The recent budget announcement by the Nepal government was gladly welcomed by many individuals and organizations involved in the automobile business in Nepal.

Many auto businesses in Nepal are happy, especially because of the relief in taxes and customs related to electric vehicles. The government decided to cancel the excise duty and reduced the custom for import of EVs. Last year’s budget was heavily criticized because of the taxes imposed by the government  in the EV business. There’s a huge scope in the EV business in Nepal, which would be very hard to benefit from without the cooperation of the government. 

Just a few days after the announcement, the new budget revisions have already shown effects. Several auto companies have already revised the prices for their EVs:

       thee go e8

thee GO e8 sports a modern and fresh design which immediately grabs attention. It is an amalgamation of modern design and advanced technology that contributes in reducing carbon footprints. It is equipped with 15.2 kWh Lithium Battery and has motor capacity of 15 kW. In single charge, it can drive up to 150 km under normal operating conditions (NEDC 200 km).

The vehicle can be fully charged in under 5 hours easily at home in regular charging plugs.Cost of electricity for running thee GO e8 is only Rs. 1.1 per km under the normal driving condition. 

thee GO e8 is now available in NPR 21,94,500 Only, and it is the most affordable electric hatch as of the date in Nepal.

• Hyundai Kona

The Kona Electric model launched in Nepali market comes with a base model of  39kWh with 135 hp and an official range of 290 kilometers. Standard safety equipment includes six airbags, lane keeping assist and a driver attention monitor. Other features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot detection and a rear cross traffic alert. It has three trim levels – SE, Premium and Premium SE.

The new price of Hyundai Kona EV 

> EV 100 KW — Rs 56,96,000

> EV 150 KW — Rs 71,96,000

• Hyundai Ioniq 

Hyundai Ioniq is a fully-featured electric powered by a 28kWh Li-Ion battery. It is equipped with a 38.3kWh electric motor. It can generate a max power of 134bhp with a top-speed of 165kmph. Additionally, it comes with standard 8-10hrs charge time, with an excellent range of 311km. Providing ultimate safeguard with seven airbags, for extra safety sensors automatically lower the windows by 150 mm upon detecting any obstructions in the frame. 

The new price of Hyundai Ioniq is Rs 57,96,000.

• Kia Niro

The Kia Niro EV comes with a huge 64 kWh battery paired with an electric motor that powers the front wheels. The battery provides a range of 450 km. The car makes 201 BHP and 395 Ni of instant torque which goes from 0-100 km/h in 7.8 seconds. Kia Niro comes with dual front advanced airbags, dual front seat mounted side airbags, 4 wheel disc brakes with anti lock brake system.

The new price of Kia Niro EV is Rs 69,90,000. 

• MG ZS 

The electric SUV MG ZS delivers 110 kW and 350 nm maximum torque and is powered by Lithium Ion battery. It can be charged upto 80% within 30 minutes. It provides a maximum range of 428 km on single charge and 150000 km warranty in battery life. Comes with Hill Launch Assistant, driver and passenger side airbags, side airbags, side door superlock and ISOFIX (rear child fitting). 

The new price of MG ZS is Rs 50,99,000. 

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In fight against air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, the electrification of the transport sector is an important goal because widespread electrification would greatly improve the quality of the air we breathe. And in fact, switching to electric vehicles has also been a core target of the Ministry of Forests and Environment since 2015, in doing that Nepal has a comparative advantage in terms of production of its own hydroelectricity, a local energy resource, with a huge potential to replace imported fossil fuel in upcoming days resulting the energy security of country.

Also, EVs are the cleaner, greener, and quieter alternative money saving and cheaper in the long run and is dependent on domestic energy sources of Nepal.

Earlier days of EVs

Earlier policies and budgets tried to encourage the use of EVs with favourable tax policy, even though the lack of charging stations remained a major concern issues. While Introduction of policies favourable to battery powered vehicles have at least replace this incremental rate by EVs. Reduction in purchase and operation costs, charging duration could have created a huge acceptability of electric vehicles in Kathmandu Valley.

Similarly, construction of charging infrastructure around the valley could provide solution to worries of the general public while purchasing an EV. And a lot of investments were already done domestically as well as from FDIs to build these high power charging stations for long route EV travelling. We already have a history of electric public transportation like trolley bus and safa Tempo which are still in use till date inside Kathmandu valley in various major routes. But this is just in the past times before the new tax policy.

