Delhi's public EV-charging build-out has just lost one of its biggest procedural roadblocks. The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) issued the Delhi Electricity Supply Code and Performance Standards (Removal of Difficulty) Fourth Order, 2026 on July 1, 2026, settling exactly how the cost of upstream electricity infrastructure for charging stations under the central PM E-Drive scheme is to be recovered — and making sure none of it lands on ordinary electricity consumers.
What the order says
Discoms must now include the complete cost of upstream infrastructure — transformers, cables and control systems — in the demand notes they issue to charge-point operators (CPOs) or the State Nodal Agency for every public charging station, battery-swapping station and battery-charging station sanctioned under PM E-Drive. That cost is then met through the scheme, which funds up to 70% of upstream network development, rather than being socialised across Delhi's general power tariffs. Delhi Transco Limited has been made the monitor: it will keep a consolidated record of approved locations, demand notes and payments, and report progress to DERC every quarter.
Why this was needed
CPOs in Delhi had repeatedly faced delays in claiming the PM E-Drive upstream-infrastructure subsidy because there was no settled procedure for how discoms should raise and recover these costs — an issue Delhi Transco itself flagged in May 2026. With demand notes now standardised and a named agency tracking every project, sanctioned stations should move from paperwork to commissioning faster. The order also dovetails with Delhi's EV Policy 2026, in force since the same day, which leans heavily on public charging and battery-swapping to hit its adoption targets.
What it means if you're building or buying
For entrepreneurs, clearer cost recovery lowers one of the murkiest line items in a charging-station business plan — our guides on setting up an EV charging station in India and charging-station subsidies cover the full economics. For EV owners, more commissioned public chargers in Delhi means less range anxiety — check what a home setup costs in our home-charging cost guide while the public network catches up.
Sources
DERC order details and Delhi Transco monitoring provisions as reported by EMobility+ · The Daily Pioneer · Electrical Mirror