Delhi’s EV Policy draft in final stage of consultations

Officials said that the draft has been reworked with significant additions, particularly a detailed framework for recycling and scientific disposal of EV batteries, an aspect that had no clear provisions in the previous policy

New Delhi

The government will coordinate closely with discoms to ensure adequate power capacity and grid upgrades. (HT Archive)

Large-scale charging infrastructure, battery recycling and last-mile mobility options form the cornerstone of Delhi’s revised Electric Vehicle Policy draft, officials aware of the matter said, following a review meet held by chief minister Rekha Gupta with transport minister Pankaj Singh and urban development minister Ashish Sood on Friday.

Officials said that the draft has been reworked with significant additions, particularly a detailed framework for recycling and scientific disposal of EV batteries, an aspect that had no clear provisions in the previous policy.

“An EV battery has a life of around eight years and the city needs a full chain of recycling facilities. A detailed plan for handling, replacement and disposal is part of the new draft,” a transport department official said.

The department has proposed facilitating at least 5,000 public charging stations by 2030, each equipped with four to five charging points. Officials said the step is essential to support the rapid growth of EVs and to assess the functionality of sites identified earlier. Of the 200 charging locations earmarked by the previous government, 100 were tendered and installation was completed at 75.

“We also need a larger presence of charging points in residential areas,” a second official said.

The Group of Ministers (GoM), which attended the review meeting, is expected to hold another round of consultation to finalise the draft before it is placed in public domain for feedback, later this month.

Delhi’s 2020 EV Policy expired in August 2023 and has since been operating on extensions while the successor document undergoes revisions. The freshly updated draft will be released for public suggestions once the stakeholder engagements are complete.

To enable this expansion, the government will coordinate closely with discoms to ensure adequate power capacity and grid upgrades. Another proposal under consideration is the introduction of small EV vans—similar to the Gramin Sewa model—for last-mile connectivity in narrower city lanes. For this, modifications to commercial permit norms will be required, an official said.

The draft also proposes steps to regulate Delhi’s unstructured e-rickshaw ecosystem, including rationalising their numbers, and mandating routes based on demand and traffic flow.

On the financial front, the policy suggests setting up a dedicated EV Fund to streamline subsidy disbursal, which, officials said, will continue with reduced emphasis.