The Delhi government has announced that it is launching a guidebook to simplify and enable the adoption of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging in parking lots of shopping malls in the city, a move aimed at promoting clean energy.

The document, to be launched on February 4 by the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDC) and World Resources Institute (WRI), India, guides shopping mall owners in understanding the importance and assessing the scope for EV charging.

It also details the processes involved for effective decision-making and sets out the way forward for the planning and implementation of EV charging stations in parking areas of the malls, the government said in a statement.

The guidebook launch event will be attended by Jasmine Shah, Vice-Chairperson, DDC Delhi, Amit Bhatt, Executive Director (Integrated Transport), WRI India and members of various shopping mall associations in Delhi.

The city government announced the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy in August 2020, with the aim to promote the adoption of electric vehicles in the city and to make Delhi the EV Capital of India. The policy aims to improve Delhi’s air quality by driving the transition to electric vehicles so that they can reach 25 per cent of all new vehicle registrations by 2024.

In line with this vision, the Delhi government has taken several steps, including providing subsidies on purchase of EVs, directing all commercial establishments with a parking capacity of 100 or more vehicles to reserve 5 per cent of their parking space for EVs with suitable chargers, and the launch of a single-window facility to enable the installation of EV charging points in private and semi-public spaces in the city.

The single-window facility has made the installation of EV charging points in Delhi very convenient and charging points can be installed in malls or any commercial area for as low as Rs 2,495 for slow chargers.

The government said Delhi is witnessing a rapid transition to electric vehicles. Between September and November 2021, EVs accounted for 9 per cent of the vehicle sales in Delhi, while the national average was 1.6 per cent.

DDC Vice Chairperson Shah said: “Under the vision set by CM Arvind Kejriwal of making Delhi the EV capital of India, the Delhi government has taken many pioneering steps to promote adoption of EVs and build charging infrastructure at mass scale. By launching this step-by-step guidebook, the Delhi government aims to become the first state government in India to make shopping malls an integral part of the EV movement.”

“Mall owners are crucial stakeholders in the development of Delhi, and therefore, by setting up EV charging points, malls will be contributing towards ensuring a clean and pollution-free Delhi. We want shopping malls in Delhi to set the benchmark for malls across India. Availability of EV charging infrastructure at shopping malls will go a long way in making people feel more confident to adopt EVs and will create an enabling environment for a transition towards EV,” he added.