New draft policy seeks to promote electric vehicles

KATHMANDU, MAY 27 -The government is working to bring a separate policy to promote the use of electric vehicles . The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) has readied a draft of the Electric Vehicle Policy and is scheduled to recommend it to the government within a week through the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport for approval.

The draft policy is mainly aimed at reducing air pollution through the promotion of electric vehicles . It has also envisaged converting old petrol or diesel run vehicles into electric vehicles bringing appropriate rules.

The government had formed a 14-member committee led by Director General of DoTM to make a separate transportation policy for the promotion of electric vehicles . A meeting of the committee last Friday finalised the draft prepared by its sub-committee and decided to recommend it to the government for endorsement.


“We have tried to include everything about promoting the use of electric vehicles in the draft,” said Sarad Adhikari, director of the DoTM. He said the draft includes issues like issuance of route permission for operation of electric public vehicles , customs duty waiver, areas for operation of such vehicles , operation of trolley bus, standards of charging station and conversion of old vehicles into electric.

If the government approves the draft policy, commercial conversion of fossils fuel-based vehicles into electric ones will receive a legal framework. DoTM officials said some young entrepreneurs have already successfully converted fuel-run vehicles into electric ones.

The Physical Infrastructure Ministry will also send the draft to the Finance Ministry has the policy also talks about incentives on excise duty and customs exemptions. DoTM officials said with the country having no own fuel source, use of electric vehicles could save the spending on fuel import. They said conversion of old government-owned vehicles and other vehicles would also help reduce vehicle import.

In last fiscal year, Nepal imported petroleum products worth nearly Rs 100 billion and vehicle imports are on the rise. So far, 1.5 million plus vehicles are registered at the department. There are an estimated, 2,200 electric vehicles in the country which includes around 630 Safa Tempos, 50 four wheelers and 1,500 two wheelers, according to the department.

Based on the policy, the government could implement a provision that allows operations of only electric vehicles in sites having historic importance such as Durbar Square areas of the Kathmandu valley and Lumbini, according to department officials. In the absence of a policy, electric vehicles like trolley bus have disappeared from the Kathmandu valley and Safa Tempos are also facing problem due to load-shedding.