Date: 26th June, 2019

Location: Hotel Himalaya, Lalitpur

Energy Development Council (EDC) has successfully conducted “Electric Vehicle Promotion Conference 2019” on June 26, 2019 at Hotel Himalaya, Lalitpur. The conference aimed to promote electric vehicle use and the proper utilization of the available energy in Nepal. Hon. Mr. Barshaman Pun, Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MoEWRI), chief guest of the program, inaugurated the program at 0939 NPT after a welcome address by Mr. Sujit Acharya, Chairman of EDC. The chairman noted that Nepal has a hydropower potential of more than 400,000 MW and thus Nepal is inevitable to go electric in the future.

He also noted the pressing need to convert all petrol scooters and motorcycles into electric. Converting two and four-wheeler private vehicles from petrol to EV creates 6000 MW market for Nepal’s electricity. He said it saves Nepal more than 2.5 billion USD in petroleum and petroleum product bills thereby reducing the trade deficit drastically. Nepal’s petrol shall thus be called electricity. All Nepalis therefore should boycott petroleum-based products to ensure no future blockades affect them like it did in the past because then, our transport would be powered by Nepal’s electricity and not foreign-imported fuels. Petrol and petroleum products are a likely threat against our national security, our economy and our environment which adversely affects our main resource sectors of hydropower, tourism and herbal sectors.

The minister remarked that the government is working towards maximizing use of electric vehicles in Nepal. Along the keynotes of his speech, he noted the need for Nepal to switch from non-renewable fossil fuels to sustainable and clean energy. He added that the government is gearing up to introduce policies promoting clean energy to replace traditional energy sources. He claimed that 50% of the vehicles plying will be electric by 2030 and the electricity generated by the under constructed hydropower projects will be easily available for supply. This would ultimately reduce the dependency of imported energy resources.

This was followed by special remarks by Mr. Madhusudan Adhikari, Executive Director, Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC), who noted that we should be prepared for alternative energy replacing traditional energy sources for a better future.

The speech was followed by a panel discussion on Conductive Legal Framework and Policies for Mainstreaming EVs, moderated by the Editor of Republica Mr. Subhash Ghimire. Panelists included:

Pramila Devi Shakya Bajracharya, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Physical Infrastructure & Transport (MoPIT)
Ramji Bhandari, Director, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA)
D.E. Mr. Raju Maharjan, Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MoEWRI)
Kartika Yadav, Planning Officer, Economic Management Division, National Planning Commission

The discussion yielded several points. Several points noted in the discussion include difficulty in passing favourable legislations and the complicated bureaucratic processes in addressing the introduction of EVs in Nepal. Key focus was on the implementation of easy-charging access points and the introduction of a favourable environment for EVs including tax rebates and subsidies.

After the discussion, Rowan Fraser, Country Representative, GGGI provided a presentation on the topic “Policy and Investment projects for electric mobility”. He noted the need to identify various barriers and need to work together with various stakeholders to overcome these barriers to establish electric mobility within the country. Mr. Awashis Ojha, Head of Marketing and Communication, Laxmi Hyundai Pvt. Ltd. also gave a productive presentation on the topic “Electric Vehicles”, where he discussed the trends of electric vehicles in Nepal and the global arena, and the role Hyundai is playing in introducing EVs in the country. The program then adjourned for lunch.

After the short break, a panel discussion on the topic “Scaling Use of EVs through Market-based Intervention” followed, moderated by Mr. Kunda Dixit, Editor of Nepali Times. Panelists included:

Umesh Raj Shrestha, President, Electric Vehicle Association of Nepal (EVAN)
Rajan Rayamajhi, Managing Director, Thee-Go Group, Future Green Energy Pvt. Ltd
Suman Basnet, Energy and Management
Barsha Shrestha, Business Head, ICRA Nepal Limited

The panel discussed about the requirement of EVs in Nepal in light of public health and environment benefits as compared against traditional fossil fuel vehicles. The discussion also made note of the importance of energy independence and self-reliance. Key points include the acceptance of electric vehicles by customers and the need for a change of attitude of the government and consumers towards EVs.

This was followed by a short discourse by Mr. Bijaya Man Sherchan, Chairman, Electric Vehicle Manufacturers’ & Importers Association – Nepal (EVMIAN) on “Relevance of Clean Energy: Electric Transportation in Cosmopolitan Kathmandu”. He gave an overview of the history and achievements of EVs in Nepal and shared his experience working with EVs. Later, Prof. Bhim Prasad Shrestha, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, KU & Vice Chancellor’s Office of External Affairs and local Engagement of Kathmandu University gave a presentation on the topic “Research and Development Activities on Electric Vehicle at Kathmandu University”.

Hon. Dr. Bimala Rai Paudyal, MP, National Assembly at Federal Parliament of Nepal adjourned the session with a short keynote speech. She noted her campaign in the parliament against petroleum-based policies and a push for an alternative energy source for environmental and public health reasons. She suggested pushing electric-vehicle policies as economic issues so that the government takes it more seriously in a ground-framework basis.

Mr. Kushal Gurung, Head of EDC executive committee member gave the vote of thanks and thanked everyone for participating in making this conference successful and encouraging a fruitful discussion.

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