India’s EV charging ecosystem is expanding rapidly, creating demand for reliable, scalable, and locally developed charging technologies. Pune-based Nikol EV has reached another intellectual property milestone with a new patent for its 7.4 kW AC charger. Nikol EV Receives Second Design Patent as the startup looks to strengthen its product portfolio and deepen its presence across India’s electric mobility market.
The latest patent follows its earlier protection for a 14 kW AC hybrid EV charger and highlights the company’s growing focus on charger design, engineering, and infrastructure. Nikol EV is also expanding its charging network across multiple Indian states.
What Is Nikol EV’s Second Design Patent?
Nikol EV has secured its second design patent in India for a 7.4 kW AC EV charger in October 2026. The charger is positioned for applications including residential communities, commercial properties, and individual EV owners.
The new patent follows Nikol EV’s first design patent, granted in March 2025, for a 14 kW AC hybrid EV charger.
Key highlights at a glance
- Company: Nikol Automotive Private Limited, operating as Nikol EV
- Founded: 2021
- Location: Pune, Maharashtra
- Latest patent: 7.4 kW AC EV Charger
- Patent milestone: Second design patent
- Earlier patent: 14 kW AC Hybrid EV Charger
- Charging network: More than 3,000 charging stations
- Geographic presence: More than 20 Indian states
- Expansion plan: 1,000 additional public charging stations under an MoU with Tata Motors
- Target states for expansion: Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Goa
Nikol EV Receives Second Design Patent for 7.4 kW AC Charger
Nikol EV Receives Second Design Patent for its 7.4 kW AC EV Charger, strengthening the company’s intellectual property portfolio as it seeks to scale its role in India’s growing EV charging industry.
The design patent adds another technology asset to the Pune-based EV charging company’s portfolio and underlines its focus on developing products for different charging environments.
Unlike charging infrastructure designed only for large commercial or highway applications, the 7.4 kW AC charger is aimed at use cases that can include homes, residential societies, offices, and other commercial properties.
Such charging solutions could become increasingly important as private and semi-public charging demand grows alongside electric vehicle adoption.
Two EV Charger Patents Target Different Market Needs
Nikol EV’s two design patents relate to chargers designed around different requirements within the electric mobility ecosystem.
1. 14 kW AC Hybrid EV Charger — First Design Patent
Nikol EV received its first design patent in March 2025 for its 14 kW AC hybrid EV charger.
Registered under Class 13-02, the charger was engineered to support multiple vehicle segments while addressing areas such as charger compatibility and maintenance.
The product reflects Nikol EV’s effort to build charging hardware that can accommodate varying EV requirements rather than relying on a single-use approach.
2. 7.4 kW AC EV Charger — Second Design Patent
The second design patent was secured in October 2026 for the company’s 7.4 kW AC EV charger.
The charger is designed around scalable deployment opportunities, particularly for:
- Residential communities
- Individual EV owners
- Office and workplace charging
- Commercial establishments
- Destination charging locations
Together, the two patented designs demonstrate Nikol EV’s strategy of developing charging products for multiple segments of India’s EV market.
Two Patents, One Larger EV Charging Strategy
Nikol EV Receives Second Design Patent at a time when the Indian EV charging sector is gradually moving beyond simply increasing the number of chargers.
Infrastructure providers are increasingly expected to address reliability, usability, compatibility, maintenance, and deployment economics along with charging speed.
For Nikol EV, the two patents represent a broader emphasis on product design and engineering.
The company says innovation is not limited to building charging hardware but also involves creating solutions that respond to the practical requirements of EV users and charging-site operators.
Its 14 kW and 7.4 kW chargers therefore address different parts of an increasingly diversified market.
Why the 7.4 kW AC EV Charger Matters
AC chargers remain particularly relevant for locations where vehicles stay parked for longer periods and ultra-fast charging is not essential.
A 7.4 kW AC charging solution can potentially fit into several everyday charging environments, including residential parking areas, workplaces, and commercial properties.
Key use cases could include:
- Home charging: Convenient overnight charging for private EV owners
- Housing societies: Shared charging infrastructure for apartment residents
- Office parking: Workplace charging during business hours
- Hotels and commercial properties: Destination charging for customers and visitors
- Urban charging networks: Distributed charging where vehicles remain parked for longer durations
This segment could play an important role in India’s charging ecosystem as EV adoption expands beyond early adopters.
Innovation Becomes Critical to India’s EV Infrastructure Growth
India’s transition towards electric mobility requires more than a large number of public charging stations.
A mature charging ecosystem will need different charging formats for different users.
