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It has been recommended to increase funds in the EV Policy 2.0 being made by the government. Rs 5 crore for research and development ₹100 crore for a strong electric vehicle ecosystem in the city.
Strengthening public charging infrastructure through 1,000 stations with Rs 15 lakh each is another important recommendation for the updated policy.
The government has extended the existing policy till March next year. Officials said that after Cabinet approval, EV Policy 2.0 will be implemented from the next financial year.
The new policy regime also proposes to set up mass battery swapping stations at 1,000 locations, with an incentive of Rs 6 lakh for each unit.
Additionally, the recommendations include setting up 15,000 AC charging points and 2,000 DC charging points with a total outlay of Rs 8 crore.
Retrofitting is another focus area of the policy being worked on by the government, which hopes to facilitate 50,000 retrofits to convert existing conventional vehicles into electric cars with an outlay of Rs 5 crore.
Converting vehicles equipped with conventional internal combustion engines to electric vehicles through electric motors and batteries requires extensive changes.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had earlier said that a broad outline of EV Policy 2.0 has been prepared by the government and it is likely to be implemented from the next financial year.
He said the Delhi government is focusing on financial incentives, expansion of charging infrastructure and removal of highly polluting vehicles from the roads to reduce pollution levels and make EV adoption seamless.
The Chief Minister had said that adequate subsidy would be provided under the new EV policy to bridge the gap between petrol and diesel vehicles. Road tax and registration fees for EVs are already exempted under the current policy.
The new policy is also expected to introduce an incentive scheme under which vehicle owners can get financial assistance in case of scrapping and purchasing EVs.
He had said that public charging points would be set up near major public places and residential colonies, along with facilities for battery swapping and scientific disposal of old batteries.