Delhi To Ban Petrol-Powered Motorcycles & Scooters? EV Policy 2.0 Explained

With an aim to reduce the air pollution issues, the Delhi government is working on an Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2.0 and one of the key focuses is to replace ICE-powered two-wheelers with electric ones. One of the suggestions is to stop new registrations of petrol and CNG-powered motorcycles and scooters from August 15, 2026.

The above decision means from commuters such as the Hero Splendor, Honda Activa to a Ducati Panigale V4, two-wheeler buyers in the capital wouldn’t be able to purchase any of the above. The Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2.0 will also affect the world’s only production CNG motorcycle - the Bajaj Freedom. However, there are reports that the EV 2.0 policy has not yet been formally notified and officials are still considering whether the ICE two-wheeler ban might be revised before submitting it for a cabinet approval. The Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2.0 is expected to be officially announced by April 15, 2025.

The whole idea of the government is to push the consumers to adopt electric two-wheelers, the adoption for which has been very slow. Since 2020, Delhi has managed to register 26,787 vehicles, the initial plan was to ensure 35 per cent of the vehicles sold to be EVs by 2024. However, currently it’s between 13-14 per cent and the new draft policy aims to increase this number to 95 per cent by 2027.

Banning ICE-powered two-wheelers isn’t the correct decision as with the current BSVI emission norms, the new age engines are much cleaner with respect to emissions compared to their predecessors. Also, ICE-powered two-wheelers are more affordable and one doesn’t have the range anxiety associated with EVs. Another big challenge is charging as not everyone has their own private parking space to charge electric two-wheelers and the current charging infrastructure isn’t up to the mark. Also, the above will take a toll on the many ICE-powered two-wheeler brands and dealerships in the national capital.