Traffic moves slowly in Kathmandu’s ancient and narrow city streets and distances travelled are relatively short. Currently, there are 3,500 three-wheeled vehicles, tempos, clogging Kathmandu’s streets. These three-wheelers are the most common form of public transportation in the Kathmandu Valley. They account for 25 percent of all vehicular traffic in the city and contribute over 60 percent of vehicular emissions. A very conservative estimate of the cost of this level of air pollution is $10 million per annum in lost worker productivity, health care costs, and losses from tourism. Electric vehicles provide an exceptional opportunity to reverse this trend. The increased.
