March 29: The import of eectric vehicles has come to a halt although the government has adopted a policey of increasing the use of electric vehicles. The import of electric vehicles that have been declining since the beginning of the current fiscal year, has completely stopped in February.

According to the Department of Customs, while 103 electric vehicles were imported till January this year, not a single vehicle was imported in February. According to the department, 428 electric vehicles were imported in the corresponding period of last year.

Entrepreneurs say that the import of such vehicles has decreased after the government increased the customs duty on the import of electric vehicles through the budget of the current fiscal year. Till last fiscal year, the import duty on electric vehicles was only 10 percent. But after the government increased it to 80 percent, the importers stopped bringing electric vehicles to Nepal. General Secretary of Nepal Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Sunil Rijal said that the demand has fallen sharply after the government increased customs duty on electric vehicles.  

Chairman of the Electric Vehicles Association of Nepal Umesh Shrestha said that there has been no demand for electric vehicles in the market of late. "The price of a vehicle, which was Rs 5.7 million to Rs 6 million last year, is now more than Rs 10 million after the customs duty hike," he said, adding, "Even if the government claims it wants to promote electric vehicles, such vehicles have not been imported due to the government’s policy."

He further said that some of the imported vehicles have already arrived this year and there is no new imports now. "There is no demand in the market. If the government does not facilitate the import of electric vehicles, there is no possibility of importing new electric vehicles in the coming days," he said.