Delhi Cabinet approves electric vehicle policy to tackle pollution

NEW DELHI : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government on Monday approved a policy on electric vehicles (EVs) with a focus on two-wheelers, shared transport vehicles, and commercial vehicles to lead the change to electric mobility, at a time when the state is grappling with severe levels of pollution.

“Pollution levels are very high in Delhi and vehicles contribute a lot to that. We had circulated the first draft in November 2018. After several rounds of discussions, this policy has been made. By 2024, we want that 25% of the vehicles to be electric vehicles. The aim is to reduce air pollution and create large scale jobs. The emphasis is on two-wheelers and public transport because they operate more," chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said at a news conference after a meeting of the state cabinet.

The policy will be valid for three years from the date of notification.

“Electric two-wheelers are less than 0.2% (of annual sales) and three-wheelers are close to zero today. We hope that next year there will be 35,000 e-vehicles and 250 charging stations. In five years, we hope that 5 lakh electric vehicles will be registered," he said.

The AAP government aims to take steps to support the creation of jobs in driving, selling, financing, servicing and charging EVs.

All new home and workplace parking spaces will have to be ‘EV-ready’ with 20% of the parking being EV-enabled, Kejriwal said. The Delhi government will give 100% subsidy for the purchase of charging equipment up to ₹6,000 per charging point for the first 30,000 charging points at homes and workplaces. This will be routed through power distribution companies responsible for charger installations.

There will be incentives for electric two-wheelers and three wheelers such as auto rickshaws and e-rickshaws, as well as four-wheeler purchases. An incentive of ₹5,000 per kWh of battery capacity will be given for two-wheelers. “For an average e-two wheeler with 2kWh battery, the applicable incentive would be approximately ₹10,000 compared to the ₹5,500 being offered by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee as subsidy for battery electric vehicles," the government said. Besides, scrapping incentive of up to ₹5,000 will be given subject to evidence of matching contribution from the dealer or original equipment manufacturer.