Hyderabad: Telangana’s electric vehicle journey has moved beyond the early adoption phase and into a more challenging stage. After years of steady growth driven by incentives and policy support, experts say the state’s ability to sustain momentum will now depend on addressing deeper issues ranging from charging infrastructure and grid readiness to policy certainty and local manufacturing.EVs accounted for 4.9% of new vehicle registrations in Telangana in 2025-26, a good jump from just 0.1% in 2018-19. The growth has been fuelled by tax incentives, supportive regulations, expanding charging infrastructure and increasing consumer acceptance.However, experts caution that maintaining this trajectory will require a much stronger ecosystem.One of the biggest concerns is policy continuity. Telangana’s 100% exemption on road tax and registration fees for EVs is set to expire in Dec this year. Industry stakeholders say clarity on the state’s post-2026 EV policy is crucial to sustain consumer confidence and attract fresh investments into the sector.While charging infrastructure has expanded rapidly, it remains heavily concentrated in Hyderabad. Several rural regions and highway corridors continue to have limited access to charging facilities. Achieving the state’s target of 6,000 charging and battery-swapping stations by 2030 will require substantial investment from both the government and private players.According to Professor Rajkiran V Bilolikar, professor and centre director, CES-ASCI, Telangana has already overcome the toughest phase of EV adoption. The next step is to build the systems needed to support long-term growth.The focus, he said, should now be on strengthening charging infrastructure, improving grid readiness, ensuring policy stability and creating a robust EV manufacturing ecosystem within the state.“Sustaining momentum in the EV transition will require a stronger manufacturing ecosystem in the state across vehicles and components, along with more robust supply side policy support that extends beyond demand incentives alone,” said Prof Amartya Awasthi, assistant professor, CES-ASCI.Experts also warn against measuring progress solely by the number of charging stations. Since most electric two-wheeler and three-wheeler users charge their vehicles at home or at workplaces, future infrastructure deployment should be guided by actual demand and usage patterns rather than capacity addition alone.Grid preparedness is emerging as another critical challenge as EV penetration increases. A stronger electricity network capable of handling rising charging demand will be essential if Telangana is to sustain its transition towards cleaner mobility and achieve its long-term EV ambitions, experts say.