Kathmandu, April 7 -- For years, Nepal has spoken about converting petrol and diesel vehicles into electric ones. In practice, nothing has moved.

The issue resurfaced after a recent Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Balendra Shah decided to make legal arrangements to enable vehicle conversion. But officials and industry say the problem is not policy intent. It is execution.

Nepal already has provisions that allow vehicles to be modified into cleaner, energy-efficient alternatives. These provisions have been repeated in policy announcements and government notices over the years. Yet, implementation has remained effectively zero.

In December 2025, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport issued a notice granting a th...