Mixed signals

Lack of a clear policy on electric vehicles will do great harm to Nepal’s economy and environment.

While countries worldwide are forging ahead on an electric future, Nepal is still struggling to set clear plans and policies in the field. The government’s 10 percent tax hike on electric vehicles (EVs) for the fiscal year 2024-25 comes as a tight slap to the country’s commitment to EV-based mobility by 2030—at a time green transport systems across the country feel ever more important. For this or that reason, consumers here are obliged to line up for a whole day, if not days, to fill up their motor tanks. In a recent case , the underpaid fuel station workers halted fuel supply to private dealers and thronged the state-run stations in Kathmandu. These occurrences are here to stay, reminding us of the need to take the EV transition seriously.