BMW Inaugurates 4,000 km North-South EV High-Power Charging Corridor
Celebrating over 5,000 electric vehicle sales in India, BMW Group has launched a 4,000 km high-power charging corridor spanning the length of the country. The corridor runs along national highways from North to South India, with charging stations strategically placed every 300 km, covering cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. In a significant move to boost the national EV ecosystem, BMW has opened access to this charging network for customers of all electric vehicle brands, not just its own.
Unpacked:
BMW's 5,000 EV sales are notable for a luxury brand but represent a small fraction of India's overall EV market, which is dominated by more affordable domestic models and is expected to reach around 50 million EVs on the road by 2030.
Key challenges include uneven distribution of charging stations, especially outside major cities, grid reliability, interoperability between networks, and meeting the ambitious target of installing about 1.3 million charging stations by 2030.
BMW's decision to open its charging corridor to all brands aligns with broader industry trends and government policies encouraging interoperability and shared infrastructure, complementing initiatives like Tata Power EZ Charge and public-private partnerships.
Policies such as the FAME scheme (now replaced by E-Drive), production-linked incentives, and a new $500 million EV policy support local manufacturing, subsidize EV purchases, and fund charging infrastructure expansion to accelerate EV adoption.