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EV sales in Nepal are growing quickly, and drivers need reliable places to charge, especially along highways and at places they already stop. Here's what to think through before you open a station.
1. Choose the site
- Where drivers already stop: highway rest stops, hotels, restaurants, cafes, malls and offices. Drivers charge where they can eat, wait or work.
- Space and access: parking bays that are easy to get in and out of, room for cables to reach, and a safe, well-lit area.
- Amenities: restrooms, food, Wi-Fi and shade make a station the one drivers choose.
2. Sort out the electricity early
Electricity is often the biggest cost and the longest lead time. Fast DC chargers need a high-capacity three-phase supply, and often a dedicated transformer. Talk to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) early about the connection and capacity your chargers need, and check the current rules for EV charging stations with NEA and your local authority before you build.
3. Pick the chargers
- AC or DC: AC chargers (7 to 22 kW) suit hotels and offices where cars stay for hours. DC fast chargers (30 to 120 kW and up) suit highways and quick stops.
- Connectors: in Nepal, offer CCS2 and GB/T on DC chargers to serve most cars. Multi-connector chargers let you serve more drivers from one unit.
- Open standards: insist on OCPP 1.6J support. It lets you run the charger on any compatible software, so you're never locked into one supplier.
- Service: ask who repairs the charger in Nepal, how fast, and how spare parts are handled.
4. Set your prices
Your main cost is the electricity you buy, and NEA tariffs can differ by time of day and connection type. Work out a price per kWh that covers electricity, maintenance, staff, rent and a margin.
- A flat rate is simple to explain on a sign.
- Time-of-day pricing follows your own costs, and can fill quiet hours with lower rates.
- Different prices per connector are fair: fast DC charging costs you more to provide than slow AC.
5. Plan payments and customers
Drivers expect to pay without cash or a queue at the counter: from an app wallet, an RFID card, or both. Being on a network also matters. Drivers find stations in the apps they already use, and a shared card such as the Saadhan Charge Super Card brings you drivers from across the network.
6. Choose the software (CSMS)
A charging station management system connects your chargers over OCPP and runs the business:
- live charger status, and remote start, stop, reset and unlock;
- pricing plans per connector;
- customers, cards and wallets;
- staff access per station;
- reports, and matching your electricity bill against revenue.
Make sure it works in Nepali for your drivers and copes with chargers on patchy mobile data.
7. Run it well
- Uptime: watch charger status every day. A broken charger loses customers fast.
- Staff: train the people on site to start, stop and reset chargers, and to help first-time drivers.
- Signs: post the price, the connectors, and a phone number for help.
- Records: keep each month's NEA bill next to your charging revenue, so you always know your margin.
Checklist
- Site with parking, access and amenities
- NEA connection and capacity confirmed; current rules checked
- OCPP 1.6J chargers with CCS2 and GB/T, and local service agreed
- Price per kWh worked out from your costs
- Cashless payments and a network drivers already use
- Charging software, staff trained, signs up
Saadhan Charge runs all of this, with no setup charges. Talk to us about your stations.