In recognition of Delhi’s landmark electric vehicle policy, the Delhi government participated and shared its vision for a clean, green future of mobility at the prestigious UNFCCC ‘Race to Zero Dialogue: Launching the global race to zero-emission mobility' held on Wednesday.

The dialogue was organised by the Climate Group in collaboration with the UN high-level climate champions and the UK COP26 presidency.

Vice-chairperson, Dialogue and Development Commission, Jasmine Shah represented the Delhi Government at the session “Government’s leading the way” to share the experience of the Delhi government drawing up a comprehensive policy and effectively leading the transition to zero-emission vehicles in the national capital.

Along with Delhi, two other states also shared their experiences and vision for EVs. Governor Gavin Newson represented the State of California, USA and Izaskun Goñi Razquin, a senior official from the Government of Navarra, Spain.

Addressing a global audience of climate activists and leaders from business and government, Shah said, “The motivation behind Delhi’s ambitious roadmap to transition to zero-emission vehicles is to address both climate change and the health emergency that arises from the high level of air pollution in Delhi. This kind of an aggressive roadmap was possible only because of the political will that the Delhi government under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal displayed on the matter of air pollution.”

Elaborating on the five key pillars of Delhi’s EV policy, Shah said, “First, we targeted fiscal incentives for specific vehicle segments that contribute maximum to vehicular pollution in Delhi’s and India’s context, which is two- and three-wheelers. Second, we also introduced non-financial incentives to help overcome barriers that might hamper EV adoption.

Citing an example, he said “We have allowed bike taxis to ply in Delhi only if they are EVs. Third, we see it as the government’s duty to facilitate the setting up of charging infrastructure – in public as well as private complexes such as malls, offices etc. Fourth, we believe governments will have to take the lead in conducting public awareness campaigns to sensitize and inform citizens of the benefits of EVs, and finally, our policy also focuses on skill training related to jobs that will arise as a result of this transition to a green economy.”

When asked for a message to government leaders around the world looking to transition to EVs, Shah said, "The transition to EVs may look very daunting for large cities and states, but Delhi has shown that with political will, an attitude to learn from successes and failures of cities and countries around the world, and a goal-oriented approach, this is possible. Once cities figure how to get the first 10% EVs on the road, the rest will follow."