Sustainable transportation: Delhi Metro leads by example in green mobility

Due to its swanky, clean and air-conditioned coaches, it is now a lucrative commuting option for office-goers, shoppers, and even college students

The Delhi Metro has completely revolutionised the mass transport system in India, standing out as a shining example of sustainable transportation at a time of rising environmental concerns. Carrying a peak average of over 50 lakh commuters daily, the urban rail network has seamlessly taken several initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint without compromising on its services.

In fact, the United Nations has certified the Delhi Metro as the first metro rail in the world to get carbon credits for reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. The Delhi Metro claims it has helped reduce pollution levels in the city by an estimated 6.3 lakh tons every year.

Since opening its first corridor – between the capital’s Shahdara and Tis Hazari – in December 2002, the Delhi Metro today has a vast network covering areas in Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, and Bahadurgarh and Ballabhgarh in Haryana. Because of its swanky, clean and air-conditioned coaches, it is now a convenient commuting option for office-goers, shoppers, and even college students, especially during the punishing summer months.

One of the greatest benefits of the Delhi Metro perhaps has been reducing the vehicular load on the city roads, although there’s still room for improvement – for example increasing the frequency of trains between Delhi and its satellite cities.

Fig 1: A view of Delhi metro. Credit: PTI Photo

How does Delhi Metro reduce its carbon footprint? What measures has it taken to reduce global warming?

Here are some of them:

Renewal Energy : The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has made serious efforts to meet a large part of its total energy needs through solar energy. It currently gets about 35% of its total energy needs from renewable energy. The corporation aims to ram up this figure to 50% by 2031. A significant part of this energy demand is met by an offshore solar plant in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. DMRC has already installed rooftop solar panels at metro stations and depots. It now plans to install vertical solar panels along its elevated corridors.
Mitigating Air Pollution : Delhi’s geography and its varied climatic conditions undoubtedly play a major role in increasing air pollution in the region. However, vehicular emissions are possibly the next big reason for high air pollution in Delhi-NCR. This situation has arisen due to a rapid growth of private motor vehicles that run on fossil fuels. Delhi Metro plays a crucial role in mitigating this problem by providing an alternative and efficient transportation system. Many people park their vehicles near metro stations and take the rapid rail service to reach their offices daily. To encourage commuters to shift to the cleaner electric vehicles (EVs), many Delhi Metro parking lots now have charging infrastructure.
Fig 2: Metro stations are designed to maximise natural lighting and ventilation. GQ Images
Energy Efficiency Measures : The Delhi Metro employs regenerative braking technology. This unique technology captures the energy produced during braking and reuses it, thereby reducing energy consumption. Moreover, metro stations are designed in a way that maximises natural lighting and ventilation. This minimises the need for artificial lighting and air conditioning. These energy-saving measures enhance the overall sustainability of the metro system and reduce its carbon footprint.
Green Initiatives : Besides installing solar panels, the DMRC has implemented rainwater harvesting systems across metro stations and depots for water conservation. Waste management practices are also integrated into the metro's operations, promoting recycling and reducing waste sent to landfills. It conducts regular campaigns to educate commuters about sustainable practices, including waste segregation, energy conservation, and reducing their carbon footprint.As part of its green initiatives, the Delhi Metro ran a fleet of 100 electric buses to provide last-mile connectivity to commuters. It later decided to hand over them to the Delhi government for better utilisation of the vehicles. The DMRC also runs electric three-wheelers on select routes to provide clean mobility options to commuters. Also, the Delhi Metro has partnered with various service operators for first- & last- mile connectivity like Smarte and ETO Motors.These initiatives demonstrate DMRC's holistic approach to sustainability, making the Delhi Metro a model to be emulated in other parts of the country for reducing pollution and shifting to clean mobility. By harnessing renewable energy and promoting green initiatives, the Delhi Metro has set an inspiring example for other cities to emulate the sustainable transportation system.On the other hand, a 2018 study suggested that the Mumbai Metro was yet to achieve reduction in GHG emissions since a major shift occurred from public transportation. The study, however, said the metro rail can better its emissions reduction record with increase in ridership.However, the DMRC, whose network is stretched over 390 km with 286 stations, can take inspiration from metro/subway systems in more developed cities around the world in reducing its carbon footprint further. For instance, Beijing's metro system, which is Asia’s largest and has a total network of 783 km with 27 lines and 459 stations, helps reduce 73 lakh metric tons of carbon emissions each year if commuters abandon driving and take the rail-based transit system , according to a Chinese state media report.
Similarly, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is responsible for public transportation in New York City including the 399-km-long subway network, says it avoids a net 170 lakh tonnes of GHG emissions annually.

