Power thefts plague Delhi’s green mobility
Growing concern for Delhi’s power grid
E-rickshaw consumes around 7-10 units of electricity daily adding up to 2,500-3,600 units annually (Photo: Masrat Nabi)
Delhi's shift to e-mobility has sparked concerns over the growing issue of illegal recharging of e-rickshaw batteries as unregulated practices are straining the city's power system, raising questions about the readiness and sustainability of this green transportation revolution.

E-rickshaw consumes around 7-10 units of electricity daily adding up to 2,500-3,600 units annually (Photo: Masrat Nabi)
Even as e-rickshaws have become a common sight across Delhi, a darker side of this green transition has recently resurfaced. Illegal recharging practices are creating widespread disruptions, straining the power grid, and posing serious safety risks. The lack of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure underscores the challenges of supporting sustainable e-mobility in a city unprepared for its rapid adoption.
Delhi’s transition to e-mobility has come with unintended consequences. While e-rickshaws are celebrated for their eco-friendliness, there is a rampant power theft for charging these vehicles and which paints a grim picture of the city’s readiness to support sustainable transportation. With nearly 60 pc of Delhi’s estimated 160,000 e-rickshaws dependent on illegal power sources, the city’s power distribution companies are incurring annual losses of INR 1.2 billion says Discom.
This unchecked theft not only destabilises the power grid but also compromises safety and fairness in the system, raising serious concerns about the sustainability of the e-rickshaw boom.
According to reports from Mercom India and the Energy News Monitor, an average e-rickshaw consumes around 7-10 units of electricity daily, adding up to 2,500-3,600 units annually. With over 60 pc of these vehicles relying on illegal charging points, the impact on the power grid is massive.
According to discoms, power theft peaks at night when illegal charging rackets operate bulk facilities, tapping into the grid without authorisation. These unregulated operations not only overburden the grid but also lead to frequent outages and increased maintenance costs for discoms.
“Charging at private setups is cheaper and faster. I know it is illegal, but legal charging points are too expensive and far away from where I work,” Rajesh Verma, e-rickshaw driver from Shaheen Bagh in southeast Delhi tells Media India Group.
This widespread justification among drivers reflects a troubling disregard for the systemic damage caused by their actions.
Beyond financial losses, illegal charging has proven to be a significant safety hazard. In September 2024, a 30-year-old man was electrocuted at an illegal charging point in East Delhi’s Mandoli. A month earlier, a 7-year-old child died under similar circumstances in Shalimar Bagh. These tragic incidents highlight the dangers posed by unauthorized and poorly maintained charging facilities, which are often operated with little regard for safety standards.
Strain on Delhi’s Power Grid
Delhi’s electricity consumption hit a peak demand of over 7,700 MW in 2024, according to official data. The additional unregulated demand from e-rickshaw charging adds significant pressure to an already overburdened power grid. The illegal tapping of electricity, often from streetlights or distribution lines, causes voltage fluctuations and power outages, disrupting daily life for households and businesses across the city.
According to Discom Delhi currently has over 4,000 legal e-rickshaw charging connections, each capable of charging multiple vehicles simultaneously, power theft continues to thrive in various parts of the city, while there is no concrete estimate of the number of illegal charging points, areas such as Sangam Vihar, Jamia, and Kalkaji in South Delhi, as well as Raghubir Nagar, Tagore Garden, and Paschim Vihar in West Delhi, have emerged as hotspots for unauthorized activities. Similarly, hubs in East and Central Delhi, including Minto Road, Seelampur, Yamuna Vihar, and Shastri Park, along with locations in North Delhi like Rohini, Bawana, Narela, and Mukherjee Nagar, have reported numerous cases of power theft. These unauthorised setups not only strain the power grid but also undermine the utility of the legal charging infrastructure, further complicating the city’s efforts to regulate e-mobility.
Residents in areas with high e-rickshaw concentrations frequently report outages and unstable power supply.
“Whenever there is a power outage in our area, it is almost always because of those illegal charging setups. It is incredibly frustrating because we pay our electricity bills on time, yet we are the ones who have to deal with the blackouts. My children can’t study, and basic tasks like cooking or running the water pump come to a halt. Why should honest citizens like us suffer just because someone decides to steal electricity for their convenience? It’s unfair and completely avoidable if the authorities take strict action,” Abhishek Sethi, a resident of Paschim Vihar tells Media India Group.
While e-rickshaw drivers often cite the high cost and limited availability of legal charging infrastructure as reasons for resorting to illegal sources, this does not absolve them of responsibility. Charging at authorised stations typically costs INR 150-200 per day, compared to INR 50-60 at illegal setups. Many drivers prioritise short-term savings over long-term sustainability, fuelling a cycle of theft and grid instability.
“Why should I pay so much for charging when I can get it cheaper elsewhere?” asks Arvind, an e-rickshaw driver in South Delhi.
“If the government wants us to stop using private points, they need to make legal charging more affordable for drivers like me. Right now, the cost of using a legal charging station is too high, and it eats into our daily earnings. We are not stealing because we want to it is because we don’t have a choice. But at the same time, I know this is not right. It is affecting everyone, from regular people who face blackouts to the whole electricity system. If the government helps us with cheaper options, we will happily follow the rules,” Arvind tells Media India Group.
To combat this growing problem, the government and private sector must work together to establish an affordable, accessible, and regulated charging infrastructure.
“If the government wants to stop power theft, they need to make charging more affordable and accessible for drivers like us. Subsidies on charging rates or better financing options for upgrading batteries would make a big difference. But at the same time, they need to act strictly against those running illegal setups because they are the ones encouraging this problem. If legal options are cheaper and easily available, no one will feel the need to break the rules,” Arvind adds.