Call to increase use of electric vehicles

KATHMANDU, MAY 17

Stakeholders have emphasized the need to increase the use of electric vehicles for prosperous tourism in the country.

At an interaction program titled ‘Green Mobility for Tourism Prosperity,’ organized today by Spark Car in collaboration with the Nepal Tourism Board, participants highlighted the necessity of maximizing the use of electric vehicles for a sustainable and tourism-friendly environment.

On this occasion, Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Shakti Bahadur Basnet, underscored the urgency of a robust commitment from stakeholders and stressed the need to amplify the use of electric vehicles to enhance the supply of domestically produced energy.

‘The government has outlined a roadmap and action plan for the expansion of the energy sector, including boosting energy production, building necessary infrastructure related to the distribution system, and increasing energy supply,’ he shared.

Also speaking on the occasion, Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Hit Bahadur Tamang, commented on the lack of investment in infrastructure needed to boost the use of electric vehicles.Nepal Rastra Bank Governor, Maha Prasad Adhikari, stressed the need for effective execution of the promises made by government agencies in the tourism sector.

He informed that the NRB has prioritized the use of electric vehicles in the environmental and social risk management guidelines and the recently-prepared green taxonomy draft.

Environmentalist Bhushan Tuladhar highlighted the importance of using electric vehicles to reduce environmental pollution across the country.

Chairperson of Spark Car, Roshan Ghimire, urged the government to be more business-friendly and supportive of enterprises advocating for increased use of electric vehicles. ‘There is an increasing trend of inflow of quality tourists to Nepal, but the use of tourist-friendly, quality vehicles has not increased. This should be taken into consideration,’ he mentioned.