EV Segment	Demand Incentives
Electric 2-wheeler	Purchase incentive of Rs. 5,000/- per kWh of battery capacity; Maximum incentive of Rs. 30,000/- per vehicle Incentive for scrapping and de-registering old ICE two wheelers registered in Delhi: Up to Rs. 5,000/- of the incentive shall be reimbursed by the GNCTD All delivery service providers shall be expected to convert 50% of their fleet operating in Delhi to electric by 3V March, 2023 and 100% by 31st March, 2025.
E-Autos	Open permit system shall be applicable & be given on first-come-first-serve basis; no cap on permits issued to e-autos in Delhi Purchase Incentive of Rs. 30,000/- per vehicle shall be provided by GNCTD Interest subvention of 5% on loans and/or hire purchase scheme for the purchase of an e-auto Incentive for scrapping and de-registering old ICE auto rickshaws registered in Delhi: Up to Rs. 7,500/- of the incentive shall be reimbursed by the GNCTD The auto-rickshaw permits linked to the de-registered ICE vehicle can be surrendered and exchanged for an e-auto permit at no additional cost.
E-rickshaws & E-carts	Purchase Incentive of Rs. 30,000/- per vehicle shall be provided by GNCTD Interest subvention of 5% on loans and/or hire purchase schemes Buses
E-buses	Pure electric buses shall constitute at least 50% of all new stage-carriage buses (i.e., for all public transport vehicles with 15 seats or more) procured for the city fleet including for last-mile connectivity Induction of 1000 pure electric buses by 2020
Goods Carriers	A Purchase Incentive of Rs. 30,000/- to the first 10,000 e-Carriers to be registered in Delhi after the issuance of this policy. Interest subvention of 5% on loans and/or hire purchase schemes. Incentive for scrapping and de-registering old ICE goods carriers registered in Delhi: Up to Rs. 7,500/- of the Incentive shall be reimbursed by the GNCTD Goods carriers (i.e., L5N and N1 type)
Four wheeler	Purchase Incentive of Rs. 10,000/- per kWh of battery capacity Maximum incentive of Rs. 1,50,000/- per vehicle to the registered owners of the first 1000 e-cars to be registered in Delhi after the issuance of this policy

Vehicle Segment	Battery Size in KWH (approx.)	State Subsidy Amount(Rs.)	Total State Subsidy (Rs.)	Maximum ex-factory price to avail incentive (Rs.)
Electric Two wheeler	2 KWH	10000/- per kWh	20000/-	1,50,000
Electric Three wheeler	5 KWH	10000/- per kWh	50000/-	5,00,000
Electric Four wheeler	15 KWH	10000/- per kWh	150000/-	15,00,000

Sr No	Vehicle segment	Number of EVs	State subsidy
1	2W	100	Rs.10,000/- per Kwh of battery capacity subject to a maximum of Rs.30,000/- per vehicle.
2	3W	50	Rs.10,000/- per Kwh of battery capacity subject to a maximum of Rs.50,000/- per vehicle.
3	4W	50	Rs.10,000/- per Kwh of battery capacity subject to a maximum of Rs.2,00,000/- per vehicle

