Charging built for electric buses and trucks

Where this actually stands

Nothing here is operating yet. Arka Ampere is building this business now, with first sites targeted for April 2027. We have no charging stations live, and this page names no locations, capacities or partners, because there are none to name. What we do have is a clear view of the problem and an unusual way to solve it — and we are looking for fleet operators to build the first sites around.

Built for cars. Useless for a bus.

India's public charging network has grown fast, but it solves a different problem from the one a fleet operator has.

• ~73% — of India’s chargers are rated below 30 kW. Of 67,657 charge points as of August 2026 — nowhere near what a bus or truck needs.
• 1–5% — typical utilisation at public charge points. SBI puts it at 1–3%, S&P Global at around 5%. Sites sit idle while the meter runs.
• up to 4 MW — of sanctioned load a 90-bus depot can need. Far beyond what a roadside charge point is built to deliver — this is grid-scale planning.
• The vehicles come back to the same yard every night — utilisation is designed in, not hoped for.
• Charging happens across an 8–10 hour layover, so you can use steadier, cheaper power instead of paying for brute speed.
• The load is big and predictable: a depot of around 90 electric buses can need up to 4 MW of sanctioned load.
• You know the routes, so you know the energy. The whole thing can be sized properly instead of guessed at.

We build the solar that powers the charger

Electricity is not a line item in electric trucking — it is the business. Research by RMI puts electricity at 30–50% of an electric truck’s total cost of ownership over seven years. So the operator with the cheapest clean power wins, and that is a solar problem before it is a charging problem.

Arka Ampere already builds, finances and owns solar plants for industrial customers. Bringing that to a depot is the same job with a different load attached — which is why we can approach fleet charging from a cost position a pure charging operator cannot reach.

• Captive solar instead of retail grid: Power generated on your own site costs materially less than commercial grid supply. On a depot that charges every night of the year, that difference compounds into the single biggest lever on your cost per kilometre.
• A meaningful share of the year covered: A well-designed depot solar system can offset roughly 40–70% of annual charging energy and blunt the demand-charge spikes that make fleet energy budgets unpredictable.
• Open access where on-site space runs out: Where a depot carries more load than its roof can serve, open-access power purchase agreements scale further. RMI models them as the most practical near-term route to cheaper delivered electricity for fleets.
• Zero-investment, same as our solar: We intend to offer depot charging on the model we already run for solar: we build and own the infrastructure, you pay for what you use.

Fleets that come home at night

• Electric bus operators: Private operators run about 93% of India’s buses and sit largely outside the national schemes written for state transport undertakings. Depot charging is the piece nobody is selling them.
• Electric truck & logistics fleets: Electric trucks in India today carry 60–540 kWh batteries with 100–300 km of range — which makes the depot, not the highway, where most of the energy has to go in.
• Staff, school & corporate transport: Fixed routes, fixed timings, overnight parking. Among the cleanest fits for depot charging there is.
• Depot & site owners: If you have the yard and the grid connection but not the capital or the appetite to run charging infrastructure, that is precisely the gap we intend to fill.

What charging a commercial fleet actually takes

• Depot / overnight charging: 50–150 kW per vehicle across an 8–10 hour layover
• Opportunity charging: 30–50 kW top-ups during short mid-route breaks
• Highway / en-route (Ministry of Power): A minimum of 120 kW per charging gun
• Heavy-duty en-route (BIS Level 4): 250–500 kW, suited to long-haul electric trucks
• Connector standard in India: CCS2 dominates DC fast charging
• Emerging heavy-duty standard: MCS, up to 3.75 MW — IEC TS 63379 published February 2026

The rules are moving your way

Charging a commercial fleet has never been better supported in India than it is now. These are public schemes, and where they apply to your depot we will help you claim them.

• Tamil Nadu EV Policy 2023 — 100% exemption from electricity tax for five years — on board supply and on captive generation alike.
• Tamil Nadu EV Policy 2023 — Demand charges reduced 75% for the first two years, then 50% for the next two.
• Tamil Nadu EV Policy 2023 — Energy charges cut 50% between 8 AM and 4 PM — which is exactly when solar generates.
• Tamil Nadu EV Policy 2023 — 25% subsidy on charging equipment for stations meeting central guidelines.
• PM E-DRIVE (Ministry of Heavy Industries) — ₹10,900 crore scheme, with ₹2,000 crore earmarked for charging infrastructure.
• PM E-DRIVE (Ministry of Heavy Industries) — 70–80% support for the electrical systems behind charging stations at highways and transport hubs.
• PM E-DRIVE (Ministry of Heavy Industries) — India's first dedicated electric-truck incentive, up to ₹9.6 lakh for N3 category vehicles.
• PM E-DRIVE (Ministry of Heavy Industries) — Incentives for e-trucks, e-buses and e-ambulances extended to 31 March 2028.
• PM-eBus Sewa — 10,000 electric buses sanctioned across 116 cities, at a total scheme cost of ₹57,613 crore.
• PM-eBus Sewa — First city operations began in February 2026 — the vehicles are arriving now.
• PM-eBus Sewa — Operated on a gross-cost-contract model, which puts depot energy cost squarely on the operator.

