Delhi’s electric vehicle policy to include e-commerce companies

The draft policy, which is likely to be placed before the Delhi cabinet soon, also plans to allow e-bike services in Delhi and remove regulatory obstacles.

The Delhi electric vehicle policy will focus on covering the urban freight sector, which largely includes e-commerce companies and private courier operators and depend on bikers who ensure doorstep delivery, senior government officials said on Friday.

Some aggregator companies have already started to provide this service in satellite towns such as Ghaziabad and Gurugram. (Pradeep Gaur/ Mint)

The draft policy, which is likely to be placed before the Delhi cabinet soon, also plans to allow e-bike services in Delhi and remove regulatory obstacles.

Some aggregator companies have already started to provide this service in satellite towns such as Ghaziabad and Gurugram.

“The Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) has recommended that the policy should focus on coverage of the urban freight sector, which includes e-commerce companies such as Amazon, Myntra, etc., and courier operators, which essentially use transport for doorstep delivery. The government has agreed to the proposals,” said a senior government official.

The official further said, “The policy also aims to remove regulatory hurdles that may prevent e-commerce companies from adopting electric vehicles for ensuring doorstep delivery .”

The draft policy, which was first made public in November, 2018, envisages that by 2025, around one-fourth of all vehicle registrations in Delhi should be of e-vehicles.

Earlier this month, the DDC, an advisory body to the Delhi government, had organised a workshop on the policy, which was attended by a few global transport sector agencies, the official said.

“The policy will provide both financial and non-financial incentives to companies that sign up to it. Non-financial incentives would be like making roads more accessible and making available parking spaces for registered electronic vehicles of companies in the freight sector operating within Delhi,” the senior official said.