Sr. No	Owner of PCS	Subsidy
1	Retail Outlet of Oil Marketing Companies	15% of the cost of putting up Public Charging Infrastructures and Stations will be reimbursed by the State Govt. in the form of subsidy/ incentive.
2	Local Entrepreneurs	25% of the cost of putting up Public Charging Infrastructures and Stations will be reimbursed by the State Govt. in the form of subsidy/ incentive

Sr No	Vehicle segment	Ceiling for Early Bird	2023 – 2027
1	2W	35	172
2	3W(E-Rickshaw/ E-Cart)	10	40
3	3W	10	40
4	Car(Including Taxis)	40	167
5	Bus	11	49
6	E-4w ([CV, Stage Carriage/Maxi Cabs)	10	41
Total	–	116	509

Sustainable transportation: Delhi Metro leads by example in green mobility

Abhishek Jaiswal

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5 kWh

Sr No	Vehicle Segment	Subsidy (Whichever Is Lower)	Maximum ExShowroom Price to Avail (INR)
1	Two-Wheeler	10% of the Ex-Showroom Price or INR 15,000	1,50,000
2	Three-Wheeler – e Rickshaw / e-cart	10% of the Ex-Showroom Price or INR 30,000	3,00,000
3	Three-Wheeler	10% of the Ex-Showroom Price or INR 50,000	5,00,000
4	Car	10% of the Ex-Showroom Price or INR 2,50,000	25,00,000
5	Bus	25% of the Ex-Showroom Price or INR 50,00,000	2,00,00,000
6	E-4w ([CV, Stage Carriage/Maxi Cabs)	10% of the Ex-Showroom Price or INR 3,00,000	30,00,000

Sr No	Vehicle Segment	Subsidy (Whichever Is Lower)	Maximum ExShowroom Price to Avail (INR)	No of EVs to be subsdised
1	Two-Wheeler	20% of the Ex-Showroom Price or INR 60,000	1,50,000	28
2	Three-Wheeler – e Rickshaw / e-cart	20% of the Ex-Showroom Price or INR 60,000	3,00,000	10
3	Three-Wheeler	20% of the Ex-Showroom Price or INR 1,00,000	5,00,000	10
4	Car	20% of the Ex-Showroom Price or INR 5,00,000	25,00,000	33
5	Bus	50% of the Ex-Showroom Price or INR 1,00,00,000	2,00,00,000	11
6	E-4w ([CV, Stage Carriage/Maxi Cabs)	20% of the Ex-Showroom Price or INR 6,00,000	30,00,000	9
Total				101

Sr. No	Classification of EV	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26	2026-27	Total
1	2W	2,000	8000	20,000	54,000	85,000	1,69,000
2	3W	200	800	2000	4,000	10,000	17,000
3	4W(Non Commercial)	100	400	1400	3,000	7,000	12,000
4	4W(Commercial)	10	40	100	300	650	1,100
5	Buses	10	25	65	200	600	900
	Total						2,00,000

