Delhi’s EV boom runs on illegal charging stations

This article was originally published in Rest of World, which covers technology’s impact outside the West.

India’s pollution-choked capital city is making a big push for electric vehicles, but much of the adoption is powered by illegal means in the absence of adequate government support.

Late last year, Delhi emerged as the leader in EV adoption in India: 11.5% of its vehicles were electric. This transition has been driven by Delhi’s “multi-segment adoption”, according to a report co-authored by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, a nongovernmental trade association. Studies show that a majority of the EVs operating in Delhi are e-rickshaws – lightweight three-wheelers used as shared transport for short rides.

Local government policies for EVs, however, have provided scant support for these vehicles, forcing e-rickshaw drivers to improvise with makeshift, illegal, and dangerous solutions. The informal ecosystem arose because Delhi’s current EV policy largely benefits four-wheelers, even though their adoption rate is much lower, mobility experts told Rest of World.

Despite forming a significant portion of Delhi’s EV ecosystem, most e-rickshaws “operate in the informal economy”, said Aravind Unni, an urban policy expert. “Since they largely cater to lower-income groups and last-mile connectivity, their inclusion requires policy measures that address informality, financing challenges, and infrastructural support, which the current...

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