Dehradun: Uttarakhand has emerged as the Himalayan region’s leader in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, with 221 charging stations installed in the state over the past five years as EV ownership continues to rise, Jagran reported.
The state has 1.04 lakh registered electric vehicles, according to vehicle registration data. More than 58,000 EVs have been registered in the past three years, increasing the need for a wider charging network.
Uttarakhand currently has 84 fast-charging and 137 slow-charging stations. The state has also received 61 chargers under the Centre’s FAME-II scheme.
The number of charging stations in Uttarakhand is higher than in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Jammu and Kashmir has 180 stations and Himachal Pradesh has 133. Meghalaya has 62, Manipur 58, Tripura 55, Sikkim 12 and Ladakh one.
Uttarakhand also has the highest number of fast chargers among the Himalayan states, with 84 compared with 61 in Jammu and Kashmir and 52 in Himachal Pradesh.
The growing EV fleet is expected to increase electricity consumption. Charging electric vehicles currently accounts for around 1.57 million units of annual electricity use in the state, equivalent to 0.011% of total consumption.
The electricity requirement for EV charging is projected to rise to 2.36 million units in 2025-26, 7.44 million units in 2026-27 and 23.48 million units in 2027-28. This would represent an almost 15-fold increase over the estimated consumption in 2024-25.
The state power utility is expanding the charging network to meet the expected increase in demand. Officials are focusing on ensuring adequate electricity capacity for charging stations and increasing fast-charging facilities along tourism routes and the Char Dham pilgrimage routes.
“As the number of electric vehicles is increasing rapidly in Uttarakhand, charging infrastructure is also being expanded. The focus is on providing adequate electricity capacity to charging stations and strengthening fast-charging facilities along tourism and Char Dham routes,” Principal Secretary, Energy, R Meenakshi Sundaram said.
