In a major electric vehicle push, the Delhi government has given a target to all commercial aggregators engaged in passenger, delivery, and good carrier services for mandatory transition from commercial and conventional vehicles to electric. The aggregators, however, providing bike taxis and rent-a-bike services will have to run only e-bikes for passenger services once the policy is implemented. Talking about the draft scheme, transport minister Kailash Gahlot said that Delhi has achieved another milestone with this scheme. “For the first time in India, a state has given targets to the aggregator to electrify their fleets and regulate such service providers in the city, with an aim to ensure safety of passengers and reduce pollution with sustainable public transportation in the city,” he said. To avoid challenges this might pose for livelihood, the government has given a certain period to aggregators for transition. For example, 5 per cent of the new onboarded cars need to be electric in the first six months after the implementation of the scheme. The two-wheelers (goods carriers) and three-wheelers (passenger and good carriers) will have to be converted at a 10 per cent rate. After four years from its notification, all new commercial two-wheelers and three-wheelers will need to be 100 per cent EVs. Similarly, five years from the date of implementation, all new commercial four-wheelers need to be EVs. The aggregator and delivery service provider shall also be mandated to switch to an all-electric fleet by April 1, 2030. The scheme lays the foundation for a regulatory provision for bike taxis and rent-a-bike services. It states that Delhi has never permitted bike taxis to operate in the city and as under the new policy, all bike taxis and two-wheeler renting services in the city shall only be via electric two-wheelers. These provisions are in line with the Delhi EV policy 2020, said officials. Gahlot added, “We have introduced a ‘polluter pays’ principle, where onboarding of any electric vehicle will have zero licence fee.”This will make the per vehicle licence fee for a conventional vehicle significantly higher than an EV. For instance, the licence fee for an electric taxi may be zero but the licence fee for a CNG taxi may be as high as Rs 650. Secondly, all licence fees and penalties under the scheme shall also be credited to the state EV fund, which in turn supports all EV promotional activity, said official.
