New Delhi: According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi based research and advocacy institution, vehicles (especially trucks and two wheelers) are the biggest contributors to Delhi’s air pollution. As per CSE’s estimate, in 2018, emissions from vehicles contributed to over 39 per cent of air pollution in Delhi. In order to tackle this scenario and improve the air quality of the capital, the Delhi government has approved ‘Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2019’ a policy on electric vehicles (EVs) on Monday (December 23). By implementing this policy, the Delhi government is targeting to have every fourth new vehicle on road to be electric by 2024. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal shared the news on social media,
Delhi cabinet has cleared the landmark Delhi Electric Vehicle policy today. Our goal is to make Delhi India’s EV capital. This will be a huge step towards reducing vehicular pollution in Delhi. #DelhiGoesElectric
Delhi cabinet has cleared the landmark Delhi Electric Vehicle policy today. Our goal is to make Delhi India's EV capital. This will be a huge step towards reducing vehicular pollution in Delhi. #DelhiGoesElectric pic.twitter.com/9Cg3KGX9MJ
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 23, 2019
Cabinet Minister and Minister of Transport in the Government of Delhi, Kailash Gahlot congratulated CM Kejriwal and the Delhi government for taking a step towards fighting air pollution. He said,
Congratulations Delhi… Thanks to our CM, Delhi govt has taken a huge step forward today in fighting pollution by approving Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2019. 25% of all new vehicle registrations in Delhi to be EVs by 2024.
Congratulations Delhi… Thanks to our CM @ArvindKejriwal, Delhi govt has taken a huge step forward today in fighting pollution by approving Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2019. 25% of all new vehicle registrations in Delhi to be EVs by 2024
— Kailash Gahlot (@kgahlot) December 23, 2019
The Delhi government, as part of the goal and impact of the EV policy, is targeting to deploy at least 35,000 electric vehicles, 1,000 EVs for last-mile deliveries and 250 public charging/swapping stations in the national capital within a year.
Key Highlights Of Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2019
According to the policy, over the next five years, the government is likely register at least 5 lakh new EVs in Delhi. The EV policy further states that two-wheelers, shared transport vehicles, and commercial vehicles will be leading the transition to electric mobility from conventional fuel-based mobility.
There will be incentives for electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers such as auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws, as well as four-wheeler purchases. An incentive of ₹5,000 per kWh (kilo-Watt Hour) of battery capacity will be given for two-wheelers. An incentive of up to Rs. 5,000 will be offered for the scrapping of a non-electric two-wheeler vehicle and switching to an electric vehicle, the document on key highlights says.
The policy provides for charging points at workplaces and residential parkings. As per the Ministry of transport, Government of Delhi, the government will provide 100 per cent subsidy for the purchase of charging equipments and up to Rs. 6,000 per charging point for the first 30,000 charging points at homes/workplaces.
The government estimates that this EV policy will avoid approximately Rs. 6,000 crores in oil and liquid natural gas imports and 4.8 million tonnes of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions, equivalent to avoiding CO2 emissions from nearly 1 lakh petrol cars over their lifetime.
The Delhi government will be constituting State EV Board for looking after the implementation of the policy. The funding aspect of the project will be taken from various sources such as Pollution/Diesel Cess, Road Tax, Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) and others using the ‘Feebate’ concept. Under the Feebate concept, polluting vehicles will incur a surcharge (fee) while efficient ones receive a rebate (bate).
Also Read: Delhi Government Announces Pilot Project For Using Electric Vehicles For Delivering Online Orders
Sohinder Gill, Director General Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles ( SMEV) welcomed the step taken by the Delhi government and said,
We welcome the EV Policy by the Delhi Government and are thankful to the government for considering most of our recommendations including conversion of commercial fuel combustion vehicles into electric, e-bike taxi, and others as they are the key drivers for taking the e-mobility momentum forward. It would encourage the customers to go for green vehicles as it provides customers with additional incentives apart from the subsidy offered by the central government. The direct customer incentive given by Delhi is an example that should be emulated by other states as it’ll straightaway help the faster adoption of EVs. It is certainly a well-drafted policy with given targets to achieve.
Mahesh Babu, CEO, Mahindra Electric, also acknowledged the Delhi government and said that the Delhi EV policy is an innovative policy. He said to NDTV,
The Delhi EV policy is both innovative and comprehensive in nature. It outlines clear adoption strategies for last-mile connectivity through three-wheelers, two-wheelers and shared mobility by four-wheelers. The policy also encourages personal buyers to switch to electric cars. We appreciate the purchase incentives provided by the government along with subsidised interest rates and open permit systems for three-wheelers. With a focus to build a robust EV ecosystem the target of 5 Lakh EVs in Delhi is achievable that will see a reduction of CO2 emissions by over 4.8 million tonnes. Mahindra is ready with its products in three and four-wheeler segment to help Delhi becoming the EV capital of India.
While the new EV policy has been welcomed by the industry and experts as a timely intervention, considering the deteriorating air quality of the capital region, Vivek Chattopadhyay, Air Pollution experts, CSE said that the implementation of the policy should be monitored in a stringent manner to actually achieve the set target. He said,
Delhi EV policy sets ambitious target, however, with regard to providing fiscal incentives, the government should focus mostly on public transportation vehicles such as buses, feeder mini buses, e-autos and qualitative improvement in e-rickshaws and setting up charging infrastructure in parking lots, commercial, institutional and residential areas. In case of private vehicles, people opting for e-vehicles in place of existing diesel or old vehicles can be incentivised. Also perhaps, for e-buses dedicated lanes (at least during peak hours) will be needed to maximise the use of stored power.
According to Automotive Component Manufacturing Association of India (ACMA), till now ten states have made policy level interventions for pushing electric mobility including Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Bihar.