Current Days of EVs in Nepal

However the future of Electronic Vehicle now in Nepal seems to have unclear future, with the new tax policy introduced this fiscal year. The Nepal government’s decision in late May to hike taxes on electric vehicles is one of the most criticized decisions because the 2020-21 budget raised customs duty on electric vehicles to 40 percent, introduced excise duty ranging from 30 to 80 percent and kept VAT unchanged at 13 percent.

Previously, EVs only paid up to 10 percent customs and 13 percent VAT. Electric vehicles of peak power 50-100kW will now have to pay 40% excise, 50% if it is 100-150kW. The excise goes up to 60% for battery cars with peak power of 150-200kW. Because the EVs which would have cost 55 lakh before the new budget will now cost more than 1 crore 30 lakhs, this is an absurd situation for EV market in Nepal.

All the addition of tax on EVs now

Here is the example of tax calculation after the Budget 2020/021. Let us assume the price of an EV is Rs 55,00,000. Now, according to the new budget, the price will be subjected to 40% customs duty. After adding customs duty i.e. Rs 22, 00,000 new price will be = Rs 77,00,000. Now let’s assume the EV has a power ranging between (100-150Kw), then add the excise duty of 50% (Electric cars with peak power ranging between 50-100kW will bear an excise duty of 40%, 50% if it’s between 100-150kW, and 60% for 150-200kW).

The new price will be = Rs 1,15,50,000 (Rs 77,00,000 + 50% Excise duty i.e. Rs 38, 50,000).

Now the VAT is also there to be added  that is 13% VAT = Rs 1,30,51,500 (Rs 1,15,50,000 + 13% VAT i.e. Rs 15,01,500).

And here at the end comes 5% road toll which will depend upon every local level government policy  = Rs 1,37,04,075 (Rs 1,30,51,500 + 5% road toll i.e. Rs 6,52,575). 

The final price will be Rs 1,37,04,075 (excluding 20% dealer margin).

Result in reverse growth of Environment friendly, EVs in Nepal

Instead of having electronic vehicle friendly budget our country’s tax policy is actually going against the global trend. Electric vehicles are being imported by Renault, Mahindra, Kia, Hyundai, MG, Peugeot, Audi and BYD. Other importers which were also planning to add electric cars to their showrooms will now cancel their orders. These have made the EVs business intangible and risky for the dealers. As well as an impractical decision the consumers who earlier had made their mind to own electric vehicle in near future.

 

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Earbuds are the new trend in today's world; however, this new trend might have hit the wallets of several people pretty hard. A good quality earpods mostly cost above Rs. 20,000 in Nepal. However, as different brands started developing earbuds, people could enjoy a good earbud with a noise-cancellation feature, though not good as the premium ones, at a cheaper price. The Budget Earbuds in the Nepalese market under Rs. 6000 are listed below.

Redmi AirDots

Redmi AirDots is the cheapest earbuds from Xiaomi. Despite its low-price, Xiaomi doesn’t seem to have compromised in the quality as Redmi AirDots provides you clear and rich sound and effects. This in-ear earbud weighs just about 4.1 gram per earbud; so, one can say that it won’t fall off your ears that often. It’s not the best but at the offered price, it’s the best amongst the best. Also, you can buy Redmi AirDots Pro with few better features at a slightly higher price.

Specifications:

• Noise-canceling, sweatproof
• In-ear wearing
• Impedance- 16Ohm
• Music time- 3hr
• Sensitivity- 93dB ± 3dB
• Standby time- 60h
• Connectivity- Bluetooth 5.0
• Battery- 40mAh (each bud), 300 mAh (chargig case)
• Compatible with: iPhone, iPod, Android phones

Price: Rs. 2,500

Accurate TWS HX 03

Accurate TWS HX 03, though doesn't have that attractive looks, has similar specs like the Redmi AirDots. However, for the additional price, you surely will get some additional features. Quality-wise, it is quite praiseworthy as it offers loud sound with decent bass. And, its battery of 40 mAh can last up to 4 hours on a single charge.

Specifications:

• 13 mm audio driver
• Connectivity- Bluetooth 5.0
• Battery- 40 mAh each bud, 400 mAh (charging bin), up to 12 hours of playback
• Charging port -Type C charging
• Music time- 4.5 hours
• Impedance- 16 Ohm
• Transmission range- 10m
• Output sensitivity- 97db+-3db
• Compatible with- Samsung, Huawei, iPhone

Price- Rs. 3,200

Mi Wireless Earbuds

Mi Wireless Earbuds is another budget earbuds from Xiaomi. Though it doesn’t have many differences in features, few of them are enough to make Mi Wireless Earbuds better than Redmi AirDots. After adding a few thousand at the price of Redmi AirDots, you can get better earbuds with better sound quality and features. Its silicone tip will make your ears at ease even after wearing it for hours. It is IPX4 rated and has a noise-cancelling feature as well.

