DDC Delhi and WRI India to launch the ‘EV Charging Guidebook for Shopping Malls in Delhi’ on 4th February
Mall owners are crucial stakeholders in the development of Delhi, and by setting up EV charging points, malls will be contributing towards ensuring a clean and pollution-free Delhi: Jasmine Shah
Delhi government’s single-window facility enables convenient installation of EV charging points for as low as INR 2,495 for slow chargers
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 in Delhi.
The guidebook will be launched on 4th February (Friday) at 11 AM in the presence of Shri Jasmine Shah, Vice-Chairperson, DDC Delhi, Shri Amit Bhatt, Executive Director (Integrated Transport), WRI India and members of various shopping mall associations in Delhi.
The document guides shopping mall owners in understanding the importance of EV charging, assessing the scope for EV charging, details the processes involved for effective decision-making and sets out the way forward for the planning and implementation of EV charging stations in the parking areas of the malls.
The Delhi Government announced the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy in August 2020, with a vision 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% of all new vehicle registrations by 2024.
In line with this vision, Delhi Government has 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% of their parking space for EVs with suitable EV 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 INR 2,495 for slow chargers.
Owing to these progressive decisions, Delhi is witnessing a rapid transition to electric vehicles. Between September and November 2021, EVs accounted for 9% of the vehicle sales in Delhi, while the national average was 1.6%.
Shri Jasmine Shah said, “Under the vision set by CM Arvind Kejriwal of making Delhi the EV capital of India, 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.”
Shri Shah said, “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 transition towards EV.”
Amit Bhatt, Executive Director (Integrated Transport), WRI India said, “Studies show that on an average, a customer spends around 90 minutes inside a shopping mall in Delhi. This provides ample time for charging an electric vehicle. As the impact of coronavirus reduces, the shopping malls will rebound in traffic. Therefore, this will be the perfect time to include EV charging as part of the overall shopping experience. It can be a win-win for both mall developers and customers. While the customers can get their vehicle charged during shopping, the malls can get additional demand that will put them in a premium category.”