Chandigarh’s policy pangs: Electric vehicle policy stuck in the slow lane
Four years after the Chandigarh administration took on the ambitious task of completely switching to electric vehicles by 2030 after making them mainstream in the city, it is still busy tying up the loose ends of the policy in this regard
Having formulated the Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy to make eco-friendly vehicles more popular and mainstream in the city, the Chandigarh administration has been going around in circles when it comes to implementing it.
Key to moving the city from fossil fuel-based transport options to more environmentally friendly ones by offering perks, exemptions and infrastructure, the EV policy remained in the works since 2018.
Nearly four years later, a draft was notified in February this year, and the final policy was to be notified and made effective from April 1.
But the administration realised additional frameworks were needed for its implementation, delaying the policy once again.
From transport dept to CREST
After the UT transport department was first given the responsibility to conceptualise the EV Policy, it had come up with a number of drafts in 2019 and 2020.
The drafts proposed waiver of the registration fee, road tax and 50% parking charges for all EVs, besides immediate online registration of private and commercial EVs, and parking reservation.
To limit the use of conventional vehicles — petrol, diesel and CNG — a number of charges/cess were considered, such as pollution cess, air quality parking surcharge and congestion fee.
Ambitious targets were also set, such as an all-electric fleet of government vehicles by 2025; public buses by 2027; and rickshaws, cabs, school and corporate vehicles by 2030, before banning all but electric vehicles after 2030.
But even after readying successive drafts, the administration didn’t move ahead with them and instead, transferred the ideation to the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST) in mid-2021.
CREST’s job was primarily focused on the development of the incentive mechanism within the policy and the targets to be achieved, with their timelines.
In February 2022, the administration finally approved the draft prepared by CREST and was set to make the policy operational from April 1.
But after a review of the draft in March, it realised that it in addition to the policy framework, its implementation and detailed rules also needed to be in place before it was notified.
The administration also decided to introduce detailed standard operating procedures and guidelines with the EV policy’s implementation. Though it aimed to prepare these rules in a month, even after the period lapsed, the policy has yet to be made operational.
How the policy will help
The adoption of EVs contributes to a wide range of sustainability goals, including better air quality, reduced noise pollution, enhanced energy security and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, among others.
With vehicular pollution being a growing source of air pollution in Chandigarh and contributing substantially to particulate pollution in city, rapid adoption of zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles is essential.
The slow uptake of EVs and the changing policy, technology and market landscape have created a need for the Chandigarh administration to draft its EV Policy in order to accelerate EV adoption in the UT.
EVs’ status in city
Registrations of EVs saw a whopping 3,700% rise between 2017 and 2021. From just 27 EVs registered with the Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA), Chandigarh, in 2017, the number went up to 1,021 in 2021.
However, the overall footprint of these eco-friendly mobility options is still negligible in comparison to fossil fuel-based vehicles in the city.
At 2,908, the total number of EVs registered between 2017 and 2021 are just a fraction of more than 12 lakh internal combustion (IC) vehicles registered in the same period in Chandigarh, which is known to have the highest per capita vehicle ownership in the country.
Key features of 2022 draft
Apart from exempting electric vehicles (EVs) from road tax, the draft incentivises adoption of all types of EVs. Special early bird incentive will be given to vehicles bought and registered in the first year of the policy period.
Public charging infrastructure will be set up in every sector. The aim is to install 100 charging stations in Chandigarh within the first two years. EV startups are to be encouraged through monetary incentives.
Skill enhancement centres will be set up and short-term courses on electric mobility, EV supply equipment, and battery manufacture and maintenance will be offered in public and private educational institutions. Reuse of EV batteries and setting up of recycling businesses will be encouraged. Disposal of EV batteries in trash/landfills will be strictly prohibited.
What they say
We have finalised the policy after incorporating all suggestions. It will be notified soon. We are working on the public charging stations now.
Debendra Dalai, secretary, science and technology, UT, and CEO, CREST
The policy is the need of the hour to create a robust electric vehicle ecosystem comprising consumers, manufacturers and recycle industry.
Nitin Mehan, general secretary, Federation of Chandigarh Region Automobile Dealers
