Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy to be revised. What to expect

Delhi is all set to get a new Electric Vehicle Policy this year. The state government is planning to revise the existing policy which is all set to expire in August this year. The Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy was launched back in 2020 with the aim to increase EV adoption in the national capital to reduce carbon emission. The state government is expected to hold meetings with all stakeholders within the next couple of weeks before finalising the draft for a refreshed EV policy soon.

According to a Hindustan Times report, the Delhi government officials say that the old EV policy has achieved around 86 per cent of its target so far. One of the key objectives of the EV policy was to ensure at least one out of four vehicles on Delhi roads to be electric by 2024. Delhi currently has one of the highest density of electric vehicles in any cities across India with more than 10 per cent of all new vehicles registered being electric. Most of the transition from ICE to EVs has happened in the commercial segment led by three-wheelers four-wheeler cabs.

According to the report, the Delhi government is expected to include aggressive measures in the refreshed policy which will include expanding the EV infrastructure across the national capital. Despite increasing number electric vehicles in the city, the share of personal electric vehicles, cars or two-wheelers, is barely three per cent currently. The new policy will also see to it that personal EV ownership also increases in coming days. “We are going to start holding stakeholder consultations to get views from original equipment manufacturers, dealers, customers, and experts on what can be revised in the policy and how the targets can be realistically reviewed. We know that setting up private charging infrastructure needs more push," N Mohan, chief executive officer, EV cell was quoted by Hindustan Times.

The Delhi government also aims to increase share of EVs in public transport to reach 70 per cent in the two years. This would mean around 8,000 electric buses on the road by 2025. The state government is also aiming full EV transition of delivery service fleet and all government official fleet to be completed during the same period.

According to the Delhi EV cell, the city has added 4,000 EV charging points since the policy was implemented. It also has 300 electric buses in operation with another 1,500 buses to be added by the end of this year. The target of 8,000 electric buses by 2025 will help Delhi to take major step towards reducing carbon footprint and curtail vehicular pollution.