Electric taxi costs in Nepal: count the empty kilometres

A taxi's odometer measures all the driving. Its income usually depends on only part of that distance. The trip to collect a passenger, the return without one and the detour to a charger still use energy and wear the car.

For an electric taxi in Nepal, this gap can matter more than a small difference in advertised range. A serious operating plan needs paid kilometres, total kilometres and the time available to work. It also needs the right commercial finance, insurance and registration arrangement.

Count the empty running

Consider an invented working day: 200 total kilometres, of which 130 carry paying passengers. If the car uses 16 kWh per 100 km, the battery supplies 32 kWh. Assume the charging arrangement requires buying 35.6 kWh, allowing for 90% efficiency.

At an example electricity price of Rs 15 per kWh, energy costs about Rs 534 that day. That is Rs 2.67 per total kilometre, but Rs 4.11 per paid kilometre. If the same car earns fares over only 100 of those 200 kilometres, the energy cost per paid kilometre becomes Rs 5.34.

Those are energy figures alone. They exclude driver income, interest, tyres, insurance, tax, commissions and repairs. The example electricity rate is not an NEA tariff or a station quote.

A useful log records the opening and closing odometer, paid distance, gross fare receipts, fees deducted and charging purchased. Include cash trips consistently. A screenshot of gross app earnings is not a complete business account.

Charging time competes with earning time

If a car adds 30 kWh at an average 30 kW, the charging portion takes about an hour. At an average 20 kW, it takes about an hour and a half. The rating on the station does not establish the average power the car will accept.

Add travel, waiting and payment time. A stop during a quiet period may have little effect on revenue; the same delay during a busy period can be expensive. Do not multiply every charging hour by an optimistic maximum hourly fare. Use records of the work you would realistically have accepted.

Charging at the overnight parking location can reduce daytime interruptions, provided the connection and access are suitable. Where that is unavailable, test a public routine and a backup before buying. The CG Motors directory gives starting locations and connector information, not guaranteed uptime or a queue forecast.

Separate business profit from cash after the EMI

Suppose the operator borrows Rs 24 lakh over five years at an assumed constant 9%. The reducing-balance EMI is roughly Rs 49,820. Across 26 working days a month, that is about Rs 1,916 per working day in debt payments.

The entire EMI is a cash obligation, but it is not all an accounting expense: part repays principal and part is interest. For a cash plan, include the payment. For a profitability analysis, account for interest and depreciation appropriately. Do not subtract both the full purchase price and all principal repayments as if they were separate costs.

Nabil's auto-loan terms distinguish commercial EVs from private vehicles and describe documentation and experience requirements. Tell the bank the real use. A private-car illustration should not be treated as an approved taxi loan.

Build a difficult-month version of the budget. Reduce operating days and paid distance, then see whether instalments and household needs still fit. An annual average can conceal a month when there is not enough cash.

The warranty clock moves quickly

At 200 km on 26 days each month, the car covers 62,400 km annually. A hypothetical 1,60,000 km battery-warranty limit is reached in about 2.6 years. The actual commercial terms, service requirements and start date need confirmation from the distributor.

This does not predict failure at expiry. It shows how much of the loan period may lie outside a particular mileage limit. Budget for inspections, repairs and downtime without inventing a universal battery replacement cost.

Ask the workshop about service intervals by kilometres and expected time off the road. A taxi can reach them much sooner than a private owner. Obtain the insurance wording for commercial use and passenger-related liabilities. Nepal Insurance Authority publishes regulatory material; the individual policy still needs to match the work being done.

A practical decision uses weeks of evidence

If you already drive a taxi, record several ordinary weeks before changing vehicles. Identify where the paid work occurs, how much empty running it causes and which breaks could accommodate charging. Use that pattern in the EV calculation.

For a first-time operator, speak directly with the lender, transport office, insurer and distributor. Current route, permit and commercial-use requirements should come from the responsible authority rather than an article promising that anyone can start immediately.

An electric taxi can reduce energy spending. Whether it supports a livelihood depends on the whole working day. The calculation should end with the driver paid, the car maintained and the instalment covered, including the kilometres nobody paid for.

Evidence used

• Nabil commercial EV finance.
• CG Motors charging network.
• Nepal Insurance Authority circulars.
• All operating figures are labelled examples. No local fare, driver interview or earnings claim is implied.