Nepal imported a total of 2,132 four-wheeler electric vehicles (EVs) worth Rs 5 billion in the first three months of the current fiscal year (FY 2023/24).

According to the Department of Customs (DoC), 2,132 electric vehicles of three different models were imported from mid-July to mid-October this year.

In these months, the country imported 954 electric vehicles with a capacity of 50 kilowatts (kW) at the expense of Rs 1.72 billion. Likewise, Nepal imported 1,166 four-wheeler EVs with a capacity of 51 kW to 100 at the cost of Rs 3.38 billion.

According to the DoC, the country also imported 12 electric vehicles with a capacity of 101 to 200 kW. While importing those vehicles, the country spent Rs 49.13 million.

Dhruba Thapa, president of Nepal Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), said that the attraction of Nepali consumers towards electric vehicles is increasing. "Even those who didn’t prefer to buy electric vehicles at first are now willing to buy them now," he said adding, "In the last fiscal year, about 4,000 electric vehicles were imported in a year."

President Thapa said that the import of electric vehicles in Nepal has been increasing rapidly since the last two years.

Doc mentioned that 1,807 four-wheeler electric vehicles were imported in the previous year. The data of the department for the past two years also shows that the general public's attraction towards electric vehicles in Nepal has increased rapidly.

Similarly, 2,528 three-wheeler electric vehicles have been imported in three months of the current fiscal year. The import of those vehicles is worth Rs 244.7 million.