Government electric vehicle scheme for doorstep delivery services

The Delhi government is looking to launch an electric vehicle (EV) scheme for the industry that engages in app-based doorstep delivery of goods and services.

The government’s Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDCD) said on Tuesday that the scheme, in all likelihood, will be based on offering incentives to delivery companies to shift to electric vehicles.

“From groceries to food and from clothes to household items – everything is getting delivered at people’s doorstep. Tapping into this delivery sector in Delhi and making them shift to the electric vehicle segment could be a game changer in green mobility and curbing air pollution. We have had several meetings in this regard, and the stakeholders are positive about the move,” said Jasmine Shah, vice-chairperson of Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi.

The incentives, if approved, are likely to be a part of the upcoming Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy, 2018. The draft of the policy was made public in November last year and it awaits an approval from the Cabinet. Shah said the policy is in the final stages and that the comments received from public, including organisations such as the United Nations, are currently under consideration.

To ideate more such policies and schemes, the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi, Delhi government’s policy think tank, on Tuesday collaborated with non-profit group Rocky Mountain Institute. “Under the initiative, innovative ideas will be invited from stakeholders on four broad categories — electric mobility, non-motorised transport, shared mobility and last mile connectivity — for conceiving and piloting sustainable solutions to overcome local problems in Delhi,” Shah said.

The 10 best ideas will be shortlisted and discussed at an ‘urban mobility lab’ to be hosted on June 26-27, Shah said.

“The workable ideas will finally be piloted on ground. The urban mobility lab hopefully will become a platform for turning our flagship policies, such as electric vehicle policy of Delhi, into projects on the ground,” he said.