Delhi govt to build EV charging stations at all state-run offices

In a bid to make Delhi the Electric Vehicle Capital of India, the city government has decided to build electric vehicle charging stations at all government offices in the national capital which will be ready in three months.

Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said government employees will be able to charge their electric vehicles (EVs) during work hours.

"Electric vehicles are being promoted rapidly throughout Delhi in order to implement the vision of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In Delhi, electric vehicle charging stations are being built speedily," he said, adding that these stations will now be installed in all government offices.

"The general public, in addition to government employees, will also be able to charge their vehicles here," the minister added.

According to the order issued by the Delhi government, all departments under it must identify suitable locations and install public charging stations on their premises. Within three months, electric vehicle charging stations will be installed in all government buildings, it said.

A subsidy of Rs 6,000 per charging point will be provided for the establishment of an electric vehicle charging station through a discom-empanelled vendor, it said.

The transport department, in collaboration with Delhi discoms, has established a single point of contact. The single window process can be used to install EV chargers from discom-empanelled vendors at reduced and low tariffs.

To promote electric mobility, the Kejriwal government has directed all departments to install EV charging stations in their respective government buildings.

In the September-November quarter, electric vehicle sales in Delhi outperformed the sales of CNG and diesel vehicles, an official statement said.

In September and November 2021, EV sales in Delhi increased by 9.2 per cent. CNG vehicle sales, on the other hand, fell by 6.5 per cent in November. During this time, a total of 9,540 electric vehicles were sold. In September, 2,873 were sold, 3,275 in October, and 3,392 vehicles in November. Following fuel-based vehicles in the list, electric vehicle sales have risen to second place, it said.