Nepal needs 10,000 EV charging stations by 2030 to hit 90% electric vehicle target, says government report

Nepal must build at least 10,000 charging stations nationwide by 2030 to meet its goal of converting 90 percent of private vehicles to electric, according to a Ministry of Infrastructure Development report. Currently only about 1,000 stations are operational, mostly in urban centers like Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Bharatpur. The Nepal Electricity Authority runs 62 fast-charging units, but rural highways remain underserved, making long-distance EV travel impractical. The report flags several barriers: high battery costs, poor roads, lack of skilled workers, limited private investment, and no clear battery recycling policy. Transport operators are reluctant to run EVs on longer routes because charging points are too sparse along the 100,000 km road network. The government plans to prioritize EV infrastructure in the next budget to boost domestic hydropower consumption, but the gap between target and current buildout is massive.