CHENNAI: 6th June 2025: Tamil Nadu is taking a stakeholder-first approach to achieving its electric mobility goals by increasing the availability and reach of infrastructure for EV charging and battery swapping throughout the state.
A senior government official told EV Story that this is being done in an attempt to unite policymakers, corporations, and civil society around the state’s ambitious goals of pushing charger adoption from the current 672 to 2,000 charging stations by March 2026 and achieving 50% EV penetration on its roads by 2025.
To speed up the installation of current EV charging and battery swapping stations, it has started a stakeholder consultation with fleet aggregators, charge point operators, civil society organisations, and the Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGECL).
As crucial levers for increasing EV adoption, the consultation covered broader themes such as last-mile mobility, public transit integration, battery swapping viability, and digital platform unification rather than just infrastructure rollout.
TNGECL Managing Director Dr. Aneesh Sekhar (IAS) led the discussions at the TNEB headquarters alongside other EV ecosystem participants and in collaboration with RMI and ITDP-India.
According to the latest government data, 23.8% of people in Chennai alone rely on buses, trains, and metro, while 44.2% of people drive their own cars.
According to the regional transport office, there were 9.2 million vehicles in the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) in 2022.
The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) India reports that this statistic indicates that nearly two cars are owned by every three city dwellers.
The Electric Vehicle Policy 2023 of Tamil Nadu, which seeks to have at least 50% of its roads occupied by electric vehicles by 2025, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and commercial vehicles, depends heavily on EV charging.
In order to encourage consumers to rely less on their own cars and more on mass rapid transit systems that use electric vehicles, the stakeholder meeting covered topics like last-mile mobility and enhancing transportation networks.
Participants from the EV ecosystem also talked about the design and implementation of infrastructure for charging and swapping, emphasising the importance of digital integration and interoperability in order to deliver a seamless user experience. Battery swapping is thought to be a practical solution for the e-2W and e-3W segments.
RMI representatives Chetna Nagpal and Suganth K.S. participated in the talks, which were led by Sooraj E.M. and Pavithiran R. from ITDP India. A senior government official gave more details, stating, “Tamil Nadu is actively promoting both battery swapping and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles as part of its green climate initiatives.
The state offers subsidies and incentives to encourage the development of battery swapping and charging stations, boost the adoption of electric vehicles, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
RMI has been assisting TNGECL with the design of EV digital platforms and the tendering of charging infrastructure in order to meet Tamil Nadu’s electric mobility goals.
Currently, the state provides up to 25% in capital subsidies for the first 200 public battery swapping facilities and the first 200 public fast charging stations. Furthermore, Tamil Nadu recognises the expenses of renewable energy equipment used in charging stations and provides incentives if at least 75% of the energy used comes from clean sources.
As India attempts to decarbonise its hard-to-abate sectors, other states may find a model in Tamil Nadu’s consultative, policy-aligned approach to electrification.
By incorporating EV deployment into a broader conversation about urban mobility, the state is attempting to build both an electric and sustainable future.
