Government developing new EV charging app to unify charging stations across India

The Central government is working on a new unified EV charging platform aimed at simplifying access to charging infrastructure across India. Announced by Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H. D. Kumaraswamy during a conference on EV charging infrastructure in Bengaluru, the upcoming platform will be called Unified Bharat e-Charge (UBC).

According to the Ministry, the app is being developed as a single interface that will allow EV owners to discover charging stations, access chargers operated by different companies, and make payments through one platform instead of relying on multiple applications and operator-specific systems.

The platform is intended at taking on a similar role of UPI in streamlining digital payments in India and is expected to improve interoperability between charging operators.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries stated that the UBC app is being developed in coordination with the Ministry of Power, state governments, and industry stakeholders. The broader goal at hand is to support the rapid expansion of electric mobility in the country through better digital integration, charging standardisation, and grid readiness.

During the event, the government reiterated that future EV charging infrastructure development in India will focus on three key areas: accessibility, affordability, and reliability. The Centre said the aim is to ensure charging infrastructure becomes available not only in major urban centres but also across smaller towns and rural regions.

The announcement comes as India continues to expand public charging infrastructure under the PM E-DRIVE Scheme, which has an overall outlay of ₹10,900 crore. Out of this, ₹2,000 crore has been specifically allocated towards public EV charging infrastructure deployment.

Karnataka approved for 1,243 new EV chargers

Separately, the government also announced approvals for the installation of 1,243 EV chargers across Karnataka under the PM E-DRIVE Scheme, involving an outlay of ₹123.26 crore.

Overall, proposals worth ₹503.86 crore have so far been approved for 4,874 EV chargers across multiple states and Central Public Sector Enterprises. These include projects involving Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, alongside states such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh.

Check out Upcoming EV Cars in India, Upcoming EV Bikes in India.