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What needs to be done to make Delhi EV Policy 2.0 a success

Delhi EV Policy 2.0 is unprecedented in pace and scale for an Indian city. Its goals must be matched by the necessary infrastructure and regulatory clarity.

Delhi’s air pollution crisis has well-documented health and economic costs. Transport emissions are a major contributor to air pollution, and reducing them requires cutting how much Delhi drives on fossil fuels, not just cleaning up what’s already on the road. Delhi EV Policy 2.0 is a welcome step in that direction, as it promotes electric mobility through a mix of financial incentives, a firm timeline for switching to electric vehicles (EVs), and charging infrastructure development.

Viewed in conjunction with the Winter Pollution Master Plan and the Centre’s Naya Safar scheme to replace old trucks and buses, it offers a clearer pathway to reducing transport’s contribution to air pollution. The policy also links to the Vehicle Scrapping Policy and the Battery Waste Management Rules, a sensible way to leverage the existing ecosystem to simultaneously advance India’s climate goals and build domestic supply chains for the critical minerals needed for electrification.

Also Read: Delhi launches Rs 7,000 crore EV policy, mandates electric autos from 2027

How Delhi EV Policy 2.0 is different

Delhi has attempted to clean up its transport sector before.

In 1998, the Supreme Court directed the replacement of Delhi’s diesel-powered public transport fleet with CNG vehicles. But the air quality gains have been overshadowed by the increasing use of private vehicles, which, according to a 2024 Centre for Science and Environment report, account for 49 per cent of motorised trips in Delhi.

In 2015, the National Green Tribunal banned old diesel (over 10 years) and petrol (over 15........

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