Over 40% Of EVs In Delhi Bought After Introduction Of State EV Policy

The sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in Delhi have shot up since the introduction of the EV policy in 2020, with over 40% of EVs currently on the roads in the national capital bought after the policy came into effect, according to official data.

The total number of EVs in Delhi currently stands at over 1.64 Lakh, out of which 67,603 units were bought after the EV policy came into effect, news agency PTI reported citing data till August 31, 2022. 

According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ Vahan portal, 68,742 EVs have been registered in Delhi till date since the implementation of the EV policy in August 2020. In 2022 alone, the state has seen registration of 37,650 EVs so far, out of which 21,668 units are electric two-wheelers. 

Officials told the news agency that a majority of the EVs purchased today are two-wheelers as they are economical and pocket-friendly.

The Delhi EV policy, which targets 25% of all new vehicle registrations to be of EVs in the state by 2024, was notified on August 7, 2020.

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, in a statement, said last month that since the launch of the policy, EV sales in Delhi have shown remarkable growth with EVs averaging over 10% of monthly sales in 2022.

While Delhi registered sales of over 62,000 EVs in the last two years, electric two-wheelers contributed 42% to the overall sales, as per Gahlot’s statement.

Celebrating the completion of two years of the state EV policy last month, the Delhi government unveiled a three-year action plan for EV battery charging and swapping infrastructure.

Under the action plan, the government plans to install around 18,000 public and semi-public EV charging points by 2024 to further boost EV adoption in the state. Currently, Delhi has around 2,452 charging points spread across 1,919 locations and 234 swapping stations.

Besides, Jasmine Shah, vice-chairperson of the Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) of Delhi, said last month that in an attempt to further incentivise EV users, the state government is planning to introduce a time-of-day (ToD) tariff system for EV charging.

The ToD tariff system helps users reduce their electricity costs depending on the time of the day that they are using the facility.

In the latest development, a Delhi government official also told PTI that while the government has provided the legal framework for EVs, the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) need to take the responsibility for making reasonable, affordable, and superior quality products that can provide good mileage in a single charge.

The Delhi government last month said that it has so far offered an incentive of about INR 100 Cr for EVs under its EV Policy.