Fada Offers to Invest in EV Charging, Scrappage Infra in Delhi

The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) has proposed to directly invest in Delhi’s electric vehicle ecosystem, positioning dealers as active partners in the capital’s transition to cleaner mobility rather than just retail stakeholders.

Speaking at an industry event, FADA President C. S. Vigneshwar said the shift to EVs must be enabling and inclusive, particularly for dealer networks that serve as the last-mile interface with customers. Referring to the recently released EV policy draft, he said the industry supports the transition but emphasised that “enablement always goes faster than enforcement,” underscoring the need to align policy intent with on-ground realities.

Building on this, FADA Delhi Chairperson Shailender Luthra outlined a set of investment-led proposals, signalling the willingness of the dealer community to contribute directly to ecosystem creation.

Luthra said FADA has proposed to set up 150 public EV charging stations across Delhi and is willing to fund the infrastructure as a partner to the government. He added that the association is also willing to establish vehicle scrappage centres in the city, where such infrastructure remains limited, in line with regulatory norms.

Beyond this, FADA has expressed readiness to develop dedicated auto zones equipped with integrated infrastructure such as internal roads, solar power systems, water treatment, and effluent management facilities, all to be developed and funded by the dealer ecosystem.

The proposals come alongside a request to the Delhi government to consider dealer participation as part of the broader EV policy framework, particularly given the scale and economic role of the sector.

Luthra noted that Delhi’s automobile dealers contribute about ₹7,150 crore annually to government revenues, including ₹2,650 crore through motor vehicle tax and ₹4,500 crore via GST, while supporting large-scale employment across the retail network.

FADA said it remains supportive of the EV transition and is willing to take on a larger role, provided policy frameworks enable such participation and align with ground realities.