New Delhi, July 22 -- Delhi's radical new electric mobility policy coincides with a well-known tipping point that India hit earlier this year, a threshold that could see the domestic electric vehicle market shift gears from early adopters to mass penetration.

The share of electric cars in India's total passenger vehicle sales crossed 5% in June, show data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations. That milestone signals a maturing EV market that Delhi could take advantage of as it aims to phase out non-EV vehicles within five years through mandates rather than merely nudging consumers with subsidies.

The new policy draws on lessons from countries where combining incentives with mandates has proved more effective than relyin...