A so-called "dam-building spree" in Nepal has provided the country with energy so cheap that it has led to a surge in EV adoption.
Tech Xplore explained that this landlocked country has previously depended solely on the import of dirty energy to meet its power needs.
So far, more than 40,000 EVs have been added to Nepal's roads — a fraction of the country's 6.2 million motor vehicles in use — but demand is through the roof, according to the publication.
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In fact, more than a quarter of the country's EVs were imported from July 2023 to July 2024, representing a nearly threefold increase from the previous 12-month period.
According to research from Michigan State University, hydropower dams can offer several benefits to communities by reducing the impact of flooding and droughts, providing water to farmlands, and allowing for easier transportation. Plus, hydropower is a renewable, clean energy source that can help us transition away from planet-warming fuels like coal, oil, and gas.
However, these dams also come with consequences, including possible displacement of local communities and damage to surrounding ecosystems, MSU added.
In fact, some campaigners in Nepal are expressing their concern, asserting that the construction of new dams puts sensitive ecological areas at risk, Tech Xplore reported. For instance, in 2024, the Nepalese government approved a new policy that allows for the construction of dams that could impact previously protected areas like nature reserves and tiger habitats.
Plus, the campaigners say that the government has made no solid plans to deal with the electronic waste from EVs' lithium-ion batteries, which contain parts that are harmful to people and the environment.
"The government does not seem far-sighted on this issue, it is just concerned with solving only immediate problems," Nabin Bikash Maharjan of recycling enterprise Blue Waste to Value told AFP, per Tech Xplore. "It is high time for the government to prioritize it. Otherwise it will create additional pollution."
Though e-waste is problematic, EVs still offer a number of benefits when compared to conventional modes of transportation. For one, they're cheaper to drive — in the U.S., for example, EV drivers could save around $1,500 a year on gas and maintenance.
EVs also produce far less pollution and no tailpipe emissions, which results in cleaner air. One study from the American Lung Association claims that if all new vehicles sold by 2035 were powered by electricity rather than dirty fuel, it could lead to almost 2.8 million fewer asthma attacks among children and reduce upper and lower respiratory symptoms in kids by 2.67 million and 1.87 million.
Plus, EVs can have a major impact on our climate ambitions, as they do not rely on planet-warming fuel.
As for Nepal's EV revolution, "The EVs have great potential for us," Kulman Ghising of the Nepal Electricity Authority told AFP, per Tech Xplore. "EVs in India and Bangladesh need to depend on coal, but in Nepal, it's fully green energy."
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