The automotive industry is transitioning towards electric vehicles, and Nepal is keeping pace with this paradigm shift. Sipradi Trading Pvt. Ltd, the sole authorized distributor of Tata vehicles in Nepal, is one of the companies leading the EV transition. With over 2200 Tata EVs already sold, the company has been under pressure to improve its infrastructure.

Recently, Sipradi Trading Pvt Ltd, the official distributor of Tata Motors Limited for Nepal, organized an extended media drive to showcase its state-of-the-art ‘EV Learning Center’ and ‘Battery Repair Center’ facilities at Naikap and Bagdol and provide a guided tour of its EV infrastructure and services.

The event started at Tata Motors’ showroom in Thapathali, where we had a hearty breakfast before departing for their full-fledged workshop and EV Learning Center at Naikap on a fleet of Nexon EVs. Upon arrival, we received an insightful explanation of what goes on under the hood of their EVs, including a detailed dissection of their battery pack, its components, and how it links to the motor.

Having the motor, battery, and several other components right in front of us helped to better understand the information. Sipradi Trading Pvt. Ltd’s training facility has had immense success in educating and informing many engineers and customers about the working of their EVs. According to their Product Manager, Nirmal Khatri, this learning center is the first of its kind in South Asia and has taught everything from all the new technologies in electric vehicles to producing skilled manpower who can repair EVs.

One of the primary concerns for EV owners and enthusiasts alike is the eventual and inescapable lump-sum cost of having to change an electric car’s battery. Thankfully, Tata Motors Nepal has been working to quell these apprehensions by providing a battery repair service that is expected to reduce battery repair costs to up to a third of the entire battery replacement cost.

The battery consists of 13 modules of 600 cells each, and it is controlled by Tata’s advanced Ziptron technology, which is a battery management software and system. The ability to repair the cells saves the cost of replacing the entire battery. For instance, if a problem occurs in the battery for any reason, it can be easily repaired by changing certain components such as the module and cell at a very low cost.

To further explain the process, we were led to Tata Motors Nepal’s EV Service Centre in Bagdole, where Sipradi Trading Pvt Ltd has established a dedicated Battery Diagnostic Centre. Here, the emphasis is on providing the necessary facilities to repair battery modules and cells for their vehicles.  According to the facility’s Chief Engineer, the problem of battery voltage and housing damage can now be resolved by their Battery Diagnostic Centre. Once again, Tata Motors Nepal is the pioneer in this service.

We concluded the media drive with a hearty lunch hosted by Tata Motors Nepal. The completion of the tour of their facilities instilled a sense of confidence in the infrastructural developments being put forward towards EVs in Nepal. With over 80% command of the EV market, the importance of continuously improving their infrastructural facilities is significant. We applaud Sipradi Trading Pvt. Ltd for their efforts to improve their facilities.

Tata Motors currently offers two electric cars in the Nepalese market. These include the Nexon EV (Standard and Dark) and Tigor EV.