Delhi Government Offers Subsidy to Boost EV Charging Network

The Delhi government has announced a comprehensive plan to develop an extensive electric vehicle (EV) charging network to transform the city into a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable urban space. As part of this initiative, at least one public EV charging station will be installed every five kilometers, making it more convenient for people to adopt and use electric vehicles.

Under the Delhi EV Policy 2.0, the government aims to install 3,500 public charging points by 2025, scaling up to 13,700 by 2030. Additionally, there will be at least one charging and battery swapping station in every one-square-kilometer area. To achieve this, the Delhi Transport Department will prepare detailed plans for each zone, utilizing underused public spaces like areas beneath flyovers, parking lots, and land around telecom towers for setting up the stations.

To further promote EV infrastructure in private and semi-public spaces such as malls, offices, hospitals, and government buildings, the government will offer financial incentives. A subsidy of 50%, up to ₹2,500 per unit, will be provided for the first 15,000 slow AC chargers, and ₹20,000 per unit for the first 2,000 fast DC chargers.

This new plan builds on the success of the Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy 2020. So far, over 5,000 EV charging points and more than 400 battery swapping stations have been installed across the city. The results are promising — Delhi witnessed a 30% increase in EV sales in 2024 compared to 2022, registering over 82,000 new electric vehicles. Currently, EVs account for 12% of vehicle sales in Delhi, the highest share in India, significantly boosting the national EV sales average to 7.7%.

The Delhi government is also working rapidly to green its public transportation. According to the draft policy, by 2026, half of the electricity used during the day and one-fourth during the night for charging electric buses will come from renewable energy sources. Solar panels will be installed on the rooftops of all bus depots to enable self-generation of electricity. Bus operators will be allowed to use each other’s charging setups, and charging during non-peak hours will be made mandatory to reduce pressure on the city’s power grid.