E-rickshaws electrify the streets of Nepal and benefit the poor, too

Rckshaws powered by batteries have emerged as an affordable means of transport in Nepal. Photo: ANN

When India imposed a trade embargo on Nepal in 2015, virtually halting gasoline supplies, traffic came to a grinding halt in most towns and cities. Motor vehicles disappeared from the streets, and people had to travel on foot.

But a few cities were not as badly affected by the gasoline shortage thanks to electric, three-wheeled vehicles, or “e-rickshaws”. Since 2015, there has been a marked rise in the use of these vehicles, especially in the Tarai Region in southern Nepal where they are known as City Safari vehicles.