From right: Suryansh Baidya, Sahayu Goyal, Sahil Shrestha and Kuber Chalise. (Photo: Nepalkhabar)
In recent years, electric vehicle (EV) is the new trend in Nepal. Yet, three young entrepreneurs from the EV sector argue that what’s happening in Nepal is not a revolution, but an evolution.
Director of Vaidya’s Organization Suryansh Vaidya, Managing Director of Nebula Energy Sahayu Goyal and Chief Executive Officer of Cimex Inc Sahil Shrestha – the poster boys of Nepal’s EV future – believe despite huge potential of EV expansion in Nepal, lack of policy stability, less infrastructure like charging infrastructure, limited promotion and a lack of awareness and public trust are some of the speed-breakers for the sector that have been slowing down the expansion of the sector.
Speaking during a NepalKhabar Conversation (Nepalkhabar Sambaad) held on the sidelines of the NAIMA Nepal Mobility Expo 2025 at Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu – organized by the Nepal Automobile Importers and Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) – they also mentioned some of the policy changes that helped EVs evolution in Nepal over the period. “The government’s efforts coupled with the private sector investment in building EV ecosystem including infrastructure like charging infrastructure have slowly winning the trust of the consumer,” they argued. “It’s not that the government has done nothing, but due to unstable policies, and intent, the sector’s growth has been slow.”
(Managing Director of Nebula Energy, Sahayu Goyal)
Cimex Inc CEO Shrestha – whose company imports and sells BYD vehicles in Nepal – highlighted several major issues and challenges that have hindered the growth of EV in Nepal.
Pointing out the inconsistent government policies – like sometimes offering tax exemptions and at other times increasing taxes – he explained that such policy departure without stakeholders’ knowledge has created uncertainty in the automobile sector.
The second hurdle, according to the young entrepreneurs, is lack of adequate EV infrastructure like charging stations. Although there has been some improvement recently due to government incentives for charging stations, battery recycling and reuse have emerged as yet another glitch, though its a global concern too.
As a short-term solution, Nebula Energy, through its Gogoro brand, has introduced a battery-swapping scheme. Goyal mentioned that Gogoro is also exploring new ways to reuse batteries after their lifespan in vehicles ends.
(Chief Executive Officer of Cimex Inc, Sahil Shrestha)
Goyal also believes the lack of a resale market for EVs has limited consumer interest. “There is a lack of technical knowledge and skilled human resources in the EV sector,” he said.
In addition to the absence of a resale value due to various reasons including the battery life and technical expertise, Vaidya highlighted another challenge, the difficulty in getting auto loan, for two-wheeler EVs, from banks and financial institutions.
“Unlike four-wheelers, auto loan for two-wheeler EVs is more rigid and complicated, which has held back the growth of two-wheeler EVs,” said Vaidya, who imports and sells Ather electric scooter in the Nepali market.
Explaining why electric two-wheelers only make up around 3-4 percent of the total two-wheeler market in Nepal, Vaidya said, “The real reason why two-wheeler EV market hasn’t grown like four-wheelers EV market is due to the difficulty in obtaining auto-loan for two-wheeler EVs.”
Although two-wheelers make up around 80 per cent of Nepal’s total vehicle market, electric two-wheelers have not gained significant market share – unlike electric four-wheelers, which have seen notable growth in recent years.
(Director of Vaidya’s Organization, Suryansh Vaidya)
Though Nepal started the journey of EV in 1975 with electric trolley buses as public transport, it took almost around 7 decades to win the trust of the consumers. At, present around 75 percent of automobile plying on Nepal’s roads are claimed to be EVs, the number of two-wheelers is too less.
The electric trolley bus that connected Tripureshwor in Kathmandu to Suryabinayak in Bhaktapur, is the pioneering mode for mass electric transit in South Asia. But it failed due to severe mismanagement, financial losses due to red-tape, bureaucratic challenges, persistent political instability, and technical deterioration of infrastructure. Though electric mass transportation is still at the early stages, the usage of private EVs has surged encouragingly, lately.
From the electric trolley bus – a legacy spanning over seven decades that still echoes today – to the latest wave, Nepal’s EV journey is an ‘evolution, not a revolution’.
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