Delhi Govt may ask automakers to set up EV charging infra at showrooms

“There are around 400 vendors or car dealers operating in Delhi. For instance, let’s say Maruti, Mahindra and others have 15 showrooms in Delhi, they will have to set up charging stations as given in the policy…So, the government may also make it mandatory,” said a senior government official.

The government aims to achieve 30% EV penetration by 2030. “The key focus is to push the people to switch to electric vehicles. For that, we need a strong charging infrastructure. Currently, the city’s charging infrastructure does not meet the requirement,” the official added.

Under the proposal, the manufacturers have been asked to ensure adequate and timely supply of electric vehicles across all eligible segments. “Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) shall aim to stabilise the cost of EVs to make it affordable for the residents of Delhi,” states the proposal.

Among other measures, the Transport department plans to electrify all its bus depots for charging its own buses as well as cars, two wheelers and autos. There are around 80 bus depots, including erstwhile cluster depots, which are now under DTC. The government is also set to incentivise the purchase of two wheelers in the first three years of rolling out the policy in a phased manner.

Come next year, only e-autos will be registered in a bid to reduce the number of CNG autos on the road. Only e-bikes will be registered from 2028 onwards, said officials.

“Vehicular emissions are the largest contributor (23 %) to the air pollution in Delhi. Two wheelers constitute approximately 67% of the total vehicle stock in Delhi, making their rapid electrification critical for achieving meaningful reductions in vehicular emissions,” the proposal reads.

As per the data shared by officials, the Capital registered a total of 817,817 vehicles last year. Of these, 121,516 were electric, implying that 14.9% of all new vehicle registrations in Delhi were EVs. In comparison, electric vehicles accounted for about 8% of total new vehicle registrations nationally in 2025. “This clearly demonstrates that EV adoption in Delhi is significantly stronger than the overall Indian market,”said an official.

Delhi accounts for 24.1% of India’s total EV public charging electricity consumption, consuming 239.63 MUs (Million Units), out of a national average of 992.73 MU, as per the latest Central Electricity Authority (CEA) report.

The Capital, at present, has 5,833 charging stations even as it requires 30,000 such stations. At present, BSES has facilitated the installation of nearly 6,200 EV charging points across more than 3,200 locations, building one of the most extensive and distributed charging networks in the city, said officials.

As per the proposal, “The location of such charging stations shall, to the extent feasible, be aligned with the siting categories and locations specified under Category A, B, and C of the Operational Guidelines for Deployment of EV Public Charging Stations (EV PCS) under the PM E-DRIVE Scheme.”

Officials said that the Delhi Transco Limited (DTL) will act as the nodal executing agency in this regard. “It will assess demand, identify locations and ensure grid readiness for phased rollout…DTL will also assess current and future power demand from EV charging and ensure timely procurement and uninterrupted electricity supply, in coordination with discoms,” said officials.

Asked about the current charging load, a BSES official said that total cumulative EV charging load in the BSES area currently stands at 227.48 MW and is projected to rise to approximately 375 MW over the next two years, reflecting accelerating EV penetration and rapid infrastructure expansion.“In fact, EV charging load in the BSES area has surged from just 24 MW in FY 2018–19 to over 227 MW today — a nearly nine-fold increase…,” said an official.