The electric vehicle charging station at Kalika Fuel Center in Pokhara, Kaski, constructed by the Armed Police Welfare Service Center, was recently inaugurated.

Two state-of-the-art fast charging stations were jointly opened on Sunday by Inspector General of Armed Police Force Raju Aryal and Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority Kulman Ghising.

DC chargers with a capacity of 60-60 kilowatts and AC chargers with a capacity of 22 kilowatts are available at public electric vehicle charging stations.

The charging station features two fast chargers with a capacity of 142 kilowatts each, capable of charging up to six vehicles, including large buses, simultaneously. The NEA and the Armed Police signed a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of the charging station last year.

NEA has acquired all the charging station equipment and infrastructure at its own expense and will assume responsibility for maintenance and regular servicing thereof. The construction land for the infrastructure was provided by the armed police, who will operate and protect the charging station.

Third parties/organizations will not be allowed to operate the charging stations.

According to the provisions outlined in the Electricity Distribution Regulations, the Armed Police Welfare Center will receive 50% of the overall profit from the electricity rate charged, allocated for the operating and management expenses incurred by the charging station.

In the opening program, Inspector General of the Armed Police Force Aryal stated that the operation of the charging station would promote the adoption of electric vehicles. Its availability will establish a dependable and secure environment for the users.

Aryal stated that replacing private and public petroleum-fueled vehicles with electric ones could save a significant amount of foreign money in fuel and energy, while also reducing the trade deficit in the future.

The NEA’s MD Ghising stated that necessary preparations are underway to expand the infrastructure of charging stations throughout the country. This is because the utilization of electric vehicles will contribute to the consumption of environmentally friendly energy produced in the nation.

MD Ghising noted that the nation has entered a promising phase regarding increased electrical consumption. He added, "In the past, electric vehicles were inconceivable during load shedding." We have reached the exporting stage.

The electricity tariff is being adjusted to encourage private sector investment in charging stations, as stated by him.

NEA has established state-of-the-art fast charging stations for 51 electric vehicles at various locations across the country for the first time. In addition, in the second phase, the construction of 11 charging stations has made progress.

With the investment of financial and concessional support from the Asian Development Bank, as well as technical assistance from the Norwegian government, a total of 51 electric vehicle charging stations have been installed and are currently operating throughout the main highways, bus parks, and urban centers of seven provinces under the infrastructure development project for electric vehicle charging.

Out of the charging stations constructed at a cost of around 40 million rupees, 26 are capable of charging big buses, micros, trucks, pickups, and cars, while 25 can only charge small or large cars.