Before charging in the garage, make an emergency plan
A Nepal household charging plan should include safe exits, electrical inspection and useful information for responders. Learn what to prepare and when to leave a fault to professionals.
An electrician installs the charger, the car fits in the garage, and charging works. One more question belongs in the handover: if there is smoke or another serious fault, can everyone leave without passing the car or the charging equipment?
A garage often serves several jobs. It holds vehicles, stored cartons, tools, a freezer or a pump. A charging installation needs to be assessed within that building, including escape routes and access for emergency responders. Buying an EV does not make those existing conditions irrelevant.
This is household preparedness guidance. It does not replace a design specification or a fire-response training course, and it does not claim that EVs cause most building fires in Nepal. A building and electrical assessment needs qualified professionals who can inspect the actual site.
Begin with the building before any fire statistic
Nepal's Protection against Lightning and Electric Fire Safety Standard Handbook, published by APP/NDRC in March 2022, includes electrical-fire causes and preventive measures. It is a building and electrical reference. It does not report EV battery-fire rates.
Do not use a global social-media statistic to certify your own garage as safe or unsafe. The relevant questions are visible and specific: the condition of the installation, what is stored nearby, whether escape is possible and how responders reach the property.
Tell the electrician about existing appliances and the hours they operate. Ask a building/fire-safety professional to assess exits, detection, compartmentation and any requirements for the premises. A domestic garage, an apartment basement and a commercial workshop can need different arrangements.
Make the exit work with the car parked
Walk through the normal parked layout without creating a hazardous demonstration. Check whether the vehicle, cable, stored items or a locked gate obstructs the intended exit. Include the needs of children, older family members and anyone who needs help moving.
An exit that works with an empty garage may fail when a second vehicle arrives. Keep the route consistently clear. Do not treat the space behind a charging car as spare storage if it is needed to leave.
Choose a meeting place away from the vehicle and building that responders can reach. Agree who assists a person needing help and who makes the emergency call once safe. Do not assign someone to stay behind to protect the car or collect documents.
Ask for a proper electrical handover
Obtain the installation record, equipment details, test results where applicable, circuit identification and the installer's contact. Have the professional explain the normal shutdown/isolation arrangement and its location. Knowing where it is does not mean approaching it is safe during an incident.
| Handover question | Evidence or action |
|---|---|
| Which circuit supplies charging? | Clear label and installation record |
| What loads may operate together? | Site-specific capacity assessment |
| What protection and earthing were provided? | Installer's documented work and checks |
| What requires inspection before reuse? | Instructions for trips, damage or abnormal heat |
| How is routine isolation performed? | Demonstration by the qualified installer |
| What detection/building provisions apply? | Assessment by a competent building/fire professional |
Do not select protection devices or wire sizes from this table. Those depend on the equipment, supply, layout and applicable requirements. Do not bypass a protective trip, replace a breaker with a larger one or improvise an extension lead to keep charging going.
Stop using equipment that shows damage or repeated unexplained trips and arrange inspection. Smell, visible scorching or abnormal heat should not be dismissed as a normal feature of fast charging. If there is smoke or a fire, prioritise evacuation and emergency help.
Prepare information that responders can use
Keep the address, municipality/ward, nearby landmark, map location and access instructions somewhere the household can retrieve without entering the garage. A phone entry is useful, but another family member should also know the information.
Write down the car's make/model, that it is electric, and where it is parked. If a manufacturer supplies an official rescue sheet for the exact model, keep it available to the building manager or responders. Do not make your own diagram telling people where to cut or disconnect high-voltage components.
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City contact page lists 101 for its fire-brigade service. Confirm and save the appropriate fire/emergency contacts for your own municipality before an incident. The Kathmandu listing does not establish response coverage or arrival time at every location in Nepal.
For a call, give the location first, say that an EV is involved where relevant, describe smoke/fire or injury, and report whether anyone may be inside. Follow the dispatcher's instructions from a safe place. Do not delay the call while searching for an app password or an insurance number.
If there is smoke, do not investigate the battery
Move people away, raise the alarm and call emergency services. Stay out of smoke and do not return to retrieve belongings. Do not approach a smoking vehicle to unplug it, move it or reach an isolation switch beside it.
The Punch EV manual supplied by Sipradi includes model-specific emergency warnings, including evacuating for specified serious high-voltage faults. Read your own vehicle's instructions beforehand. Never assume that switching the car off makes every electrical component safe to touch.
A portable extinguisher is not proof that a householder can control a traction-battery fire. Extinguisher selection, positioning and training belong in the professional building-safety plan. Fighting a battery fire, opening a pack or applying water to electrical equipment are jobs for trained responders.
Even after visible flames or smoke stop, do not assume the scene is safe for re-entry or the car is ready to charge. Emergency responders and qualified technicians should determine the next steps.
Plan inspection after damage too
An underbody impact, flood exposure or collision can require assessment even if the car still moves. Follow the manufacturer and service provider's instructions about driving, storage and charging after the event. Do not leave a potentially damaged vehicle charging in a shared basement because there is no warning on the dashboard.
Tell the workshop exactly what happened, including water exposure or impact location. A quick exterior wash is not an electrical inspection. Our flood guide explains why restarting or charging an affected vehicle is a separate safety decision from cleaning it.
If recovery is needed, the provider should know the model and condition. Do not authorise an improvised tow or an unqualified pack inspection. Keep the scene accessible and follow any storage restrictions given by the professionals handling it.
Review the plan when the layout changes
A new vehicle, a tenant moving in, an added charger or stored goods can alter exits and electrical demand. Recheck the plan rather than assuming the first installation approval covers every later change.
Keep the records, emergency contacts and normal charging instructions available to the people who use the space. A short, specific plan is easier to follow than a folder nobody can find. Charging convenience also means you can stop safely and leave safely. It means responders get the information they need when they arrive.