Delhi’s EV Push and the Air Pollution Puzzle: Why Adoption Alone Isn’t Enough

The Delhi government’s decision to roll out a revamped electric vehicle (EV) policy next year reflects both progress in clean mobility and the limits of relying on EV adoption as a standalone solution to air pollution. Five years after Delhi notified its first EV policy, the city has learned a hard lesson: cleaner vehicles do not automatically mean cleaner air unless they replace the dirtiest ones and are backed by strict enforcement and regional coordination.

What Delhi’s first EV policy achieved — and what it didn’t

Delhi’s 2020 EV policy was among the most ambitious in the country. It set a target of making 25% of all new vehicle registrations electric by 2024. That milestone was not achieved. EVs now account for a little over 12% of new registrations — a notable jump, but far short of the original goal.

More importantly, this uptake has not translated into visible improvements in Delhi’s winter air quality. Smog episodes remain as severe as before, underscoring a disconnect between EV adoption figures and pollution outcomes.

Why EV growth hasn’t cleaned Delhi’s air

The core problem lies in the composition of Delhi’s vehicle fleet. Most EV adoption has occurred in the two- and three-wheeler segments, which already have relatively low per-vehicle emission intensity. Meanwhile, the most polluting vehicles — old diesel trucks, buses, and cars — have largely stayed on the road.

Data submitted to the Commission for Air Quality Management shows that nearly 37% of vehicles in the Delhi–NCR still run on BS-III or older engines. These vehicles contribute disproportionately to particulate pollution, especially during winter inversions. In effect, EVs have been added to the transport system without a corresponding exit of the worst polluters.

The scrappage gap and the Supreme Court’s intervention

This failure to retire old vehicles has drawn judicial scrutiny. Recently, the Supreme Court of India lifted a ban it had imposed on the Delhi government for weak enforcement against end-of-life vehicles. The court clarified that only vehicles with BS-IV-compliant engines and above would be exempt from action, narrowing the grey zone created by earlier age-based rules for petrol and diesel vehicles.

The clarification followed evidence that BS-II and BS-III vehicles — which typically fall under the 10-year diesel and 15-year petrol categories — are among the biggest contributors to Delhi’s winter smog. Without credible and sustained scrapping enforcement, the pollution benefits of EV adoption will remain marginal.

What the revamped EV policy aims to change

The upcoming EV policy marks a shift from a narrow focus on purchase subsidies to a more systemic approach. Key elements under consideration include:

• Linking EV incentives directly with the scrapping of old vehicles
• Expanding neighbourhood-level charging infrastructure
• Continuing waivers on road tax and registration fees
• Supporting battery-swapping models to reduce upfront costs

By tying financial incentives to vehicle retirement, the policy attempts to ensure that clean vehicles actually replace dirty ones, rather than simply adding to overall vehicle numbers.

Delhi cannot clean its air alone

Another structural constraint is geography. Delhi sits within a shared air basin that includes large parts of the National Capital Region. Pollution generated outside the city’s borders routinely drifts in, limiting the gains from city-only measures.

This makes coordination with neighbouring states essential. Uttar Pradesh, for instance, has pursued a more aggressive EV and hybrid policy, combining tax exemptions, purchase incentives and charging-infrastructure subsidies. This has accelerated adoption and expanded charging networks, generating spillover benefits for the wider NCR. Delhi’s revamped policy will work better if it aligns with such regional efforts rather than operating in isolation.

Why subsidy design will determine success

If Delhi wants measurable air-quality gains, how it spends public money will matter as much as how much it spends. Subsidies need to be targeted, time-bound, and explicitly linked to pollution reduction.

Priority should shift toward:

• High-mileage commercial fleets
• Public transport buses and last-mile delivery vehicles
• Replacement of old diesel vehicles, where emission reduction per rupee is highest

At the same time, stronger disincentives for internal combustion engine vehicles — through higher registration fees, congestion pricing, and strict enforcement of end-of-life norms — are essential. Without these push factors, EVs risk remaining a parallel fleet rather than a substitute for polluting vehicles.

From EV numbers to clean-air outcomes

Delhi’s experience highlights a broader policy lesson: clean mobility is not just about accelerating EV sales, but about reshaping the entire transport ecosystem. EVs can play a central role, but only when combined with aggressive scrappage, regional coordination, and incentives that prioritise pollution reduction over headline adoption figures.

The revamped EV policy has the opportunity to correct these design flaws. Whether it delivers cleaner air will depend on whether Delhi uses it to finally force the exit of its dirtiest vehicles — not just welcome cleaner ones onto already crowded roads.