Delhi government has extended the current Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy until March 31, 2026, as the draft of the new policy will undergo public consultation, which is expected to take time, Transport Minister Pankaj Singh said on July 22.
Singh said the policy extension was among the matters listed for Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting and the Cabinet decided to extend it.
“The current Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy has been extended until March 31, 2026, or until a new policy is approved, whichever is earlier,” Singh told PTI.
The minister said that the move intends to take into account comprehensive consultations with all relevant stakeholders including citizens, industry experts, private organisations and environmental groups.
Various aspects of the policy will be discussed during this extended period—such as strengthening EV charging infrastructure, reviewing subsidies and waivers, developing systems for safe e-waste and battery disposal, and clearly defining the roles of the public and private sectors.
Given Delhi's air pollution crisis, this participatory approach is seen as a crucial step towards framing a more effective, inclusive, and forward-looking EV policy that promotes clean and sustainable urban transport, Singh said, adding that the government has also urged active public participation in the consultation process to collectively shape the future of electric mobility in the capital.
The current EV policy — first introduced in 2020 during the previous Aam Aadmi Party rule — lapsed in August 2023. It has since been extended multiple times.
No Timeline Yet for Final EV Policy
The EV policy was set to expire on July 15 and the Delhi government had earlier expressed plans to extend the EV policy by three months, as per a July 15 report by PTI.
The EV Policy has been extended multiple times under both the previous AAP regime and the current government led by the BJP. In June, Delhi Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh had said the government plans to roll out the Electric Vehicle Policy 2.0 by next month. Introduced in August 2020 by the previous AAP government, the policy aimed to curb vehicular pollution and increase electric vehicle adoption to 25% by 2024. Though its initial three-year term ended in August 2023, the government opted to extend it.
(With inputs from PTI.)
