Delhi Extends Existing EV Policy Again, Says No Ban On Any Vehicles

The Delhi government has extended its electric vehicle (EV) policy by another three months. This is the third such extension in the last four months following the expiration of the Delhi EV policy on January 1, 2025.

PTI reported that the Delhi Cabinet, chaired by chief minister Rekha Gupta, did not approve the Delhi EV Policy 2.0, which will effectively replace the existing EV policy, but instead proposed changes to the draft recommendations.

Addressing a press conference, Delhi transport minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said that discussions on the Delhi EV Policy 2.0 are ongoing and that the existing policy will continue to remain in effect till the new policy is implemented.

Singh further said that there was no proposal to ban autorickshaws, or two-wheelers running on petrol, diesel, and CNG, under the new EV policy.

“I want to make it clear that there will be no ban on auto-rickshaws, nor is there any proposal to ban any category of vehicles. The current EV policy is expected to continue for approximately the next three to four months,” Delhi’s transport minister said. 

The clarification comes against the backdrop of media reports that the draft of Delhi EV Policy 2.0 called for a ban on new registrations of CNG-driven autorickshaws, and permits for these vehicles not being renewed from August 15 this year. If they were substituted or reissued, they would only be e-auto permits.

There are more than 1 Lakh autorickshaws and two-wheelers in Delhi, and, therefore, it “would not be feasible” to phase them out or push for a complete shift to EVs immediately, transport department officials reportedly said.

Accelerating EV Mobility In Delhi

The Delhi government rolled out its EV policy in August 2020 as part of its efforts to tackle the city’s worsening air pollution and encourage the adoption of EVs. The initiative was envisaged to have 1 out of every four vehicles sold in Delhi by 2024, to be an EV.

As per Vahan data as of April 16, 2.87 Lakh electric vehicles have been registered in Delhi since August 2020, with three-wheelers leading the EV adoption. Of the total EV registrations, three-wheelers contributed 1.29 Lakh, followed by two-wheelers at 1.19 Lakh.

To further boost the option of EVs across Delhi and incentivise the purchase of battery-operated vehicles, the Delhi government is set to roll out the EV Policy 2.0 soon, though the exact timeline is not known.

The draft EV Policy 2.0 reportedly recommends that all vehicles across mass categories, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, buses, and goods carriers be converted into EVs. The revised policy has set an ambitious target of 95% of all new vehicles by 2027 being electric. The target is 98% for 2030.

With an eye on furthering EV adoption, the draft EV Policy 2.0 also proposes a host of incentives, including a capital subsidy of up to INR 36,000 for women riders. 

The draft policy also proposes an incentive of INR 10,000 per kWh (up to INR 30,000) on two-wheeler EVs for all buyers. An additional INR 10,000 may be offered for scrapping petrol two-wheelers that are over 12 years old. 

Delhi’s EV policy aligns with the Centre’s 10,900 Cr PM E-DRIVE scheme and is part of a broader trend, with other states such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu also pushing for clean mobility. Notably, the Tamil Nadu government last month announced an INR 20,000 subsidy for purchasing new two-wheeler EVs for 2,000 gig workers.