By the end of the ninth month (mid-April) of this Fiscal Year 2024/25, electric vehicles worth Rs. 7.05 billion have been imported through the Tatopani checkpoint at the Nepal-China border. That amounts to a total of 2,724 electric vehicles brought in via Khasa, China, through the Tatopani customs point.

Out of these, 700 vehicles are currently stationed at the Tatopani customs yard, awaiting customs clearance. The rest have already completed the process and reached the capital and other cities. The 700 electric vehicles in the yard are expected to receive clearance and dispatch within a month from now.

According to Surya Prasad Kafle, Information Officer at the Tatopani Dry Port Customs Office, revenue of Rs. 3.75 billion has been collected from the import of these 2,724 electric vehicles. He further said that compared to previous years, this year has seen a significant increase in the import of electric vehicles.

In the current fiscal year, electric vehicles imported from China through the Tatopani checkpoint include one large electric bus, 280 microbuses with 11 to 14 seats, 248 minibuses with 15 to 25 seats, 370 cars, jeeps, and vans with 50kW capacity, 1,544 vehicles with 100kW capacity, 229 with 200kW capacity, two with 300kW capacity, one above 300kW, and 41 four-wheeler electric cars.

Chinese electric vehicle brands such as Omoda, Deepal, Leapmotor, JAC, MG, Foton, and DFSK have entered the capital via this route.

By Chitra Mijar