CAQM meeting on 2027 EV mandate ends in deadlock as industry criticises lack of dialogue and data support.
A meeting of an expert committee established by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), held on Friday to discuss mandating EVs for taxis by 2027 and private cars by 2030 in the NCR region, ended in a stalemate after a stormy session with industry representatives.
According to industry sources, the chairman of the committee, Ashok Jhunjhunwala from IIT Madras, appeared “dismissive” of their views.
They noted that the meeting failed to be productive because it lacked two-way discussion, resulting in the chairman dominating the floor.
When contacted, Jhunjhunwala refused to comment on the proceedings.
“We do not talk to the press about CAQM internal meetings,” Jhunjhunwala told businessline.
The industry representatives had a lot of grievances about the meeting.
“Although the meeting was convened to gather industry views and provide clarifications, it devolved into a one-sided conversation. When we inquired whether the CAQM possessed any studies or data to support mandating EVs by next year, they offered no response. Similarly, they were unable to provide a scientific basis or any reports regarding the adequacy of public charging infrastructure,” an industry representative, who was part of the meeting, told businessline.
Industry representatives said they acknowledge the severity of Delhi’s air pollution but wanted to emphasise in the meeting the need for practical mitigation strategies.
Standalone solution
Their argument is that an EV mandate is not a standalone solution for the region’s air quality issues. “But there was no reasonable discussion on this,” said an industry source.
Industry representatives tried to underline that regulations such as Bharat Stage-6 and Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) norms, and other technologies like CNG and hybrid vehicles are available, primarily for the purpose of bringing down pollution.
However, the CAQM committee is understood to be considering a proposal to allow only zero tailpipe emission (ZTE) four-wheeler taxis, effectively zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), be registered in Delhi-NCR from April 1, 2027, and all private vehicles too ZTEs from April 2030.
“Some representatives also raised concerns about taxi aggregators registering vehicles outside the Delhi-NCR to operate them here, a point to which there was also no response,” said an industry source.
(With inputs from Sindhu Hariharan in Chennai)
Published on February 27, 2026
