces on government premises where charging stations can be installed. Departments have also been asked to provide approvals on priority and hand over the identified locations to Bescom— the state nodal agency for the scheme.
Gaurav Gupta, ACS, Energy Department, reviews the rollout of the PM E-Drive scheme in Karnataka with heads of various state government departments.
The proposed network is also expected to offer greater convenience through 24×7 access for EV users across Karnataka. Separate entry and exit arrangements will be created wherever necessary to ensure smoother movement of vehicles. “According to the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Power, the government department owning the land on which an EV charging station is established will receive a revenue share of ₹1 for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity consumed for charging. A 10-year agreement will be entered into between BESCOM and the concerned department for the establishment and operation of the charging stations. BESCOM will be responsible for the establishment, operation and maintenance of the charging stations,” Gaurav Gupta said.Of the 687 locations surveyed by the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries, 515 have already received approval in the first phase, providing a potential starting point for the expansion. TOI had reported the Centre’s approval of Karnataka’s proposal in its May 13, 2026, edition. “BESCOM had submitted a proposal to establish a total of 1,250 EV charging stations across the State under the PM E-DRIVE scheme. These include Category-A locations, such as government offices, hospitals, schools and college campuses, and Category-B locations, such as railway stations, airports, metro and bus stations. Locations under 33 government departments are included in the proposal. Of the 687 locations surveyed by the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries, 515 locations have received approval in the first phase,” he said.
TOI Report on Centre’s approval of Karnataka’s proposal in its May 13, 2026, edition
At the same time, for users, finding a charging point could also become easier. Bescom Managing Director Dr N Shiva Shankara said the charging stations would be integrated with the EV Mitra platform, allowing the public to access and use the facilities more conveniently. “Bescom, the State Nodal Agency for the PM E-DRIVE scheme, has developed an integrated digital platform and implementation mechanism to streamline the approval, monitoring and subsidy processes for public EV charging stations across the State. The charging stations will be integrated with the EV Mitra platform, making it easier for the public to access and use the charging facilities,” he said.
