Yet, with just a reported 500 electric vehicle charging stations operational across India – when the operational necessity has been pegged at 2,600 – the true scale of the challenge before Tesla, and indeed other EV automakers, comes into view. The government has unveiled grand plans to install as many as 69,000 charging kiosks at petrol pumps across the country but given the pace at which EV infrastructure development has taken place in recent years, achieving such a goal is still some distance away.
Tesla will also come to find that the characteristics of the Indian consumer do not necessarily facilitate a full-blooded appreciation of electric vehicles. The company is likely to make its foray into India with its Model 3 and although pricing details are yet to be revealed, one can safely say that its cost will be prohibitive to the average Indian with a, reported, per capita income of Rs 5.6 lakh – almost 31 per cent lower than that of China s.