Delhi launches EV drive to clean city air
A vehicle scrappage policy takes effect in Delhi today, as India’s capital city seeks to bring its notorious air pollution under control.
In an electrification drive announced on Monday, the New Delhi government is providing 150 billion rupees ($1.6 billion) over four years for subsidies and incentives to persuade owners of petrol and diesel cars registered before April 2020 to trade in for an electric vehicle. A $1,060 incentive will be available. There will also be some exemptions from road tax and registration fees.
There will be a cash incentive for purchasers of electric scooters and motorbikes of 30,000 rupees in the policy's first year, tapering thereafter. The Delhi government has announced that it will only register electric two-wheelers from April 1, 2028, forcing buyers to move away from petrol bikes. The funding package includes incentives for setting up 32,000 EV charging points across Delhi.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said: "This is a historic step toward effectively controlling vehicular pollution in the capital and promoting clean transportation.”
The greater Delhi conurbation suffers from some of the worst air quality in the world. Around half of its air pollution problem derives from motor vehicle traffic. Those most affected are the poor, who lack either air conditioning or the means to escape the suffocating air. In peak pollution season - November and December – air quality is at least twenty-five times more toxic than the limits recommended by the World Health Organization. Schools are regularly closed for safety reasons and last year city authorities required fifty per cent homeworking by companies to reduce the commute.
Photo by Akansha Deshmukh on Unsplash