These include private EV owners, apartment residents, commercial establishments, fleet operators, intercity travellers, and highway users.
Nikol EV believes the next phase of India’s charging infrastructure growth will increasingly depend on four factors:
- Technology quality
- Charging accessibility
- Infrastructure reliability
- Customer experience
For charging companies, this means expanding infrastructure while simultaneously improving the hardware, software, and operational systems supporting those chargers.
Urban, Commercial, Fleet, and Highway Charging Offer Opportunities
The growing diversity of India’s EV market is creating multiple infrastructure opportunities.
Urban EV users require convenient charging close to homes and workplaces. Commercial properties increasingly see charging as an amenity, while fleet operators need dependable infrastructure capable of supporting predictable operating schedules.
Highway charging presents another requirement altogether, with reliability, location planning, and charging speeds becoming particularly important for intercity travel.
Nikol EV sees opportunities across these areas as it seeks to broaden its presence in India’s electric mobility ecosystem.
Continued innovation in charger design, according to the company’s stated strategy, will need to work alongside larger infrastructure deployment.
What Nikol EV Founder Arjun D. Pawar Said
Commenting on the patent milestone, Nikol EV founder Arjun D Pawar said securing the second design patent reinforces the company’s belief that innovation will be an important driver of India’s electric mobility transition.
He said Nikol EV’s ambitions extend beyond developing new charging products to building charging infrastructure that is reliable, accessible, and customer-centric.
According to Pawar, the company intends to expand nationally while strengthening its technology and infrastructure capabilities.
He also positioned the patent milestones as part of Nikol EV’s longer-term ambition to establish itself as a significant player in India’s EV charging ecosystem through continued innovation, operational execution, and infrastructure development.
Nikol EV Operates Over 3,000 Charging Stations
Founded in 2021, Nikol EV operates through Nikol Automotive Private Limited and is backed by the Science & Technology Park at the University of Pune.
The company says its network has grown to more than 3,000 charging stations across over 20 Indian states.
That footprint places infrastructure deployment alongside product development as one of the company’s central growth priorities.
Its expanding network also gives Nikol EV exposure to charging requirements across different markets, vehicle categories, and customer groups.
Tata Motors MoU Targets 1,000 Additional Public Chargers
Nikol EV has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tata Motors to expand public EV charging infrastructure.
Under the planned collaboration, 1,000 new public charging stations are expected to be installed across:
- Maharashtra
- Madhya Pradesh
- Goa
The expansion could further strengthen the company’s physical charging footprint while complementing its patented charger portfolio.
The combination of infrastructure deployment and proprietary product development appears central to Nikol EV’s long-term strategy.
Building an Indian EV Charging Brand for the Long Term
India’s electric mobility market is entering a stage where charging companies will increasingly compete not simply on network size but on technology, reliability, accessibility and customer experience.
Nikol EV Receives Second Design Patent as the company attempts to combine indigenous product development with an expanding on-ground charging network.
Its two charger patents indicate an emphasis on intellectual property and engineering, while its network expansion plans point towards ambitions beyond being solely a charging equipment developer.
The broader opportunity is substantial. As electric cars, two-wheelers, commercial EVs and fleet vehicles increase in number, charging infrastructure will need to become more widely distributed and better suited to specific use cases.
What This Development Means for India’s EV Sector
Nikol EV’s latest patent is significant primarily because it demonstrates how Indian charging companies are increasingly investing in product-level innovation alongside physical infrastructure.
Three broader trends stand out:
- Domestic charger innovation is increasing: Indian companies are developing products tailored to local operating environments and usage patterns.
- Charging is becoming use-case specific: Residential, commercial, fleet and highway charging require different technical and deployment approaches.
- Intellectual property is gaining importance: Patents can become increasingly valuable as India’s EV technology ecosystem becomes more competitive.
For Nikol EV, the second design patent adds another building block to its technology portfolio as it seeks a larger role in India’s EV infrastructure growth.
The Road Ahead
Nikol EV’s latest milestone comes as India’s electric vehicle market continues expanding and charging infrastructure becomes increasingly important to mainstream EV adoption.
The company’s long-term challenge will be converting product innovation, partnerships and network expansion into consistently reliable charging experiences for EV users.
Its 7.4 kW AC charger patent, earlier 14 kW AC Hybrid Charger patent, network of more than 3,000 charging stations and proposed expansion through its Tata Motors MoU together outline an ambition to participate across both charging technology and infrastructure deployment.
As India’s charging market evolves, sustained execution, technology development and network reliability will ultimately determine how significant a role Nikol EV plays in the country’s electric mobility transition.
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