The Delhi Transport Department and Delhi Electric Vehicle Cell have begun the process of drafting a revised Delhi EV Policy 2.0 with stakeholder consultation.
The consultation process has brought together more than 220 Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), businesses, industry players, think tanks and government departments, to share insights and recommendations on strengthening the policy measures for greater e-mobility penetration in the city.
The event was organized in partnership with Climate Trends and RMI India Foundation, in the presence of the Minister of Transport, Kailash Gahlot; Ashish Kundra, Principal Secretary & Transport Commissioner; Gopal Mohan, Advisor to CM & Member, DDC; N Mohan, CEO, Delhi Electric Vehicle Cell and Shilpa Shinde, Special Commissioner for the Transport department, the government of NCT of Delhi.
Aarti Khosla, Director, Climate Trends said that “Delhi’s EV penetration across all vehicle segments in private and commercial sectors is a classic example of what can be achieved through effective policy implementation, and by adopting a collaborative and consultative approach. The city has a very active and involved group of EV stakeholders across industry, think tanks, research institutes and civil society organizations. We hope that the revised EV policy will place Delhi on the global map as one of the most progressive e-mobility cities in the world.”
N Mohan said, “Last year, Delhi averaged 10 percent EVs among total vehicle sales, with December 2022 witnessing the highest penetration so far at 17 percent, which is also the highest in India. The city now has more than 4,300 charging points and 256 battery-swapping stations across more than 2,500 locations. A key measure of the successful implementation of the policy is the disbursement of subsidies amounting to Rs 167 crore.”
Since the transition towards CNG vehicles took place in Delhi, this is the next vehicular transition at scale in the national capital. The government functionaries claimed that designing state policies and incentives in tandem with the central government’s FAME and PLI schemes was a successful model and further aims to reduce price parity between the traditional ICE vehicles and EVs.
Kailash Gahlot, Minister of Transport of Delhi said, “I can say with confidence that Delhi’s EV policy is the most progressive among all states in India. Its success is shared by all stakeholders, including Delhi’s citizens who adopted this new technology. We have always focused on inclusion, incentivization and innovation, and collaboration is a guiding principle we abide by to ensure success.”
With the Delhi EV policy 2.0, the government aims to bring greater focus on the electrification of government fleets, commercial and delivery fleets and buses, along with building the overall ecosystem through battery recycling and managed charging.
Ashisk Kundra said, “We have set into motion the process of achieving 80 percent electrification of our bus fleet by 2025. In the second phase of the EV policy, we want to hear from stakeholders on how to accelerate EV penetration in fleet aggregators, last-mile and food-delivery companies, achieve the highest penetration in two-wheelers and enable sustainable finance from around the world.”
It was around August 2020 that the Delhi government introduced a robust electric vehicle policy, which it says has so far achieved around 86 percent of its measures and targets according to the state transport department.
By 2024, it aims to ensure that 25 percent of all new registered vehicles in the city are electric.