Sell almost only electric cars

A look at the ten brands of best -selling electric cars in the world throws a devastating conclusion: China has no rival. However, if we had to make a list of countries where the adoption of “electric” vehicles has been an absolute success, more doubts would enter us. We know that Norway He is doing wellbut few expected the same of the nation that lives at the top of the planet: Nepal.

Electric boom in the heights. I told this week The New York Times. In the midst of road chaos of Katmandúwhere motorcycles, buses and taxis fill the narrow streets with noise and smoke, a silent revolution is underway and reaches all the corners of the country: electric vehicles already They represent 76% of all passenger cars sold in Nepal and about half of light commercial vehicles.

Just five years ago, that figure was practically non -existent. The country has thus become one of the world leaders for adoption of electric cars, only surpassed by cases Like NorwaySingapore or Ethiopia, and far ahead of the most developed economies, where the global average quota Round 20%. This vertiginous change is the result of a Combination of factors: State subsidies policies, the use of the abundance of hydroelectric energy and the proximity of China, the greater producer Electric World.

Policies and clean energy as an engine. Nepal’s bet for electricity did not arise from nothing. After the 2015 border crisis With India, which suffocated the import of oil, the government decided to strengthen energy security through Great investments in hydroelectric dams and transmission networks. This managed to eradicate chronic blackouts and offer cheap and non -polluting energy.

The following logic was to transfer that resource to transport. To reduce electric vehicles in a country with a GDP per capita of just $ 1,400the Executive reduced import taxes to A maximum of 40%compared to 180% applied to combustion cars. In addition, one promoted one Recharge infrastructure When installing 62 state stations and allow hotels and restaurants to add thousands more thanks to almost null tariffs and subsidized electricity. He result: Repositing a gasoline car cost fifteen more than loading an electric one, creating an immediate economic incentive.

The Chinese impulse. The electrical revolution could not be explained without the China’s thrust. Brands like ByD broke into Nepal With adapted models to the mountainous roads and prices that left behind Indian competition. In a few years, distributors Like Yamuna Shrestha They went from being marginal visionary to manage dozens of dealers and thousands of sales.

Consumers, tempted by high performance cars at half -priced than a tesla, They launched the purchasewhile traditional brands such as Suzuki or Tata are forced to electrify their catalog or lose the market. He Times told examples Of individuals, such as a former policeman who acquired an electric minibus to operate a line between Katmandú and Janakpur, discovering that they can cover loans and obtain stable profits in less than five years, despite the still limited load network.

Risks of setback and doubts. Success, however, is not guaranteed. The reason? Nepal has had three prime ministers in five years and each change of government Alterate priorities. The Central Bank recently doubled the Initial payment required For the purchase of an electric, the State begins to raise tariffs to compensate for the loss of fossil fuel income and there is still no national battery recycling plan.

The fear that defective vehicles of minor Chinese brands damage confidence in the sector also worry about dealerships, who ask for Quality certifications independent. For Some analystseverything will depend on the policy maintaining the stability of the incentives and a long -term vision is consolidated.

The challenge of public transport. However, and despite progress in private cars, most Nepali It does not have a car and depends on motorcycles and polluting buses. The electrification of this segment is key if the country wants to clean the air of its cities. The State has acquired 41 electric buses For the public company Sajha Yatayat, but experts estimate that they would be necessary at least 800 to offer a real alternative to individual vehicles.

China already offered to donate 100 more units, in a movement that combines diplomacy and market, and that Nepal accepts without qualms. However, low public transport prices (about 36 cents for longer journeys) make it difficult to finance large fleets. The solution would go through a metropolitan authority that reorganizes traffic and prioritizes collective transport, although its creation continues blocked by political disputes.

Future under construction. In short, Nepal has become a very unexpected Global Laboratory Of electric transition, demonstrating that a developing country, with successful policies and clean energy available, can advance faster than powers.

The challenge is possibly sustaining the impulse in a context of political and economic fragility, while extending electrification beyond private cars towards mass transport and motorcycles. As A former director affirmed From Sajha Yatayat, the Katmandu Valley is “waiting for someone to turn the key.”

If that key remains firm, in just five years Nepal could completely transform urban mobility and become a Electrification Model For the developing world.

Image | Sergey Ashmarin, Snow 977

In Xataka | A rapid look at the ten best -selling electric car brands in the world gives a dramatic conclusion: China has already won

In Xataka | The EU is still determined to jump into the electric car. And his plan goes through copying the most successful country to date: China