KATHMANDU, JAN 22 –
Monday, the last day of the Alternative Energy Exhibition, saw hundreds of people thronging Exhibition Hall at Bhrikuti Mandap for the latest info on alternative energy sources. Almost all the stalls were jam-packed with visitors eager to know about ways for relief from the 14-hour daily load-shedding that has been imposed on the country. However, stalls featuring electric vehicles stole the show.
“From the inaugural day itself, people have been thronging our stall,” said Dipil Shrestha, an engineer at Nevi Tradelink, which markets various models of electronic vehicles in the domestic market.
“We have come up with a new automobile, the Bijulee II, which has been successful in grabbing visitor attention.” Shrestha added that apart from the engine, it has the same features as cars powered by diesel or petrol.
In addition to Bijulee II, the company has put on display the Bijulee I, an electric four-wheeler which has been in the market for the past two years.
The new electric vehicle Bijulee II is a five-seater family car. It is equipped with an 8.5 kW AC brushless motor, 120 V DC electric system and 120 V 25 A DC output and 220 V 50 Hz AC input chargers.
The auto features a lead-acid free maintenance battery that can be recharged 700 times.
Likewise, the four-wheeler has McPherson suspension for comfortable riding and rack-and-pinion steering gear system. The vehicle has a five-speed manual transmission system. According to Shrestha, it has a top speed of 105 kph, and it can travel a distance of 110 km after a full charge. Nevi Tradelink has priced the new vehicle at Rs 1.95 million. The dealer maintains an outlet at Baluwatar, Kathmandu.
Similarly, the stall of Clean Energy Nepal, which has displayed an electric cycle, too received equal attention. It offers three models of electric cycles made in China—E-Greeno+, E-Greeno and E-EEREE—which have become successful in grabbing visitor attention through their dynamic exterior makeover and superior utility.
Bharat Paudel, managing director of Clean Energy Nepal, said that these cycles are equipped with 500 W motors and 48 V batteries. The machines can be charged fully in five hours which allows them to travel up to 60 km on average. “This is the perfect machine for commuters who need to travel from home to office and back. It is an ideal option for city streets,” Paudel said. People can travel a distance of 10 km for just Rs 1, he added. Clean Energy maintains outlets at Anamnagar in Kathmandu, Trishuli, Butwal, Chitwan, Hetauda and Jhapa. In the past five years, the company has sold more than 500 units of these cycles, and it claims that it hasn’t received any complaints so far. The company has priced the E-Greeno+, E-Greeno and E-EEREE at Rs 75,000, Rs 70,000 and Rs 45,000.
Both Paudel and Shrestha said that the market for electronic vehicles had remained very slow primarily due to long load-shedding hours and lack of concrete policy on such products. “We are compelled to compete with petrol and diesel vehicles. If we can make these products available at a cheaper rate, the country can save money which is going out to purchase petroleum products and increase its focus on small and large scale hydropower projects,” Paudel added.
Source : The Kathmandu Post
