Delhi EV Policy 2.0: Non-EV Bike Registrations To Stop From August 2026? Here’s What We Think

Recently, rumours have been going around that Delhi’s upcoming Electric Vehicles Policy 2.0 proposes an end to registrations of non-electric bikes and scooters in the union territory from August 2026. The proposed policy is reportedly being tabled at the cabinet. At this point, this is still a proposal, an ambitious one at that.

It’s also reported that the policy aims to establish more than 13,200 charging stations in Delhi, ensuring a charging facility is available every 5km. However, the ground reality is far from that. It’s reported that as per the previous policy, 48,000 charging points were supposed to be set up, but only 10% have been covered so far. 

Our Opinion

As per the Vahan portal, Delhi witnessed more than 4.48 lakh registrations of two-wheelers in total in 2024. Though EVs make up for a fraction of the total registrations, customers buy petrol-powered two-wheelers mainly because they are extremely affordable for the performance they offer, and also have plenty of range while having practically negligible downtimes. 

But that doesn’t mean that EVs make no sense. The Indian electric scooter segment is growing at an extremely rapid pace with a number of both startups and legacy players vying for a share of the pie. Most of the electric scooters are as practical, if not better when compared to petrol-powered two-wheelers. Most of them also offer decent range, at least for city commutes. On the other hand, the electric motorcycle industry is still fledgling as the range is nowhere nearly as comparable to 100cc commuter bikes that routinely give over 600km on a tankful.   

We believe the achievements of current and previous policies should be reviewed and an achievable plan has to be formulated. Gradually phasing out two-wheelers, starting with the scooter segment would be a better way to go rather than an outright end to two-wheeler registrations as a whole. Moreover, if the rumoured proposal is enforced, there will definitely be push-back from manufacturers in the form of appeals. 

Additionally, the proposal also reportedly includes CNG two-wheelers under its ambit. At the moment, there’s only one two-wheeler available that runs on CNG, which is the Bajaj Freedom 125. The bike is currently available only in Maharashtra and Gujarat, with more cities in the pipeline. Delhi has a good CNG network, so Bajaj may not be happy if CNG bike registrations in the city are ceased even before Bajaj could make a move. We feel CNG seems to be a good half-way compromise between going full electric (at least in the commuter space) as e-bikes with good range generally are quite expensive. 

While these proposals make good headlines, it’s prudent to note that none of them are actually enforced as yet, so it’s only a matter of time until smog clears (pun intended).

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