Delhi’s Transport Minister, Kailash Gahlot, has stated that Electric Vehicles Policy 2.0 will explore ways to encourage the retrofitting of vehicles, considering the high associated costs.
He mentioned that while the new policy is under development, the existing policy will be extended by six months or until the new one is finalized.
The Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy 2020 expired in August this year, but the government had previously stated that subsidies under it would continue until a new policy is implemented.
Gahlot explained that one of the key aspects of the upcoming policy will be to incentivize the conversion of internal combustion engines into electric ones.
Retrofitting, he noted, can be an expensive process, citing an example where it costs around INR 5-6 lakh to convert a regular Gypsy vehicle.
The government also aims to improve last-mile connectivity by deploying 3,000 e-scooters and e-cycles, with an initial phase of 1,500 vehicles stationed at metro stations, starting as a pilot project in Dwarka.
