With 1.28 lakh EVs added in 3 years, Kejriwal claims Delhi is India's EV capital

Delhi has become the capital of electric vehicles in India. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made this claim on Tuesday while inaugurating 42 new ultra-low-cost electric vehicle charging stations in the national capital. Kejriwal said Delhi has the highest density of electric vehicles in the country which is much higher than the national average. He added that Delhi is on track to achieve his government's target to increase share of electric vehicles to 25% of overall vehicles on road in the next two years.

The rise of electric vehicles in Delhi has seen a spike since 2020 when the Aam Aadmi Party government introduced the comprehensive Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy. It offered incentives to EV buyers in the national capital to boost the shift from conventional cars and two-wheelers. The government aimed to put as many EVs as possible on road in an attempt to curb vehicular pollution in Delhi.

According to the data shared by the government, Delhi saw around 1.28 lakh electric vehicles purchased since the government introduced its EV Policy in August, 2020. EVs currently have around 13% share among all vehicles plying on the streets of the national capital. “Our target was that by 2025, at least 25 per cent of all the new vehicles bought in Delhi should be EVs. As of now, 13 per cent of all the new vehicles that are bought in Delhi are EVs. The national average at the moment is 6 per cent," Kejriwal said.

On Tuesday, June 27, Kejriwal inaugurated 42 new ultra-low-cost electric vehicle charging stations at GTB Nagar in Delhi. The number of such EV charging stations in the city has now gone up to 53. According to the chief minister, the cost of using electric vehicles in Delhi is the minimum across India. He also said how increase in EV ownership has helped the city to reduce pollution in the last few years. He said, “Data shows that compared to 2014, the levels of PM2.5 and PM10 are lower by 30 per cent. Earlier in the year, we had several days where the AQI (Air Quality Index) was in the severe category. These were days with very high pollution levels. But now, there are hardly any such day."

Kejriwal also said that one of the key reasons behind the rise of EVs in Delhi is the rate or cost per unit. According to him, running an electric scooter in the city costs seven paise per kilometre against ₹1.75 per kilometre for an ICE counterpart. For three-wheelers, an EV costs ₹0.09 per kilometre against ₹2.6 per kilometre if ran on fossil fuel. For those who own electric cars, the running cost is about ₹0.36 per kilometre against ₹7 per kilometre for a petrol model.