Bio : Snigdha, a Kautilya School of Public Policy graduate, is an expert in public policy with a strong focus on sustainability. She’s the Associate Manager of Government Relations at Ather Energy, a major player in the electric vehicle industry. In her role, she communicates with the government and external parties, keeps an eye on industry developments, and specializes in policy analysis.

Before joining Ather Energy, she spent 3.5 years at APCO Worldwide, gaining skills in advocacy, reputation management, media, and stakeholder engagement across various sectors.

Project Outline : Electric Vehicles are a sustainable alternative to conventional fossil fuels-based vehicles and a viable source of reducing the carbon footprint of the transport industry. India has adopted the goal of electrifying the transport sector and achieving 30% EV penetration in the country by 2030. One of the biggest factors that impacts EV adoption is the availability of Charging Infrastructure. For the promotion of EV and its rapid adoption, a robust charging infrastructure must be set up across the nation, so that issues such as range anxiety can be addressed.

This capstone project, undertaken in association with Ather Energy, assesses the present state of EV Charging Infrastructure Policy in India to understand the gap in policies and find a way ahead for future development of EV charging infrastructure, that would bolster the progression of E- mobility in India. The findings of the study show that India’s central and state charging infrastructure policies offer incentives for the CI installers and consumers and have boosted the sales of EVs but they fail to address certain issues of standardisation effectively. The study also revealed that due to the presence of different nodal agencies in different states, there is a lack of coordination among the states on the issue of CI. Further, the study highlights the need for more two-wheeler EV compatible CI to meet the requirements of this rapidly developing segment of the EV industry.