There is great sale of electric cars but no charm on an electric bike/scooter. With the government waiving excise duty and customs duty on the import of electric vehicles, many electric vehicles have entered the Nepali market. Extensive charm has been created in the customer.
Imports and trade of electric vehicles have skyrocketed after the Fiscal Year 2078/07 budget. MG Electric has entered the Nepali market while Hyundai Kona and other electric cars are heating up the market. Most of the electric vehicles introduced in Nepal have received good discussion and sales are also good.
However, while four-wheeled electric vehicles are taking over the market in Nepal, sales of two-wheelers are very sluggish. Two-wheeled scooters / bikes do not seem to attract much customers. Electric four-wheelers are seen in large numbers on the roads, but two-wheelers have not been able to take over the market.
Most of the electric bikes and scooters are imported from China. Currently, brands like Terra Motors, Yobeki, Vimoto, NIU, Bella, Runyang and Miyama are available in the Nepali market.
At present, electric scooters and bikes entering the Nepali market are in the range of one lakh to three lakh. The bikes are up to 4 lakh. Currently, 97 percent of two-wheelers in the Nepali market run on petrol. Only 3 percent of electric scooters and imported electric vehicles are in a state of displacement.
Experts say that electric two-wheelers do not have the same range and capacity as petrol-powered bikes and scooters. Currently, two-wheeled electric vehicles entering Nepal are only for city rides.
On the other hand, large electric four-wheeled vehicles cover a distance of 300 to 400 kilometers on a single charge. However, two-wheeled scooters and bikes on the market offer a range of around 130 on average. Due to which the attraction in two wheelers is less.
Similarly, due to the geography of Nepal, electric scooters cannot perform as expected. Customers also complain that electric two-wheelers cannot ride on steep roads, and that it is not better for long-distance travel.
Unless there are charging stations everywhere like petrol pumps, electric vehicles seem to be a problem in long distance travel. The 240 volt charging system of the house causes problems when it takes 15-20 hours to charge the vehicle.
Consumers have been comparing electric vehicles with petrol vehicles. Frequent charging, durability problems and unreliability, so customers don’t want to buy electric bikes/scooters.
