EV importers in Nepal set to fund used battery management, says JAAM president

Outgoing Journalist Association for Automobile and Mobility (JAAM) president Sagar Gajurel has called for a mandatory funding system to manage used EV batteries in Nepal.

Call for importer-backed battery management

Speaking at NAIMA’s technical discussion on Battery Recycling and Ethanol Blending in Fuel in Kathmandu, Gajurel said every company importing electric vehicles should invest in battery management companies, with contributions linked to the number of EVs they sell.

He argued that the current volume of end-of-life batteries is still too low for a full recycling plant. Nepal, he said, needs structured collection, testing and second-life use in place before moving to large-scale recycling.

He compared the idea to insurance reinsurance, where all players share long-term risk.

Gajurel cited a study projecting 150–180 GWh of lithium-ion batteries reaching the end of their first life and entering second-life applications by 2043. He urged the creation of dedicated battery storage centres so used packs can be repurposed for energy storage during peak demand.

Questions over Nepal’s E10 petrol rollout

Gajurel also raised user-side concerns over Nepal’s plan to allow up to 10% ethanol blending (E10) in petrol.

He noted that ethanol discussions have run for about two decades, with molasses from sugar mills as the main current feedstock, but said scaling up production remains challenging. Alternatives such as Napier grass, straw, corn stalks and wheat husks could be explored, yet processing and logistics are still unresolved.

From a consumer angle, he warned that older vehicles and those built to earlier Nepal emission norms may see lower mileage and possible technical issues on E10, even though emissions could fall.

Gajurel stressed that the economic benefit of blending depends on ethanol pricing. If ethanol ends up costlier than petrol, the overall savings from the policy could be limited for both the state and drivers.