Sound Alert mandate for EVs, Charging Infra to be improved for 2026 in India

A draft notification was issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) proposing the compulsory creation of an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) in all electric passenger vehicles, goods and services vehicles, and fleet vehicles in order to improve safety. In simple words, since electric vehicles are extremely silent and quick, it is hard to notice them on the road until it’s too late, because unlike conventional vehicles with engines you might not hear them, which is a huge safety risk. To solve that problem, it’s a good idea to have a system that makes some sound and alerts the surrounding environment (pedestrians and other vehicles) that a vehicle is coming.

The system emits artificial sounds in order to alert pedestrians and road users.

According to the proposal, the rollout will take place in two stages-First, from October 1, 2026, when all new models of electric passenger cars, buses, and goods vehicles (like the Tata Ace Electric) will be fitted with AVAS. The second one, from October 1, 2027, the requirement will extend to all existing models, in the M (passenger transport vehicles such as cars and buses) and N (goods and commercial vehicles, trucks) categories.

The US, Japan, and members of the European Union have already mandated emergency sound alerts for hybrid or electric vehicles.

The other proposal, from the central government, talks about new guidelines for the expansion of public EV charging facilities. The PM E-DRIVE Scheme is providing a budget of Rs. 2000 crore, and the target is to bring 72,300 charging stations to India. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) will implement the project. Funding will happen in two stages.

Priority will be given to these-

• Cities with more than one million people
• Smart Cities and satellite towns
• State Capitals
• National and State Highways, especially the stretches with the highest density
• Key areas of transportation, for example airports, railway stations, and petrol pumps

This shows that the Government is taking initiative and is trying to adapt to electric mobility, and attacking two areas-safety, and charging infrastructure.