Delhi Govt’s Common Forum To Discuss EV Policy To Meet on December 18

In a bid to bring stakeholders on the same page over its electric vehicle (EV) policy, the Delhi government has formed an EV forum and its first meeting will be held on December 18.

The Delhi government said in a statement that the first virtual meeting under the forum will “Enable engagement of a wide range of stakeholders in the EV ecosystem for successful implementation of the EV policy.”

Jasmine Shah, vice-chairperson of the dialogue and development commission, which advises the Delhi government on policy matters, said, “Delhi EV Forum will be the first such forum in India for continuous dialogue and engagement of stakeholders in the implementation of EV policy.”  

The stakeholders would include EV manufacturers, fleet operators and charging point operators.

The focus of the discussions in the first meeting would:

• On-ground challenges on the deployment of EVs and charging infrastructure
• Identifying potential solutions, providing clarity related to concerns and questions regarding provisions of the policy
• Gaining commitments from private players to help achieve the EV and charging infrastructure targets defined in the policy

The forum is also slated to organise quarterly meetings and workshops, reported TOI.

“The forum may conduct additional meetings that focus on specific issues and subjects related to policy implementation. The discussions through the forum workshops will identify measures to establish Delhi as the EV capital of India,” said Shah.

For the initiative, RMI India, an independent think tank working in the clean energy transition sector, will support the Delhi government. 

“Delhi’s ambitious EV targets are a signal of its strong commitment to clean mobility. EV policy formulation has benefited from extensive stakeholder consultations. Delhi’s policy is being hailed as one of the strongest sub-national EV policies globally,” said Akshima Ghate of RMI India.

Delhi’s EV policy – notified on August 7 – aims at ensuring at least a 25% share of electric vehicles among all vehicles registered in the capital, by 2024. 

In a bid to generate employment and curb the air pollution menace in the national capital, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had on August 7, announced the launch of a ‘progressive’ electric vehicle policy. 

With this, the AAP government looks to have 25% electric vehicles on road by 2024. Kejriwal said that this will be an add-on to the Centre’s FAME-II scheme, where people can avail of benefits under both these plans.  

The new electric vehicle policy led by AAP government will now waive registration fee, road tax and provide an incentive of up to INR 1.5 Lakh for electric cars and INR 30K for electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and freight vehicles. It seems to be inclined with govt’s last year’s electric vehicle policy agenda. 

In addition to this, Kejriwal said that the government will also be giving low-interest loans on electric commercial vehicles. This move by the government to provide financial support is expected to fast-track the electric vehicle adoption in the national capital and boost EV sales in the coming months, given the discretionary spending among the consumers caused due to the pandemic. 

As part of the policy, the Delhi government had last month decided to include the promotion of ecycles. Under the policy, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government plans to have 25% electric vehicles on road by 2024.

Besides offering subsidies of up to INR 30K on two-wheelers and up to INR 1.5 lakh for cars, the government plans to subsidise 25% of the cost of the cycle. This is an amount of INR 5.5K alongside a fixed additional incentive of INR 2,000 will be offered for the first 10K ecycles sold. 

According to a report by the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles, there has been a 37.5% rise in the sale of EVs in India in recent years. In a bid to achieve 100% electric vehicles by 2030, the government under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi announced tax reduction on electric vehicles to around 12% with the roll-out of GST.

At present, India is going through its green growth pangs. According to a McKinsey&Company report, the electric vehicle adoption rate is less than 1%. However, the government has targeted 30% electric vehicle adoption by 2030. But the focus of this plan is powered primarily by electrification of two-wheelers, three-wheelers and commercial vehicles.

According to the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), India sold 1.52 Lakh electric two-wheelers and 90K electric rickshaws in FY2020.