Vehicle Category	Incentive	Maximum Incentive	Number of Electric Vehicles to be incentivized
e-Bicycle	Upfront: 25% of Cost of Bicycle	Rs. 3,000	First 25,000 Bicycle purchased during the policy period
e-2W	Upfront : Fixed Battery: Rs. 5,000/kWh Swappable Battery: Rs. 3000/kWh Scrapping : Rs 5,000	Rs. 30,000 Rs. 15,000 Rs. 5,000	First 10,000 vehicles registered during the policy period
e-Cart	Upfront : Fixed Battery: Rs. 5000/kWh Swappable Battery: Rs. 3000/kWh Retrofit Kit: 15% of cost	Rs. 30,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs.10,000	First 1000 e-Carts registered during the policy period
e-Autos	Upfront : Fixed Battery: Rs. 5000/kWh Swappable Battery: Rs. 3000/kWh Retrofit Kit: 15% of cost Scrapping : Rs 7,500	Rs. 30,000 Rs. 15,000 Rs. 15,000 Rs. 7,500	First 1000 e-Autos registered during the policy period
e-Goods Carrier L5N	Upfront : Fixed Battery: Rs. 5000/kWh Retrofit Kit: 15% of cost Scrapping: 15,000	Rs. 50,000 Rs. 15,000 Rs. 15,000	First 1000 Goods Carrier L5N registered during the policy period
e-Goods Carrier N1	Upfront: Fixed Battery: Rs. 5000/kWh Retrofit Kit: 15% of cost Scrapping: 15,000	Rs. 80,000 Rs. 25,000 Rs. 15,000	First 1000 Goods Carrier N1 registered during the policy period
4 W- e-Cars (Personal)	Upfront: Fixed Battery: Rs. 5,000/kWh Scrapping: 7000	Rs. 1,50,000 Rs. 7,000	First 2000, 4 W- e-Cars (Personal) (including Hybrids as defined in FAME II) registered during the policy period. Applicable only for vehicles with ex showroom price below INR 20 lakhs
4 W- e-Cars (Commercial)	Upfront: Fixed Battery: Rs. 10,000/kWh Scrapping: 7000	Rs. 2,00,000 Rs. 7,000	First 1000, 4 W- e-Cars (Commercial) (including Hybrids as defined in FAME II) registered during the policy period

Vehicle Category	Early Bird Incentive	Maximum Early Bird Incentive
e-Bicycle	Rs. 2000	Rs. 2,000
e-2W, e-Cart, e-Autos, e Goods Carrier (L5N and N1), e-4W (personal & commercial)	Rs 3,500/kWh	Rs. 50,000

Category	Incentive	Maximum Incentive
Private Charging	Infrastructure Incentive: Grant on purchase and installation of charging equipment	Rs. 6,000	Only for the first 30,000 private chargers installed during the policy period.
Public Charging	Reimbursement of GST paid 100% reimbursement of GST paid on the Fast Charging/Swapping Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) procured by private enterprises/individual	Rs. 50,000	Only for the first 50 fast charging /Swapping EVSE installed during the policy period. (Will not be applicable on Chargers under Central Subsidy)
	Upfront electricity infrastructure: Upfront cost on infrastructure for bringing power supply to Electric Vehicle Charging Station	Rs. 5,00,000	Only for the first 50 Public fast Charging/Swapping Stations installed in the state during the policy period. (Will not be applicable on Chargers under Central Subsidy)
	Electricity Duty Exemption: 100% Electricity duty exemption for Public Charging and Swapping stations	For policy period	For policy period

Sr. No	Vehicle segment	Incentive available	Number of vehicles to be incentivised	Maximum incentive per vehicle
1	e-2W (L1 & L2)	INR 5000/kwh	1,00,000	10,000
2	e-3W autos (L5M)	INR 5000/kwh	15,000	30,000
3	e-3W goods carrier (L5N)	INR 5000/kwh	10,000	30,000
4	e-4W cars (M1)	INR 5000/kwh	10,000	1,50,000
5	e-4W goods carrier (N1)	INR 5000/kwh	10,000	1,00,000
6	e-buses* (SRTu)	10% vehicle cos (ex factory)	1000	20,00,000

Road Tax / Vehicle Registration Fees	Manufactured within the State	Manufactured outside the State
Exemption on Road Tax	100% exemption for first 10,000 buyers 75% exemption for 10,001-15000 buyers 25 % exemption after 15000 buyers upto policy period	25% upto policy period
Exemption from Vehicle Registration Fees	100% exemption for first 10,000 buyers 75% exemption for 10,001-15000 buyers 25 % exemption after 15000 buyers upto policy period	25% upto policy period

