Delhi government installs 1,000 EV charging stations to push electric vehicle usage in capital

As per the announcement, any resident of Delhi can request the installation of a charger from empanelled vendors in their premises, either through the online portal of DISCOM or by making a phone call, reports PTI.

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The Delhi government has installed 1,000 charging stations for electric vehicles under the single window facility in less than a year, as per an official statement. 18,000 such points will be established by the government during the following three years. For the installation of EV chargers in private and semi-public areas of Delhi, including residential areas like apartments and group housing societies, institutional structures like hospitals, and commercial areas like kirana stores, shops, and malls, a single window facility was put in place in November 2021.

Through the facility, any resident of Delhi can request the installation of a charger from empanelled vendors in their premises, either through the online portal of DISCOM or by making a phone call.

Delhi has three electricity providers, namely BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL), BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL). The Delhi EV policy provides for a subsidy of Rs 6,000 per charging point for the first 30,000 slow charging points. The net cost paid by the user after deducting Rs 6,000 includes EV charger, installation and maintenance costs for 3 years.

The net cost of these EV chargers, after subsidy, is as low as Rs 2,500. The government has completed the installation of 1,000 Electric Vehicles (EV) charging points under the facility in less than a year. This includes 682 charging points installed at 315 locations by BRPL, 150 charging points installed at 70 locations by BYPL and 168 charging points installed at 50 locations by TPDDL.

Nearly 59 per cent of these chargers have been installed by the Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs), 15 per cent of EV chargers have been set up in office premises and 13 per cent in e-rickshaw parking.

Delhi Government will spend Rs 60 lakh as subsidy on these 1,000 charging points. Under the single window process, Delhi Government, via DISCOMS, has empanelled nearly 10 vendors for helping the citizens to choose from various EV chargers.

Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said the government aims to bolster the EV charging infrastructure across the city by providing a network of private and public charging facilities within three kilometre from anywhere in Delhi.

"It is just the beginning as Delhi plans to install 18,000 charging points in the next three years, making it easier for the citizens of Delhi to opt for an Electric vehicle instead of an ICE vehicle. By the end of 2024, Delhi is determined to have one out of every four new vehicles purchased to be an Electric vehicle," he added.

The Delhi EV Policy was launched in August 2020 to establish Delhi as India's EV capital and accelerate EV adoption across vehicle segments, especially in the mass category of two-wheelers, public and shared transport vehicles and goods carriers. Under the Delhi EV policy 2020, more than 72,000 Electric vehicles have been sold till now, with more than 41,000 EVs being sold this year, the statement added.

With inputs from PTI