At a glance
- Several Indian EV owners report dissatisfaction with public charging infrastructure, even as total EV sales reached 2.3 million units in 2025.
- Network connectivity failures are a major reason; import dependency on charging hardware and defective components compound the downtime problem.
- Smart charging with dynamic load balancing and intelligent scheduling can mitigate the strain on grid infrastructure.
Data note: Most supporting data in this article draws on studies from the US and Europe, where structured uptime reporting exists; comparable India-specific benchmarks remain limited but directionally consistent.
Electric vehicles (EVs) deliver on their promise of instant torque, quieter rides, and lower running costs. The problem emerges the moment an owner pulls up to a public charging station, plugs in, and nothing happens. This is not uncommon. For a growing share of Indian EV owners, it is an increasingly familiar frustration. What was once framed as range anxiety has evolved into a more operationally specific problem: charging anxiety.
A 2023 survey by Parkopedia, conducted across EV drivers in the US, Germany, France, the UK, and Italy, found that more than 90% felt anxious about finding a charger away from home. In the US, a 2024 study by a Harvard Business School fellow found that drivers could successfully recharge at non-residential charging stations only 78% of the time.
From an Indian perspective, according to CareEdge Ratings (July 2025), as of early FY25 (April–June 2024), only 26,367 public charging stations were operational, one for every 235 EVs on the road.
Accessibility is the starting problem; reliability is the next.
Why are so many EV chargers not working?
Network connectivity failures, defective hardware, supply chain gaps, and grid instability are the four primary contributors to charger downtime.
India's rapid EV adoption is currently outpacing its infrastructure deployment, resulting in a stark ratio of just one public charging station for every 235 electric vehicles on the road. 'Visualised using AI'
Source:
No signal, no charge
EV charging stations are networked IoT assets; when communication with the central management system fails, the session cannot begin. 'Visualised using AI'
EV charging stations work as networked Internet of Things (IoT) assets. Each station must communicate continuously with a central charge point management system (CPMS) to authenticate users, process payments, initiate sessions, and monitor energy usage. The driver-facing app is the interface that begins this chain. A failure at any point breaks the session entirely.
According to the Qmerit Electrification 2030 white paper, based on network data monitored across the US, connectivity failures, specifically, a station's inability to reach its network for authentication, account for 55% of all failed charging attempts. Payment processing failures share the same root cause. Without network connectivity, transactions cannot be verified.
Downtime begins in the supply chain
Heavy reliance on imported EVSE components means a single hardware failure can stretch maintenance turnaround times into weeks. 'Visualised using AI'
India relies heavily on imports for critical electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) components, including connectors, charging guns, and associated hardware. When a component fails, the absence of a domestic supply chain means maintenance turnaround times can stretch significantly, leaving stations inoperative until replacement parts arrive.