Quick Highlights:
- Kia India partners with BPCL to expand its public EV charging network to 15,000+ touchpoints.
- Over 3,000 BPCL charging stations will be integrated into the K-Charge platform.
- The expansion aims to reduce range anxiety and support EV adoption across highways and cities.
- The move aligns with Kia’s growing EV portfolio, including the Carens Clavis EV, EV6, and EV9.
Kia and BPCL Join Forces to Expand EV Charging
Kia India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to significantly expand access to public electric vehicle charging across the country.
The agreement, formalized during India Energy Week 2026 in Goa, will integrate more than 3,000 BPCL charging stations into Kia’s K-Charge ecosystem, increasing the total network to over 15,000 charging touchpoints nationwide.
From my perspective, partnerships like this are becoming essential in India’s EV transition. Infrastructure, more than vehicle technology, often determines how quickly adoption accelerates.
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Addressing Range Anxiety and Improving Accessibility
One of the primary goals of the partnership is to tackle range anxiety, still widely considered a major barrier to EV adoption in India.
Atul Sood, Senior Vice President – Sales & Marketing at Kia India, emphasized the importance of convenience and reliability in encouraging more consumers to switch to electric vehicles. By expanding charging access across urban centers, highways, and inter-city routes, Kia aims to make long-distance EV travel more practical.
In my view, the focus on highways is particularly important, since intercity travel remains one of the biggest psychological hurdles for prospective EV buyers.
How the K-Charge Platform Works
Kia’s K-Charge platform, accessible via the MyKia App and the Kia India website, offers a unified digital interface that allows users to:
- Locate charging stations
- Navigate to charging points
- Process payments seamlessly
The integration of BPCL’s network is expected to enhance both coverage and user convenience, making public charging easier to find and use.
Supporting a Growing Electric Vehicle Lineup
The charging network expansion coincides with Kia India’s broader EV strategy. The company recently introduced the Carens Clavis EV, notable as Kia’s first electric vehicle manufactured in India and one of the few 7-seater EVs in the market.
Kia’s EV6 and flagship EV9 are also available in India, strengthening its presence across premium electric segments.
I find it interesting that automakers are increasingly synchronizing vehicle launches with infrastructure partnerships—this coordinated approach tends to inspire more buyer confidence.
Manufacturing and Market Presence in India
Kia India operates a manufacturing facility in Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, with an installed annual production capacity of 300,000 units.
Key operational milestones include:
- Approximately 1.5 million vehicle dispatches from the plant
- Over 1.3 million domestic sales
- More than 367,000 exports
The company also maintains 841 touchpoints across 376 cities and has over 500,000 connected cars on Indian roads.
A Strategic Push Toward Electric Mobility
The partnership with BPCL reflects Kia India’s broader strategy to support sustainable mobility and accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in the country.
Looking at the pace of announcements across the industry, I think collaborations between automakers and energy companies will play a decisive role in shaping India’s EV ecosystem over the next few years. Expanding charging access at scale is not just a convenience feature—it’s becoming the foundation of the entire electric mobility transition.
