Delhi bets big on all-electric future

The Delhi Cabinet on Monday approved the Electric Vehicle (EV) 2.0 policy, giving 100 per cent exemption on road tax and registration fees for all electric cars with an ex-showroom price of `30 lakh or less, while phasing out petrol and CNG-powered two-wheelers by April 2028, in an attempt to reducing vehicular pollution in the Capital. 
Registration of new petrol and CNG two-wheelers will be discontinued from April 1, 2028, after which only electric two-wheelers will be registered in Delhi. Further, as part of the policy, only electric autorickshaws will be registered in Delhi from January 1, 2027.

Announcing the policy, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the new policy will kick in from July 1, describing it as a major step towards making Delhi a pollution-free city by March 31, 2030. The policy will be sent to the Lieutenant Governor for approval. The CM said that around `15,000 crore will be invested under the new policy over the next four years to promote electric mobility in the State.
“Following Cabinet approval, the policy will be sent to the Lieutenant Governor for final clearance. Once implemented, Delhi residents will be able to avail themselves of the incentives and benefits under the scheme,” she further said.

Under the new policy, people buying e-two-wheelers will get a subsidy of `30,000 in the first year, `20,000 in the second year and `10,000 in the third year. Similarly, buyers of electric three-wheelers will be eligible for incentives of `50,000, `40,000 and `30,000 in the first, second and third years, respectively. While buyers of N1 category electric trucks will receive a purchase incentive of up to `1 lakh, according to an official. 

The policy also provides a scrapping incentive of `1 lakh for owners of BS-IV four-wheelers or below standard who scrap their vehicles and switch to electric vehicles.
Further, to accelerate the transition to electric mobility across the city, owners of BS-IV four-wheelers or below standard who scrap their vehicles and switch to electric vehicles will get a scrapping incentive of `1 lakh.However, there are no incentives for hybrid vehicles.The EV Policy 2.0 forms a key part of Capital’s strategy to strengthen electric mobility adoption.