Delhi government initiates planning for a citywide network of EV (electronic vehicle) charging and battery swapping stations in New Delhi. All Delhi government agencies including the three MCDs, NDMC, DDA, PWD, transport department, DTC, DMRC, and DSIIDC will roll out a coordinated strategy in the next two weeks to set up 200 EV charging, battery swapping stations at prominent locations in the city.

The decision was taken under the Chairmanship of Jasmine Shah, Vice-Chairperson, Dialogue & Development Commission of Delhi. This was among the key decisions taken in a meeting among the Charging Infrastructure Working Group of the Delhi government on Thursday.

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For a rapid adoption of Electric Vehicles in Delhi, charging stations are a key enabler. Therefore, the Delhi EV Policy 2020, which was notified last month by the Transport Department, emphasizes on the rollout of public charging infrastructure in Delhi. 

“Delhi government will soon be rolling out financial incentives promised under the EV policy. By creating a Charging Infrastructure Working Group, Delhi government has brought on board all the different agencies and DISCOMs of Delhi to initiate work on the accelerated rollout of charging infrastructure in a collaborative manner. This is critical to realizing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s vision of making Delhi the EV capital of India and among the top cities globally in terms of EV penetration,” said Shah.

It was agreed at the meeting that given the emphasis of the Delhi EV Policy on mass adoption of EVs in the two-wheeler and three-wheeler vehicle segments, the charging infrastructure should focus primarily on setting up a large number of slow-charging stations consisting of AC-001 charging points (3.3 kW each) and a limited number of DC-001 fast chargers (15 kW each), instead of setting up a few expensive fast-charging stations that cater primarily for premium four-wheelers. Additionally, developing a wide network of battery-swapping stations was also identified as a key priority.

In addition to public charging stations, establishing charging facilities in restricted public spaces such as malls, office complexes, group housing societies, hotels, education institutions, hospitals were also identified as a priority at the meeting.