India faces a critical charging infrastructure deficit that could impede electric vehicle growth, with the current ratio of one charger for every 40 vehicles falling far short of developed market standards, according to Hardeep Brar, President & CEO of BMW Group India, speaking at the India EV Conclave 2025.
Brar highlighted that while the luxury EV segment is experiencing robust growth driven by passion rather than policy, inadequate charging infrastructure remains the primary barrier to broader EV adoption across all segments.
“There’s a charging infrastructure problem in India. The ratio is 1:40 (one charger for every 40 vehicles), which is much lower than in developed countries where the ratio is 1:20,” Brar stated, quantifying the infrastructure gap that threatens to constrain India’s EV ambitions.
As of February 2024, India had 12,146 operational public charging stations nationwide, a figure that represents substantial growth but remains insufficient for the country’s EV penetration targets. Karnataka led with approximately 6,097 public charging stations as of mid-2025, followed by Maharashtra and Delhi.
The infrastructure deficit is particularly acute outside major metropolitan areas, where charging station density drops dramatically, limiting EV adoption in tier-2 and tier-3 cities despite growing consumer interest.
Luxury Segment Outperforms
Despite infrastructure challenges, BMW has achieved remarkable success in the luxury EV segment, with Brar revealing that the BMW iX1 has reached 60% EV penetration. “Now, between petrol and BEVs, people are choosing BEVs,” he stated, indicating a fundamental shift in luxury car buyer preferences.
BMW India has experienced 250% growth in EV sales, which Brar attributed to three factors: economies of scale, technological appeal, and favorable total cost of ownership. “Economies of scale has really helped us. EVs are liked by people because of tech and cost of ownership, which is why we have grown 250%,” he explained.
This performance demonstrates that in segments where infrastructure concerns are mitigated through home charging options and where technology appreciation is high, EV adoption can exceed even optimistic projections.
Passion, Not Policy
Brar emphasized that luxury EV adoption is driven by consumer desire rather than government incentives. “EV penetration in luxury vehicles driven by passion, not policy,” he stated, suggesting that affluent buyers are choosing electric vehicles for their inherent appeal rather than cost considerations or subsidy benefits.
This observation distinguishes the luxury segment from mass-market segments where government support and total cost of ownership calculations play more significant roles in purchase decisions.
Addressing buyer concerns about electric vehicle resale values, Brar highlighted BMW’s assured residual value program as a critical sales enabler. “Giving assured residual value on EVs helps luxury sales. The reason why EV penetration is higher in the luxury segment compared to the mass market,” he stated.
“Assured residual value helps the luxury segment,” Brar added, indicating that financial guarantees can overcome hesitation about the unknown depreciation patterns of electric vehicles, particularly for vehicles with higher acquisition costs.
This strategy effectively transfers residual value risk from consumers to manufacturers, providing buyers with confidence while manufacturers benefit from controlled remarketing channels for their used EVs.
While BMW’s success in the luxury segment is noteworthy, Brar’s emphasis on infrastructure challenges highlights the disparity between premium and mass-market EV adoption. Luxury buyers can typically install home charging solutions and have access to premium charging networks, advantages not available to all mass-market buyers.
The luxury segment’s combined volumes remain small compared to the overall market, but penetration rates significantly exceed mass-market segments. The luxury segment’s success formula—combining product desirability, technological sophistication, assured residual values, and accessible charging infrastructure—provides a roadmap for mass-market adoption, though replicating this model at scale presents significant challenges.
Infrastructure inadequacy serves as a call to action for both public and private sector investment in charging networks. Without addressing this fundamental constraint, India’s ambitious EV penetration targets for 2030 may remain out of reach, regardless of product improvements or policy support.
The contrast between luxury segment success and infrastructure concerns underscores that India’s EV transition is occurring at multiple speeds, with affluent urban buyers already embracing electric mobility while broader adoption awaits more comprehensive infrastructure development