Bhubaneswar: In a major push to boost electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, the Odisha government has submitted a proposal to the Centre for setting up 290 additional public EV charging stations across 13 cities and along key national and state highways.
The initiative aims to promote electric mobility and expand the state’s charging network under the Centre’s PM E-DRIVE scheme. Under the direction of Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena, the state government has been taking steps to accelerate the development of EV infrastructure.
In the first phase of the scheme, the Centre approved 170 EV charging stations across seven major cities in Odisha, with installation work currently underway. For the second phase, the state has submitted a comprehensive proposal seeking approval for 290 additional charging stations in Rourkela, Talcher, Sambalpur, Paradip, Barbil, Belpahar, Brahmapur, Brajarajnagar, Chhatrapur, Jharsuguda, Joda, Kendujhar and Rajgangpur, besides several locations along national and state highways.
Of the proposed locations, 68 are Wayside Amenity Centres under the Tourism Department, while six other sites have been identified along important highways, including the high-priority Paradip-Badbil corridor. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has been appointed as the Project Implementation Agency (PIA) for the project. Ahead of the final approval and sanction, a team led by BHEL General Manager JK Pattanaik will conduct site surveys to assess the feasibility and suitability of the proposed locations.
Apart from projects under the Central scheme, the state government is also planning to establish more than 500 additional EV charging stations through its own initiatives.
Of these, 24 charging stations have already become operational in Bhubaneswar. The state is also expanding charging infrastructure at key public locations, including major transit points, Atal Bus Stands and truck terminals, to make charging facilities more accessible to EV users.
The proposed expansion is expected to improve charging accessibility, address range anxiety among electric vehicle owners, and encourage wider adoption of electric mobility across Odisha. Odisha also has an Electric Vehicle Policy in place, under which the government provides financial incentives and subsidies to eligible EV buyers to promote the transition towards cleaner transportation.