The Switch Delhi campaign, which was launched by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday, aims at promoting the use of electric vehicles in the city. In a series of tweets, Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot highlighted some of the monetary benefits of moving to a scooter with an electric powertrain.
“Kickstarting Switch Delhi campaign’s first week with the two-wheeler segment. By switching to electric two-wheelers, you can make an annual saving of ₹22,000 as compared to using a petrol scooter and ₹20,000 as compared to a petrol bike,” he tweeted.
In another tweet, he said, “Apart from financial benefits that consumers get, there are significant environmental benefits. An average electric two-wheeler provides a lifetime savings of 1.98 tonnes of carbon emissions as compared to an average petrol two-wheeler, which is equivalent to planting 11 trees.”
A statement issued by the office of the Transport Minister claimed that the first week of the Switch Delhi campaign will focus on outreach regarding the two-wheeler segment including electric bikes and e-scooters to accelerate its adoption.
“Delhi’s EV Policy especially focuses on incentivizing the purchase of two-wheelers, which comprise 2/3rd of all vehicles in Delhi and cause maximum pollution,” the statement read.
The Switch Delhi campaign is an eight-week electric vehicle mass awareness campaign to sensitise each and every people of Delhi about the benefits of switching to electric vehicles.
EV startups have congratulated the Delhi government on the initiative. Jeetender Sharma, MD & Founder, Okinawa Autotech, stated, “We are glad to see the Delhi government’s continued commitment towards making Delhi the EV capital. That said, switching to electric vehicles is the environmentally positive change that individuals and businesses aim to pledge today. Therefore, we are certain that this mass awareness campaign would provide the much-required impetus to accelerate the adoption of EVs in the national capital. The government is doing a commendable job in nurturing a supportive ecosystem and awareness amongst individuals and businesses will only ensure deeper penetration of EVs and in turn revolutionise mobility. As an OEM, Okinawa is geared up to meet the mushrooming demand with an extensive line-up of products backed by one of the widest distribution networks in the country.”
