Electric vehicles: attraction in private, low in public vehicles

Businessmen say that two-wheelers and large public vehicles are not attractive due to high prices and lack of infrastructure. In the first month of the current financial year, July alone, 381 electric vehicles worth 897 million 21 thousand rupees have been imported. Based on the amount, it is Rs 556.4 million more than in July of last financial year.

In July of the last financial year, only 110 electric vehicles came. According to the department, vehicles worth 34.6 million rupees were imported. On the other hand, according to the data of the department, only 300 vehicles of petroleum products were imported in July of the current financial year. According to the department, vehicles running on petroleum products worth Rs. 543.8 million have been imported. According to the data of the department, there are 10 more electric vehicles imported than petroleum vehicles. Similarly, the department said that 8 hybrid (petrol and electric) vehicles were imported in July this year.

The government has set a target of selling 25 percent of the total vehicle sales to private electric vehicles and 20 percent to public electric vehicles by 2025. By 2030, the government aims to make 90 percent of private vehicles and 60 percent of public vehicles electric. It is stated in the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation National Implementation Plan (080-87) that the government's goal is to transform public and private sector transportation into zero carbon emissions. The government's goal of

is not new. In 2011, the government issued an environment-friendly vehicle and transport policy, aiming to increase the number of such vehicles to more than 20 percent by 2017. This goal of the government to increase the number of environmentally friendly vehicles and means of transport to 20 percent could not be implemented.

If we look at the data of electric vehicle import, there is a possibility that the 25 percent target for private electric vehicles can be achieved. According to the data of the department, the share of private electric vehicles in the total market was 75 percent in the last financial year. Dhruv Thapa, former president of NADA Automobiles of Association Nepal, says that the share of petroleum vehicles is only 25 percent.

In 080/81, according to the data of the customs department, 3961 fuel vehicles worth Rs. 4 billion 596 million were imported. In the same year, 11 thousand 701 electric vehicles worth 29 billion 48 billion 27 million rupees were imported. According to the data of the department, 36 hybrid vehicles worth 169 million rupees were also imported this year. In fiscal year 079/80, 4,500 electric vehicles were imported, while only 2,810 fuel vehicles were imported. The department says that 48 hybrid vehicles have been imported. Thapa said that for the last three years, the import of electric vehicles is increasing every year and that of petroleum is decreasing. "The sale of petroleum vehicles is decreasing, on the other hand, businessmen are also more attracted towards the sale of electric vehicles," he said The construction of the station has also gained momentum. According to Sagarmani Gyawali, assistant manager of Nepal Electricity Authority, there are now more than 500 charging stations across the country. In order to promote and encourage electric vehicles to increase electricity consumption, the authority itself has constructed and put into operation 62 charging stations, he said. According to the authority, more than 400 charging stations built by the private sector are in operation. Gyawali says that now the authority will encourage private companies instead of building charging stations itself. According to Thapa, there are enough charging stations for electric vehicles now compared to the past. He claims that there are enough charging stations for electric vehicles in Kathmandu Valley and Rajmag.

Businessmen say that with the increase in competition in electric vehicles, prices are also decreasing. They say that until a few years ago, 50 percent of the cost of the vehicle was due to the battery, but now it has decreased. According to Thapa, the price of a car used to be 500,000 rupees and the battery alone would cost 250,000 rupees, but now it costs between 800,000 to 2000,000 rupees. He said that as the competition increases, the price is decreasing and the price of the vehicle will also be determined accordingly.

With the import and use of private vehicles, even though there are enough charging stations for the time being, large public vehicles have not been able to increase. But the import of small public vehicles has increased. But overall, the department's data shows that the import of electric public vehicles is increasing. In the financial year 077/78, there were only 26 electric public vehicles. That number tripled to 84 in 078/79. In 079/80, the number of public electric vehicles reached 281. The number of electric public vehicles in the country increased by 234 percent last year compared to the previous year.

Thapa, former president of NADA, says that the import of large public vehicles has not increased due to high prices. If you have to buy a 30/35 seater electric bus, it will cost around one and a half million. On the other hand, there are 3 fuel-powered buses at the same price," he said, "that's why the demand for large public vehicles has not increased." He emphasized that the government should give subsidies to increase the attraction of large public vehicles.

'The price of large public vehicles is high abroad, it has to increase when imported, so such vehicles cannot be used commercially,' said Thapa, 'If the government gives 14/15 percent subsidy, the demand for large vehicles can increase.' break