KATHMANDU, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Nepal imported a record-high number of four-wheel electric vehicles (EVs) during the first 11 months of the current 2024-25 fiscal year, the Department of Customs said on Friday.

The total number stood at 13,483 by mid-June, with as many as 10,194 from China, or nearly 76 percent of the total imports, the department said.

In contrast, the country imported a total of 11,701 EVs in 2023-24.

Nepal has been encouraging EVs in recent years as it produces surplus hydropower, especially during the monsoon season, and the country aims to increase the sales of EVs to 90 percent of all private passenger vehicles and 70 percent of all public passenger vehicles by 2030, including two-wheelers. ■