Current EV policy likely to be extended by 6 months: Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot

NEW DELHI: Delhi government is likely to extend the existing electric vehicle (EV) policy again by six months as the new policy is not final yet, transport minister Kailash Gahlot said on Thursday.
"We are moving a cabinet note and soon it should be finalised. The existing policy would be extended for six months or until the new policy is notified," he said.The EV policy had expired on August 8, following which it was extended.
The EV Policy 2.0 is among the transport department's key policies that have been stuck after the termination of services of contractual advisers, consultants and fellows in July.
Gahlot earlier said they had technical expertise and were working on giving a shape to several policies of the department, including EV 2.0 and that on cab and bus aggregators. "Now that these people have been asked to go, it is also a loss for the people of Delhi. They were examining the feedback and giving a final shape to the policies," he had said.
The number of EVs registered in Delhi has jumped between the financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23, and the government has now targeted to take it to over two lakhs in 2023-24, as per the outcome budget. In 2021-22, the count stood at 34,493, which reached 1,11,994 in 2022-23. The current target is 2,23,988 in 2023-24.
The number of electric cars, with effect from August 7, 2020, has grown from 2,273 to 10,266. The government has set the target at 20,532 for 2023-24. Two-wheelers have also shown a sharp growth, taking the numbers from 14,257 to 52,569, and the target for the current financial year is 105,138.
Delhi government is among the key players in the country in the EV penetration and infrastructure.