Govt to mandate electrification of 30% of entire school bus fleet by 2030

Under its new EV policy, the Delhi Government may mandate 30 per cent of all school buses shift to electric by the end of March 2030, a government document said.

According to the document, under the new EV policy likely to be tabled during the upcoming budget session of the Delhi Assembly, a complete road tax and registration fees exemption is also likely for all electric cars below Rs 30 lakh.

The education department of the Delhi government shall ensure implementation of the school bus electrification scheme.

“After two years since notification of the EV policy, 10 pc of the school bus fleet shall be electric; in three years, 20 pc, and by March 31, 2030, 30 pc of the entire fleet shall be electric,” the document said.

The direction will apply to the total school bus fleet, whether owned, leased, or hired by schools. Further, the entire fleet of government vehicles will also be electrified as soon as the policy is notified.

The new policy would also mandate that, from January 1, 2027, only electric three-wheelers shall be allowed new registration in the city, and only electric two-wheelers shall be permitted new registration from April 1, 2028.

In order to incentivise the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), the new policy would provide an exemption from road tax and registration fees.

“All electric vehicles registered in Delhi shall be granted a 100 per cent exemption from road tax and registration fees till March 31, 2030,” another proposal said. Electric cars with an ex-factory price above 30 lakh will not be eligible for exemption from road tax and registration fees, it added. The move is likely to bring down the vehicle prices.

As per the plan, to manage the battery waste generated by the large numbers of electric vehicles, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) shall be responsible for setting up battery collection centres across the city.

“DPCC shall, through an appropriate policy framework, facilitate the deployment of battery collection centres across Delhi under a public-private partnership model, in collaboration with authorised recyclers and other eligible entities, to enable convenient, accessible, and environmentally sound collection of waste batteries,” the document added.

Under the new EV policy, DPCC may also notify a set of standard operating procedures for equipment manufacturers to ensure safe collection, storage, transportation, and transfer of waste batteries to authorised recyclers or in compliance with existing waste management rules.