S No	Type of PCS/SPCS	Incentive amount	Maximum Incentive available per PCS/SPCS	Max number of PCS/SPCS to be incentivised
1	Slow	60% of the cost	INR 10,000	15,000
2	Moderate/Fast	50% of the cost	INR 5,00,000	500
3	Solar Based fast#	70% of the cost	INR 7,00,000	500

Type of Unit	Max Limit	Max Admissible Subsidy
Micro	30% of FCI	Rs 2 Cr
Small		Rs 7 Cr
Medium		Rs 15 Cr
Non MSME		Rs 30 Cr

Criteria	Threshold Value
Min. top speed	40km/hour
Min. acceleration	0.65m/s2
Max. electric energy consumption	Not exceeding 7kWh/ 100km
Warranty	At least 3 years comprehensive warranty including that of battery from the manufacturer

Incentives Description	Incentives
Assured Buyback	6% of total vehicle cost capped at INR 10,000/-
Battery warranty of at least 5 years	4% of total vehicle cost capped at INR 6,000/-

Vehicle Segment	Max vehicle to be supported	Approx. battery size	Approx incentive @10,000 per kWh
Electric 2 wheeler	24,000	2 kWh	20,000/-
Electric 3 wheeler	70,000	5 kWh	50,000/-
Electric 4 wheeler	4000	15 kWh	150,000/-
4 wheeler (SHEV)	1000	1.3 kwh	13,000/-
Electric bus	1000	250 kwh	25,00,000/-

Criteria	Threshold value
Min. top speed	40 km/hr
Min. acceleration	0.65 m/s2
Max. electric energy consumption Not exceeding	7 kWh/100km
Warranty	At least 3 years comprehensive warranty including that of battery from the manufacturer

Sr No	Vehicle Segment	Incentives
1	Assured Buyback,	6% of total vehicle cost capped at INR 10,000/-
2	Battery warranty of at least 5 years	4% of total vehicle cost capped at INR 6,000/-

Category of vehicle	% Of subsidy	The maximum amount of subsidy
Electric Two-wheelers	15%	Rs. 5000/-
Electric Three-wheelers	15%	Rs.12,000/-
Electric Four Wheelers	15%	Rs. 1,00,000/-

Vehicle Segment	Incentive Available ( INR)	No. of Vehicles to be Incentivized	Maximum Incentive per Vehicle (INR)
Electric Two Wheeler (L1 & L2)	5000/kwh	1,00,000	10,000
Electric 3 Wheeler autos (L5M)	5000/kwh	15,000	30,000
Electric 3 Wheeler goods carrier (L5N)	5000/kwh	10,000	30,000
Electric 4 Wheeler cars (M1)	5000/kwh	10,000	1,50,000
Electric 4 Wheeler goods carrier (N1)	5000/kwh	10,000	1,00,000
Electric buses	10% of vehicle Cost	1,000	20,00,000

Vehicle Segment	Scrappage Incentive
Electric Two-Wheeler	INR 7,000
Electric Three-Wheeler	INR 15,000
Electric Four Wheeler	INR 25,000

CHARGING STATION	Incentive
Small Charging Stations	Capital Subsidy of 25% of the value of the charging equipment/machinery for first 300 charging stations up to a Maximum subsidy of INR 1,50,000
Medium Charging Stations	Capital Subsidy of 25% of the value of the charging equipment/machinery for the first 100 stations up to a Maximum subsidy of INR 2,00,000.
Large Charging Stations	Capital Subsidy of 25% of the value of the charging equipment/machinery for the first 100 stations up to a Maximum subsidy of INR 10,00,000.

Vehicle Segment	State Subsidy Amount (in Rs.)	Max ex-factory price to avail incentive (in Rs.)
2 wheeler	Rs. 10,000/- per kWh	1,.50,000
3 wheeler	Rs. 10,000/- per kWh	5,00,000
4-Wheeler	Rs. 10,000/- per kWh	15,00,000