Delhi Government EV policy 2.0 delays: Will existing EV policy get extension?

The Delhi government is thinking of further extending the state EV policy for another three months, The Economic Times reported.  

Scheduled to end on July 15, the policy was extended by the AAP regime and thereafter the current BJP government multiple times. 

Pankaj Kumar Singh, the transport minister for Delhi, stated in June that the government intended to implement the Electric Vehicle Policy 2.0 by the following month. However, according to the latest report the new policy seems taking more time to get formulated than expected. 

As per ET, the government is looking forward to including consultations from various stakeholders to get the feedback on the new policy and will explore multiple options before finalising the new policy. Moreover, the government may put the draft of EV Policy 2.0 in the public domain to receive public feedback, the report added.

The policy was introduced in August 2020 as one of the main programs of the former AAP government. Its goal was to reduce automobile pollution and increase the percentage of vehicles that are electric to 25% by 2024.

Initially, the policy was scheduled to end after three years in August 2023, however, the government extended it.

The draft of EV policy 2.0 proposes to include two-wheelers, buses, three-wheelers, and goods carriers,

A number of incentives to encourage the adoption of EVs are also outlined in the draft policy including a subsidy of up to Rs 36,000 that may be available to female riders on the purchase of an electric two-wheeler.

Similarly, the government can provide a purchasing incentive of Rs 10,000 per kilowatt-hour, up to Rs 30,000 per vehicle, to promote the adoption of electric two-wheelers.

In addition, the policy, throughout its implementation term, seeks to assist the establishment of battery collecting centers and a citywide network of charging and swappable battery stations, while creating up to 20,000 employment.