NEW DELHI: The Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDC) and World Resources Institute, India (WRI India) will be launching the 'EV Charging Guidebook for Shopping Malls in Delhi' to simplify and enable adoption of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging in the parking space of shopping malls.
The guidebook will be launched on February 4 at 11 am in the presence of Jasmine Shah, VC, DDC Delhi, Amit Bhatt, Executive Director (Integrated Transport), WRI India and members of shopping mall associations in Delhi.
The AAP-led government had announced Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy in August 2020, with a vision to promote adoption of EVs and to make Delhi the EV Capital of India. The policy aims to improve the city's AQI by driving the transition to EVs, so they can reach 25 per cent of new vehicle registrations by 2024.
In line with this vision, the state government had taken several steps, including the provision of subsidies on purchase of EVs, directing all commercial establishments with a parking capacity of 100 or more vehicles to reserve 5 per cent parking space for EVs with EV chargers, and a single-window facility to install EV charging points in private and semi-public spaces.
The single-window facility has made the installation of EV charging points in Delhi very convenient as these can be installed in malls or any commercial area for as low as Rs 2,495. Between September-November 2021, EVs accounted for 9 per cent of vehicle sales in Delhi, while the national average was 1.6 per cent.
Shah said: "By launching this step-by-step guidebook, the Delhi government aims to become India's first state government to make shopping malls an integral part of the EV movement. By setting up EV charging points, the malls will be contributing towards a clean, pollution-free Delhi. We want malls in Delhi to set the benchmark for malls across India."