Mangaluru EV users report frequent charger outages at fuel stations as dealers cite low financial incentive

Electric vehicle users in Mangaluru, India, are regularly encountering non-functional or unavailable charging stations at fuel outlets, particularly those installed by oil marketing companies under government initiatives. Petroleum dealers report little financial incentive to operate the chargers, as most revenue flows to OMCs while dealers bear operational expenses including electricity connections and, in some cases, transformer installation costs; reimbursement for electricity can take months, tying up working capital. Some chargers also become unavailable during power outages, especially in rural areas, yet continue to show as available on mobile apps.

Why it matters: The operational model at fuel station sites in India may deter reliable uptime if dealers lack revenue share or timely cost recovery, a risk for CPOs partnering with petroleum retail networks. App based availability data that fails to reflect real time outages undermines user confidence and site utilisation, complicating demand forecasting for future rollout.