Two EV charging stations in Bharatpur come into operation

Two electric vehicle charging stations have been brought into operation at the central bus terminal in Bharatpur.

The charging stations were constructed at a cost of around Rs 9 million by the Nepal Electricity Authority with the aim of reducing the consumption of petroleum products and developing environment friendly transport systems through the use of EVs, said NEA engineer Sagar Gyawali.

Maximum six vehicles, both light and heavy ones, can be charged at a go through the stations, he said. The stations are based on CCH and GBT EV charging technologies, said Shiva Adhikari, the project manager, which won the contract to construct the charging stations. It takes one and one and a half hours to fully charge a vehicle based on the type of vehicle, he said.

Chargers with 142 kilowatts and 50 kVA transformers have been installed, said Gyawali, adding that there is an online payment system. Similarly, AC and DC chargers with 60 kilowatts each have also been installed.

It charges Rs 8.28 per unit electricity to charge a vehicle between 5 am and 5 pm. Similarly, Rs 10.44 per unit is charged between 5 pm and 11 pm, and Rs 9.6 between 11 pm and 5am.

Around five vehicles have been charged at the stations on a daily basis, said Asim Bhattarai, managing director of Arjan Construction and Suppliers, which has been contracted to run the Bus Park.

Meanwhile, the NEA has aimed to construct 51 charging stations across the country. Out of them, 12 have come into operation, and construction of 32 has been over, said Gyawali. Construction of the remaining ones has reached its final stage, he added.