Lack of Sufficient Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles
Due to this imbalance between sales and available stations, users often face difficulties with long queues and missed opportunities to charge their vehicles.
kathmandu | Despite the rising number of electric vehicle users, there is a shortage of sufficient charging stations.
Due to this imbalance between sales and available stations, users often face difficulties with long queues and missed opportunities to charge their vehicles.
This issue was highlighted by electric vehicle sellers during the ongoing car sales expo in Bharatpur, which began on Wednesday. Rajan Piya, President of the Chitwan Automobile Dealers Association, mentioned that the growth rate of electric vehicle users in Nepal is among the highest in the world.
However, the number of charging stations has not kept pace with this rapid increase. He called for more stations to be installed, particularly in Chitwan, which lies at the heart of the country.
Currently, there are only two government-installed charging stations in the district, along with a few private ones, bringing the total to 30. However, this number is insufficient to meet the demand, Piya added.
According to Piya, there are around 400 private electric vehicles and 200 public electric vehicles operating in the district, with a total of more than 600. The two government charging stations alone cannot handle this load, he stated.
Former President of the Chitwan Automobile Dealers Association, Ishwor Kumar Shrestha, pointed out that while private vehicle owners can charge at home, those travelling outside the district or passing through Chitwan face challenges due to the limited number of stations. He also noted that during festivals like Dashain, when there is heavy traffic from the capital and other districts through Chitwan, the available stations cannot cope with the demand.
Renowned Bharatpur Mayor Renu Dahal mentioned that efforts are underway to build more charging stations.
Bharatpur is expected to have the highest number of charging stations in the country soon.
At the expo, over 25 brands of vehicles are on display, with 80% of them being electric vehicles.