Delhi to Bring Out Final EV Policy Ahead of February 2026 Target

The Delhi government is expected to announce its new Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy before the February 2026 deadline, Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said on Monday, highlighting a faster push for clean mobility in the capital.

Speaking at an International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) event, Singh said the policy has been delayed until February but could be announced earlier. “It is not that it will come only in February. It can come even before that,” he said. “We have a few things that we have to do together with the people of Delhi. After completing the planning process and consulting the public, we will bring the policy into the public domain. I assure you that the people of Delhi will like the policy and we will take further steps towards EV adoption.”

The minister also iterated that plans to strengthen incentives, scrapping programs, and tax relief will be part of the final framework, though details remain under wraps until the official release.

Electric vehicles have emerged as a prominent option to reduce vehicular emissions in the city, which is infamous for its high Air Quality Index (AQI) and persistent pollution. The stubble-burning season starting in October only worsens the situation, making the capital’s air quality unbearable and adding to the burden of vehicular pollution.

The minister emphasized that the government is working on expanding charging infrastructure across the city, including under flyovers, in outer Delhi, and through collaborations with landlords. 

According to the draft, policy outlines subsidies for electric vehicles and a significant scale-up of the city’s charging network, beginning with 3,500 new public charging points in 2025 and expanding to 13,700 by 2030. It also proposes phasing out CNG auto-rickshaws by August 2025 and banning the registration of petrol, diesel and CNG two-wheelers after August 15, 2026.

In July, the Delhi government extended the existing EV Policy until March 2026, citing the need for wider stakeholder consultation. Kumar said the extension was necessary to hold comprehensive discussions with citizens, industry, environmental groups, and private organizations. “This process requires substantial time to complete,” he noted.

Delhi’s EV Policy was first introduced in 2020 under the Aam Aadmi Party government with a target of 25% of new vehicle registrations being electric by 2024. Originally set to expire in August 2023, the policy has undergone multiple short-term extensions while the Transport Department reviews data on EV adoption, subsidy disbursements, and infrastructure gaps.