It was way back in 2001 when the first steps to curb pollution emerging from vehicles in Delhi was taken. The Supreme Court set March 31, 2001, as the deadline for Delhi to transition from petrol autos and diesel-run buses to compressed natural gas (CNG). In the 1998 verdict, the court noted that vehicular pollution contributed 70 per cent to air pollution then, compared to 20 per cent in 1970 and ordered immediate actions to “arrest the growing pollution of air”.
Despite the measures, the national capital continued to choke year after year. A grey haze between November and January became the new normal. The quality of air has worsened in recent years with the dangerously high Air Quality Index (AQI) making headlines every day in winter.
A January 2026 Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas report pointed out that transport repeatedly emerged as the most prominent pollution source within Delhi. “The transport source category includes off- and on-road vehicles; petrol, diesel and CNG-powered vehicles. Tailpipe emissions from vehicles constitute a major source of urban air pollution,” the report said.
It was time for another transition. Twenty-five years since the petrol-to-CNG shift, Delhi is pushing for another technological transition—from CNG autos to electric mobility, a change envisioned under the Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy, 2026, also known as EV Policy 2.0, which came into effect on July 1, 2026.
Delhi’s EV Journey
The first EV policy was announced in 2020. It envisaged that by 2024, one out of every four vehicles sold in Delhi would be an EV. As per the data by Vahan, a central government vehicle data repository, in 2024, of 7.11 lakh total registrations, only 85,377 vehicles—or 12 per cent— in Delhi were EV and battery-operated. Despite a 42 per cent increase in EV registrations over the year, in 2025, of the total 8.18 lakh vehicles registered, only 1.21 lakh were pure EVs, hybrid EVs and battery-operated—about 15 per cent, well short of the target of 25 per cent. The EV push could not meet the expectations of the first EV policy. Hence, EV Policy 2.0 came into effect. It runs until March 31, 2030, with a Rs 15,000 crore outlay.
The new policy mandates a gradual shift towards electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers and commercial vehicles, while offering subsidies and tax exemptions. From January 1, 2027, only electric three-wheelers and goods carriers will be allowed for new registration in Delhi and from April 1, 2028, only electric two-wheelers will be registered. While the existing set of vehicles won’t be immediately taken off the road, the new vehicles will have to be electric.
The government says the “simpler and more rewarding” EV policy will ease the process of going electric.
“By making clean mobility more accessible and practical, we are building a capital that is healthier, more resilient and ready for the next generation,” Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said while launching the scheme. The government believes that the true success of this policy will be measured not by the number of EVs on the road, but by the quality of life they create for every Delhiite.
Why Two-Wheelers?
This is for the first time that the two-wheelers were covered in the reforms. While the earlier policy incentivised electric two-wheelers, the 2026 policy goes a step further by allowing only electric two-wheelers from April 1, 2028.
So far, bikes and scooters were almost always exempted from all anti-pollution measures.
The new policy mandates a gradual shift towards electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers and commercial vehicles, while offering subsidies and tax exemptions.
A report from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in April 2026 pointed out that when Delhi implemented the odd-even scheme five times from January 2017 to March 2020, two-wheelers were always exempted, “which defeated the objective of the scheme”. The audit observed that 75.56 lakh two-wheelers (66 per cent of total registered vehicles in 2019) were plying even on days with peak pollution levels. In 2025, out of the 8.18 lakh vehicles registered in Delhi, 5.32 lakh were two-wheelers. The 2024 number stood at 4.48 lakh.
The EV Policy 2.0 noted that as of date, two-wheelers constitute about 67 per cent of the total vehicle stock in Delhi, “making their rapid electrification critical for achieving meaningful reductions in vehicular emissions”. It also says that three-wheelers, commercial cars and goods vehicles “exhibit high daily utilisation and mileage, resulting in a disproportionate contribution to urban air pollution” and adds “accordingly, prioritised electrification of these vehicle segments is essential to achieve sustained improvements in air quality in Delhi”.
So, will this be the end of petrol vehicles? Delhi cabinet minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said “no” in a social-media post. However, the policy notification said the Delhi government “intends” to bring out “electrification mandates” for four-wheelers in future as well as aim to make a framework for disincentivising polluting vehicles that use inefficient fuels.
The Road Ahead
The CAG report found no significant reduction in Delhi’s pollution levels between 2016 and 2020, except during the Covid-19 lockdown, indicating that the measures adopted during the period did not lead to sustained improvements in air quality. This new policy reminds one of the measures the national capital has taken since 2000. Delhi has moved from petrol autos and diesel buses towards CNG, banned end-of-life vehicles and now this push for EVs. In terms of reforms, the attempts have been concerted. It remains to be seen if this latest reform will achieve its target by 2030.
(This story appeared in Outlook magazine’s August 3 issue, 'The AI Divide', which focuses on how India's AI education ambitions are colliding with the reality of inadequate digital infrastructure, undertrained teachers and AI tools that are not built around Indian students' cultural context)
