Delhi government extends EV policy till December 31

The Delhi government has extended its existing electric vehicle policy till December 31 this year, revealed the Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot on Saturday. The minister said that the cabinet has approved the extension of the existing Dehi EV Policy and all incentives including subsidies under it till the end of this year. This decision comes at a time when the Delhi EV Policy expired on August 8, earlier this year.

Delhi's Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot previously said that the Delhi EV Polic 2.0 would look at incentivising the retrofitting of vehicles considering its high cost. This indicated that the government is mulling the idea of promoting conversion of the conventional internal combustion engine-powered vehicles into electric vehicles. The conversion of the ICE vehicles into electric ones will eventually help in the reduction of environmental pollution through vehicular emission. However, the process is expensive and government incentives would make this affordable for interested vehicle owners who seek to convert their fossil fuel vehicles into EVs.

Gahlot has said that the Delhi EV Policy 2.0 is currently in the final stages and after the necessary approvals it will be announced soon. Speaking about the Delhi government's decision, the minister has posted on social media platform X (Previously known as Twitter) that the Delhi cabinet has approved the extension of the policy till December 31. “Delhi Cabinet led by CM @arvindkejriwal has given its approval to extend the existing Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy till 31.12.2023 or till notification of Delhi EV policy 2.0 whichever is earlier," he wrote further adding that, “All incentives including subsidy under the existing policy shall continue. Delhi EV policy 2.0 is in the final stages and after necessary approvals shall be notified soon."

The Delhi EV Policy is considered one of the most comprehensive government policies in India to promote the adoption of electric vehicles. Besides encouraging EV buyers through various subsidies and incentives, this policy also promotes the development of the electric vehicle ecosystem by offering subsidies and incentives to infrastructure developers.