KATHMANDU, Nov 13: With the increase in the import of electric vehicles (EVs), the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is going to build 500 more charging stations. The authority has planned to spend Rs 2 billion to build charging stations on the main highways and urban areas of the country.
Kulman Ghising, Managing Director of the NEA, said that with the increase in the use of electric vehicles, complaints about the lack of infrastructure have increased, so they are planning to add charging stations. According to him, the authority is going to invest in charging stations to promote electric vehicles and increase electricity consumption.
The authority is going to build charging stations at various places along East-West, Postal, Madan Bhandari and Mid-hill highways. Similarly, the authority plans to build charging stations in major urban areas across the country.
“The private sector does not seem to be coming in a big way soon. But now there is a lack of infrastructure. Negative messages will dissiminate without charging stations,” he said, “That’s why the authority is doing extensive work on charging stations.” Ghising said that the work will start soon.
Earlier, the NEA had constructed 51 charging stations at a cost of Rs 350 million. Those charging stations are now operational. The authority is earning more than Rs 100,000 daily from those charging stations. There are queues of vehicles at 10 out of 51 charging stations.
During Dashain, electric vehicles were charged 2,000 times from the NEA’s charging station in one day. When 21,908 units of electricity were consumed, the NEA earned Rs 187,000.
Source: Republica
