India's electric vehicle charging landscape is experiencing a structural split between usage frequency and energy consumption, according to findings from the 'State of Charge: Exclusive EV Data Report 2026' published by Bolt.Earth on Wednesday.
Based on internal operational telemetry across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Kochi covering FY24-25 through FY26-27 year-to-date, two-wheelers accounted for 78.1% of all charging sessions in FY26-27 YTD, up from 71.6% in FY24-25. Conversely, four-wheelers represented only 16% of total plug-in sessions during the same period, but accounted for 67.3% of total grid energy dispensed, climbing from 58.1% in FY24-25.
EV Charging Peak Times: Why Sessions and Power Demand Don't Align
The data highlights a significant operational divergence in daily grid strain. Peak charging session frequency occurs at 6:00 PM, largely driven by two-wheeler commuters plugging in post-transit. However, peak energy demand does not materialise until 9:00 PM, creating a three-hour time lag that impacts utility load curves, local distribution transformer capacity, and time-of-day tariff formulations.
Commenting on the report, Nithin TS, Head of Marketing, Bolt.Earth, said, "India's EV story is often told through sales numbers, but charging data shows how vehicles are actually used. Two-wheelers need broad, repeatable, reachable access because they generate the bulk of charging visits. Four-wheelers need substantially greater energy capacity per visit, which is really an argument for faster, higher-capacity infrastructure in the right locations."
Which Indian Cities Have the Highest EV Charging Demand
Geographically, Bengaluru maintained the highest utilization among metropolitan areas, logging 1,90,954 charging sessions and consuming 5,26,990 kWh of power. Hyderabad and Kochi recorded the fastest rate of metro network growth, whereas Delhi-NCR and Mumbai registered underutilization relative to network scale.
Beyond metropolitan centers, non-metro tier-2 and tier-3 markets, led by Vijayawada, Rajamahendravaram, and Thiruvananthapuram, demonstrated the sharpest year-on-year demand expansion.
DC Fast Chargers vs AC Chargers: Speed Versus Customer Retention
The report also analyzed the commercial performance of charging speeds. DC fast chargers reduced average four-wheeler dwell times to 26.5 minutes, compared to 194.3 minutes on standard AC chargers. Despite the convenience advantage of DC equipment, AC chargers demonstrated superior customer retention, with users returning within a 90-day window at a higher frequency.
EV Charging's Carbon Emissions Impact in India
On emissions, modelled estimates from delivered power across the six surveyed metros indicated approximately 473 tonnes of net CO2 emissions avoided in FY25-26, bringing cumulative avoided emissions across the measured periods to over 1,100 tonnes.