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A scooter designed in Kathmandu, built in Dhading and tailored for Nepal’s varied roads is hoping to prove that vehicle manufacturing can be more than an imported dream.

Sipradi Yatri on Monday unveiled the Yatri P-2, its latest electric scooter and the company’s first vehicle designed and engineered entirely in Nepal. The scooter was designed at the company’s facility in Budhanilkantha and is being manufactured at its factory in Gajuri, Dhading.

Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle unveiled the scooter following a visit to the Gajuri factory, where he was briefed on the different stages of its production.

For Dr Wagle, the launch represented something bigger than the arrival of another electric two-wheeler on Nepal’s increasingly crowded roads. “A world-class scooter designed in Budhanilkantha and manufactured in Dhading has been made right here in Nepal,” Dr Wagle said. “For those who say nothing can be done in Nepal, this sends the message that Nepal can actually do remarkable things.”

Dr Wagle said the Yatri P-2 had helped boost national confidence and expressed hope that the scooter would eventually compete with established international brands and find markets beyond Nepal. He also pledged government support for the promotion and expansion of domestically produced electric vehicles.

From an idea in Kathmandu to a factory in Dhading

The P-2 is the product of an effort to build more of the vehicle’s technology and manufacturing capability at home.

According to Sipradi Yatri, its battery, chassis, motor, front display and other major components were designed and developed in Nepal. Engineers have also modified the scooter to cope with Nepal’s diverse terrain, from the hills and mountains to the plains.

The scooter can travel up to 157 kilometers on a full charge and is powered by a 10-kilowatt motor and a 5.2-kilowatt battery. A household charger can charge the battery to 80 percent in about two and a half hours, while a DC fast charger can do the same in 41 minutes.

Although primarily intended for urban use, the company says the scooter can handle gradients of up to 21 degrees and roads with challenging terrain. It also comes with connectivity features and other technology-focused functions aimed at making it more than simply an electric alternative to conventional scooters.

For Rajababu Shrestha, CEO of Sipradi Trading Company, the significance of the P-2 lies not only in its specifications but in what it represents for Nepali industry.

The company, which has been the authorized distributor of Tata vehicles in Nepal for 44 years, has been working to develop the infrastructure and industrial ecosystem needed for the country’s automobile sector, he said. “The scooter is not merely a new electric product; it is also a symbol of the confidence of Nepalis,” Shrestha said.

He added that Sipradi plans to develop and manufacture additional scooters and motorcycles with new designs and models following the P-2.

Rajesh Prasad Giri, CEO of Sipradi Yatri, said the project demonstrated Nepal’s potential to gradually become more self-reliant in vehicle production. The company’s Gajuri factory is scheduled to be formally inaugurated on September 17.

A test of whether ‘Made in Nepal’ can win consumers

The P-2 now faces its most important test - not in the factory, but on the roads and in the choices of Nepali consumers.

Sipradi is banking on the combination of local engineering, performance and a design adapted to Nepal’s geography to establish the scooter in a market dominated by international brands.

The company is showcasing the Yatri P-2 as one of its major attractions at the NADA Auto Show, which began on Tuesday at Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu.

For the people behind the scooter, however, the launch is about more than selling another model. It is an attempt to show that an idea conceived in Nepal can travel from a drawing board in Budhanilkantha to a production line in Dhading - and eventually, they hope, to roads beyond Nepal.