Traders Caught in the Crossfire as Hundreds of Electric Vehicles Remain Stranded in Chobhar

Kathmandu: The Chobhar Dry Port in the capital has turned into a massive parking lot for electric vehicles (EVs). Hundreds of newly imported EVs have been parked there for months without buyers.

Importers had brought in a large number of vehicles last Baisakh, fearing that the government might raise the tax rate in the new fiscal year’s budget. However, the government did not revise the tax structure, proving the traders’ assumption wrong. As a result, these costly vehicles are now stuck in the open field of the dry port.

Before the budget was presented on Jestha 15, the number of EVs at the port had reached 1,300, but it has now been reduced to around 950, according to Ashish Gajurel, Executive Director of the Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Committee.

It appears traders had imported vehicles in bulk expecting to get them inspected and cleared under the old tax rate, planning to sell them at higher prices if the rate increased. When that didn’t happen, their strategy failed, and sales slowed sharply.

According to Gajurel, vehicle imports after Jestha 15 have dropped significantly, and only about 400 vehicles have been sold in the past four and a half months.

He pointed to rumor-driven and speculative imports as the main cause of the pile-up. “Our country runs on chaos,” Gajurel said. “Businessmen assumed customs rates would rise, so they cleared vehicles at the old rate, expecting to sell them for more later. That expectation led to massive over-imports.”

He added that similar scenes of EVs piling up can be seen in Rasuwa and Tatopani as well. Fortunately, the situation has not caused financial losses to the port itself.

The Chobhar Dry Port currently serves as a logistics hub, offering services such as warehousing, parking, and general processing for post-customs business activities.

 

Gajurel said the current situation shows that commercial infrastructure is being utilized effectively. “Even without the Fast Track, this area has developed well and has become a good source of state revenue,” he said.

Operating under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, the port regularly pays the agreed amount to the state and earns additional income from parking fees.

However, the unsold vehicles have become a financial burden for importers, who must pay rent to keep their cars parked for months. More than 900 vehicles have been sitting there for four to five months, yet the port has no immediate plans to install charging stations.

Gajurel explained that since these vehicles are not being driven, there has been no demand for charging facilities. He added that once the Kathmandu–Terai Fast Track becomes operational, the port’s focus will again shift to cargo containers, so no investment is being made in charging infrastructure for now.

The Chobhar Dry Port is considered highly technology-friendly. Every process—from entry to exit, is handled digitally. Information such as how long vehicles or goods remain at the port is recorded in specialized software, significantly reducing paperwork.

The Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Committee has said it is investing further to digitize the business infrastructure, preparing to shift the port’s full focus to customs services once the Fast Track becomes operational.

 

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