In an affluent neighbourhood in New Delhi, electric vehicle charging stations near a popular shopping area were busy with drivers powering up their scooters, trucks and cars.
India’s capital city is in dire need of more charging facilities, EV drivers say, to implement an ambitious plan to phase out petrol vehicles in one of the world’s most polluted cities.
“Charging facilities are not up to the mark yet,” said Shyam Singh, a marketing executive who owns a two-wheel electric scooter, adding that it was hard for long-distance drivers to switch to EVs because the current battery range was not enough.
Delhi adopted a new policy on July 1 that aims to make the vast majority of newly registered vehicles electric by 2027. While existing petrol-powered vehicles will not be banned, their numbers are expected to dwindle in the coming years.
Energy experts say the plan is one of the country’s most ambitious electric-vehicle policies and a significant step towards improving the city’s air quality and reducing pollution.
The policy provides EV buyers with subsidies and waivers on registration fees and some road taxes, incentives to scrap petrol vehicles, and it offers plans to expand the charging infrastructure.