Build the first sites with us

We would rather design the first depots around real fleets than build speculative capacity and hope. Operators who come in early become founding fleet partners: a long-term collaboration, with special pricing for members.

We are deliberately not publishing tariffs, fees or tiers, because the sites do not exist yet and inventing numbers would be dishonest. What we can say is that the earliest partners will shape where we build, and will be priced accordingly.

• A long-term commercial relationship rather than a per-session transaction
• Special pricing for members
• Priority in siting — we build where our founding partners actually run
• Depot solar and charging designed together, as one system

The road to April 2027

• Now: Talking to fleets — Understanding routes, depots, timings and load, so the first sites are designed around real operations.
• Next: Site selection & design — Choosing depots with our founding partners, sizing solar and charging together, and starting grid discussions.
• Then: Build — Solar, charging infrastructure and connections at the first depots, with the approvals and subsidies that go with them.
• April 2027: First sites live — Targeted commissioning of the first Arka Ampere depot charging sites.

Frequently asked questions

How much power does an electric bus depot need?

It depends on fleet size and how long the vehicles are parked. Depot charging typically runs 50–150 kW per vehicle across an 8–10 hour overnight layover, and a depot of around 90 electric buses can require up to 4 MW of sanctioned load. Sizing this properly — rather than over-buying capacity — is a large part of the job.

Why not just use public charging stations?

Because they were built for cars. Around 73% of India’s 67,657 charge points as of August 2026 are rated below 30 kW, which is far short of what a bus or truck needs. Public sites also run at 1–5% utilisation on expensive grid power, and that overhead reaches you in the tariff. A depot you return to every night is both cheaper and more reliable.

What actually drives the running cost of an electric truck?

Electricity, more than anything else. RMI research puts it at 30–50% of an electric truck’s total cost of ownership over seven years. Vehicle price gets the attention, but over a seven-year life the price you pay per unit of energy is what decides whether the fleet works financially.

How does solar make depot charging cheaper?

A depot has roof and yard area, and it consumes a large, predictable amount of energy. Power generated on site costs materially less than commercial grid supply, can offset roughly 40–70% of annual charging energy, and reduces the demand-charge spikes that make fleet energy budgets unpredictable. In Tamil Nadu it stacks further: energy charges are cut 50% between 8 AM and 4 PM, precisely the solar window.

What is CCS2, and what is MCS?

CCS2 is the connector standard that dominates DC fast charging in India and is what current electric buses and trucks use. MCS — the Megawatt Charging System, standardised as IEC TS 63379 in February 2026 — is the emerging heavy-duty standard, rated up to 3.75 MW for long-haul trucks. We are designing for CCS2 now with an eye on MCS as it arrives in India.

What subsidies can a fleet or depot claim?

Under PM E-DRIVE, ₹2,000 crore is earmarked for charging infrastructure, with 70–80% support for the electrical systems behind stations at highways and transport hubs, plus e-truck incentives up to ₹9.6 lakh for N3 vehicles, extended to 31 March 2028. In Tamil Nadu, the 2023 EV Policy adds a five-year electricity tax exemption, reduced demand and energy charges, and a 25% subsidy on charging equipment. We help our partners work out what applies to them.

When will Arka Ampere charging actually be available?

We are targeting April 2027 for the first sites. Nothing is operating today, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. Right now we are selecting depots with founding fleet partners.

What does founding fleet partner membership include?

A long-term collaboration with special pricing for members, priority in where we build, and depot solar and charging designed as a single system. We are not publishing tariffs or fees yet, because the first sites are still being designed and any number we printed today would be invented.

Do I need to own the depot?

No. We work with fleet operators, depot owners and site owners. If you run vehicles but lease the yard, tell us — it affects the design and the agreement, not whether we can help.

Do you cover states outside Tamil Nadu?

Yes. We are registered in Erode and work across India. Tamil Nadu policy is called out on this page because it is currently among the most favourable for depot charging, not because it is a limit on where we operate.