 

Specifications:

• Noise-cancellation feature
• Weight- 58g
• Charging Port- USB Type-C
• Connectivity- Bluetooth 4.2
• Wireless Range- 10m
• Charging Time- 1h
• Battery life- 3h (at single charge), 10h (with charging case)

Price- Rs. 4,700

 

Baseus W01 TWS

Baseus W01 TWS is somehow an underrated brand in Nepal. But, the earbud with such features at the given price should be admired. Baseus W01 TWS has a dual-layer ear tips design for a comfortable fit. While the sound quality and audio effects are fine, the battery of 200mAh of charging cases is low than others in the list. It is best suitable for playing games.

Specifications:

• Sweat-proof and water-proof
• Compatible with all wireless devices
• Connectivity- Bluetooth 5.0
• Call time- 6-7h
• Battery- 60mAh (each earbud); 200mAh (charging case)
• Wireless range- 10m
• Charging time- 1.5h (earbuds); 3h (charging case)

Price- Rs. 5,500

Remax TWS 8

Remax is one of the famous brands with good quality audio accessories. The best thing about Remax TWS 8 is its looks that feature a metallic finish. Besides the looks, honestly, another feature of the earbud is quite similar to the other earbuds mentioned here.

Specifications:

• 6mm sound unit, quality sound
• In-ear wearing
• Connectivity- Bluetooth v5.0 chip, stable connection
• Battery - 400mAh charging bin (4 times charge)
• Controls- One button control, answer/hang up cal ls, play/stop
• Transmission range- 10m
• Output sensitivity- 97db+-3db
• Microphone sensitivity- -42db+-3db
• Impedance- 16 ohm
• Music playing time- 3-4h
• Compatible with- iPhone, Samsung, Huawei

Price: Rs. 5,990

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The Government of Nepal today unveiled the budget for fiscal year 2021/22, today. Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel on Saturday announced a budget of Rs 1.647 trillion for the upcoming fiscal year 2021/22.

During the budget speech for the fiscal year 2078/79 on today, Hon. Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel told a policy will be taken to replace the vehicles running on petroleum products with electric vehicles by 2088 BS. Minister Bishnu Poudel also told a task force with experts will be formed to study the issue.

Hon. Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel has informed that the excise duty on electric vehicles has been completely waived in the budget of the Fiscal Year 2078/79 BS.  The government has also revised the custom duties for EVs. Earlier, customs duty was levied at 1 percent on public transport and 10 percent on private vehicles.

As per last year's budget presented by Dr. Yubaraj Khatiwada, the excise duty on electric cars was raised to 40-80% depending upon their peak power.

As per last year's budget  imposed customs duty on the price of electric cars like other vehicles and has also increased excise duty. The previous tariff rate of 10 percent has been increased to up to 40 percent and excise duty will also be levied on the basis of motor capacity. For vehicles up to 50 kW the excise duty is 30 percent, 50-100 kW is 40 percent, 100-150 kW is 50 percent, 150-200 kW is 60 percent, 200-300 Kw 70 percent, 300 and above is 80 percent.

This year the Government is committed to promoting electric vehicles by announcing a policy of replacing the vehicles running on petroleum products with electric vehicles by 2031. The government also wants to encourage the assembly of electric vehicles in Nepal by inviting the top 10 EV brands.

Similarly, Minister Poudel told the government will waive the renewal taxes for five years if anyone wants to convert their existing petrol engine vehicle to an electric powertrain. 

We can say this budget is a big relief to consumers who are planning to buy electric vehicles. 

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has signed a contract agreement worth Rs 377.95 million (tax excluded), with Wanwang Digital Energy Corporation for import, installation, inspection, operation, and maintenance of EV charging stations in 50 different locations across Nepal.

According to a notice provided by NEA a year ago, the charging stations will be built in various parks, shopping malls, and open spaces. 

There will be 7 charging stations within Kathmandu valley, 5 in Province no. 1, 7 in Province no. 2, 13 in Bagmati region except Kathmandu, 6 in Gandaki Province, 8 in Lumbini Province, 1 in Karnali, and 3 in Sudurpaschim regions of Nepal. 

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