Delhi govt to extend EV incentives till March

In a related development, the Delhi government has almost finalised a new EV policy,the Delhi EV policy 2.0

The Delhi government has decided to extend its electric vehicles (EV) policy for another three months after it expires on December 31, officials familiar with the development said on Wednesday.

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The policy will be extended until the end of March 2024 after the cabinet approves the extension, they added.

In a related development, the Delhi government has almost finalised a new EV policy,the Delhi EV policy 2.0, though it is not yet decided when it will come into effect, said officials.

The Delhi government unveiled the EV policy to fight high pollution levels by cutting vehicular emissions. The policy offers buyers subsidies, exempts them from paying registration fees and road tax, and promotes the installation of charging stations. The government intends to make 25% of all new vehicles registered in Delhi electric by 2025.

“We will ask the Cabinet to extend the existing EV policy for the next three months. I have asked the transport department to place a file before the Cabinet seeking the policy’s extension,” said transport minister Kailash Gahlot.

Under the EV policy, two-wheelers get a subsidy of ₹5,000 per kWh of battery capacity (maximum ₹30,000). Three-wheelers get a subsidy of ₹30,000 per vehicle, irrespective of total cost and battery capacity. The subsidy for four-wheelers is not applicable anymore as it was offered only for the first 1,000 EVs that were registered under the scheme. The government had allowed four-wheelers a subsidy of ₹10,000 per kWh battery capacity, subject to a maximum of ₹1.5 lakh.

While the government says the policy has catalysed EV sales, data for how many people received EV incentives was not immediately available.

According to data on the Vahan database, 170,761 EVs have been sold in Delhi between 2020 and December 27 of this year. Currently, Delhi has more than 4,500 charging points and 250 battery swapping stations, many under the public-private partnership model.