Achieved most of key EV policy targets: Delhi govt

The policy had set a target of having 25% of all new vehicles registered in Delhi to be EV by 2025, and 100% of all delivery fleet as well as government vehicles to be converted to EV in the same period

The Delhi Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy, 2020 that completed its three-year term on Monday and has been extended till new rules are formulated has achieved over 90% of its targets, transport department officials said on Tuesday.

The Delhi Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy, 2020 completed its three-year term on Monday. (REUTERS)

The policy had set a target of having 25% of all new vehicles registered in Delhi to be EV by 2025, and 100% of all delivery fleet as well as government vehicles to be converted to EV in the same period.

Elaborating on the key achievements of the previous policy, officials said that there has been over 90% disbursement of incentives and fee waivers, 85% of the targeted charging infrastructure has been set up and 75% of the targeted jobs have been created. However, just about 63% of the battery recycling ecosystem has been developed and 55% of the dedicated EV fund has been utilised.

“The Delhi government introduced an EV Cell, which focused primarily on increasing the EV infrastructure, over the last three years. Delhi also diversified from just the private sale of cars and two-wheelers and set targets for the electrification of government vehicles and bus fleets. These steps helped us a lot. We have also increased charging infrastructure by a lot, which will be further increased by a lot soon,” said a senior transport department official.

Experts, meanwhile, said that Delhi now needs to progress towards electrification of more heavy commercial fleets.

“As Delhi moves to the next phase of its EV policy, delving into challenging sectors like trucks could herald a revolutionary shift in transport electrification,” said Amit Bhatt, managing director (India), International Council of Clean Transport (ICCT).

Meanwhile, the registration of all new EVs, which was halted by the government after the expiry of the existing policy, is expected to resume from Wednesday, after the policy was extended.

“Since the formulation of the new EV policy is still under process, the subsidy benefits of the existing policy will continue till the new policy gets notified,” transport minister Kailash Gahlot posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.