You may get fined for parking in EV-only spot: Delhi reserves 20% of parking space for EVs

Delhi is planning to reserve at least 20% of the parking space in all new buildings under its upcoming Delhi’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2.0 scheduled to be announced next month, Hindustan Times (HT) reported. In addition, the policy will also mandate older buildings to reserve 5% of the total parking for EVs to ensure charging infrastructure, the report added.

After its expiration in August 2023, Delhi's previous EV policy was extended to 2025. 

New buildings with at least 20 parking spaces will only be granted occupancy certificates (OCs) if they feature at least four (20%) EV charging spaces, citing the copy of the policy HT reported. The law does not apply to buildings with fewer than 20 parking spots, but officials stated that a major structure with 100 parking spaces will have at least 20 spaces with an EV charging facility.

According to the report, The directives will be incorporated into the building bylaws of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

Citing a transport department official, HT reported, “We have increased the EV charging station targets by a lot as it has been seen that lack of charging infrastructure has been a hindrance in EV adoption, especially among private vehicle owners. With better technology, we are focusing on having fast chargers wherever possible”.

Meanwhile, whether the requirement applies to residential, commercial, or all types of buildings has not been made clear in the policy proposal. However, according to HT, the transport department official, without releasing any details has stated that all public parking spots would also have a minimum level of specified charging infrastructure

Moreover, the transport department will also install fast charging stations under flyovers and along Ring Road and Outer Ring Road to enhance the infrastructure for charging, the report added.

Citing another official who wished to remain anonymous, HT reported, “We want to develop these two stretches as EV-ready roads, where spots are being identified for EV charger setup. Deploying kerbside charging points and points under flyover where free space is available are also options that will be checked. We are also introducing subsidies to ensure that setting up of charging points is a viable business option.”

The proposal states that by 2030, Delhi wants to have 13,200 public charging stations, with one per five kilometres. Even though one charging station can contain several charging points, only about 4,800 (10%) of the 48,000 charging points that were required to be installed in Delhi by 2026 under the previous EV policy have been installed thus far.

The policy suggests providing ₹15–30 lakh in subsidies to establish larger public EV charging stations. According to the report, a subsidy of ₹2,500 per charging point for AC chargers for the first 15,000 applicants and ₹20,000 for DC chargers for the first 2,000 applicants is being proposed for the establishment of semi-public chargers.

The policy may also consider fining non-EVs parked in EV-only spots in public lots. As with buildings, regulations will be implemented to guarantee a minimum quantity of charging stations in public parking lots.