New EV policy expected to be implemented by March

The new Electric Vehicle (EV) policy in the national capital is expected to be implemented by March 2026. Provisions to make electric vehicles cheaper and roadmap for infrastructure boost are expected to be key points of the draft.

According to Delhi Government officials, a meeting, headed by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, is scheduled on Friday to discuss the draft policy. Once the draft is approved, it will be put up on the website to seek feedback from residents.

After this, the Delhi Government will again discuss the feedback and the final policy is expected to be implemented in the next fiscal year, officials said.

As per the preliminary draft, the policy will focus on making electric vehicles cheaper and the government is proposing to give 50 per cent subsidy, which will be a lucrative offer for the residents to switch to EVs. This will also help in reduction of pollution caused by vehicles running on internal combustion engines.

The focus will be also on developing charging infrastructure in the national capital. Additionally, gramin sewa vehicles, which are designed for last-mile connectivity and run on CNG, are also being planned to be replaced by electric vehicles.

The current EV policy expires on December 31. It was introduced in August 2020 for three years. It was extended multiple times, but failed to deliver the expected boost in EV sales.