More than 300 Chinese vehicles have entered the country through the Rasuwagadhi border point. According to the Department of Customs, 305 vehicles of various categories entered Nepal through the friendship bridge in Rasuwagadhi since the start of this fiscal year. A total of 132 electric vehicles, 82 electric vans, 11 Hilux vehicles, 2 loader equipment, and 78 fuel cars have been imported through the customs point. With the operation of the Tatopani border point not being regular, the imports of vehicles from Rasuwagadhi have increased in the last few years. Vehicle importers in Nepal prefer the Rasuwagadhi point over Tatopani to import Chinese vehicles.

In the first five months of the current fiscal year, Nepal has imported 198 electric vehicles, of which 132 were brought through the Rasuwagadhi border point. The importers of Neta and BYD four-wheelers have used this trade route for their imports in the current fiscal year. In the last fiscal year, a sizable number of MG EVs also made their way to Nepal through this border point.

With government policies favoring the sales of EVs of 100kW motor capacity, there has been a surge in the imports of EVs up to 100 kW in this fiscal year. The imports of 100 kW EVs from China have increased in the first five months of the current fiscal year. Nepal has imported 188 units of EVs of 100 kW capacity in this fiscal compared to 70 units in the same period of the last fiscal. As the government levied excise duty on top of the existing customs duty on electric vehicles above 100 kW capacity, there has been a decline in the imports of EVs above 100 kW from China. In FY 2022/23, only 10 units of EVs above 100 kW capacity have been imported from China compared to 548 units in the same period of FY 2021/22.