NEVI (Nepal Electric Vehicle Industry Research and Innovation Pvt. Ltd.) is Nepal’s pioneering electric-vehicle manufacturer and operator.

For nearly three decades, the company has been at the centre of Kathmandu’s clean-transport story, developing and running the iconic Safa Tempo three-wheelers and building the charging infrastructure, technical skills and operational know-how that keep them on the road. Nepal Electric Vehicle+1

Today, NEVI is expanding from vehicles into batteries, training and fleet support, helping thousands of daily passengers move through Nepal’s cities with lower emissions and without dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Our partnership with NEVI on Project GANESHA builds directly on this foundation. Global Solutions brings modular battery-pack platforms, data-led planning and investment frameworks; NEVI brings manufacturing capacity, Safa Tempo fleets, on-the-ground operations and a deep understanding of Nepal’s mobility ecosystem.

Together, we are building a model for clean, locally powered urban transport that can scale across routes, cities, and, over time, other regions.

Find out more about NEVI’s wider work on their website: nepalelectricvehicle.com.

Meet the NEVI Team

Management and Engineering

Lobsang Lama

Founding Member & Managing Director, NEVI / Strategic Partner, Project GANESHA

Lobsang Lama is a founding member of the Nepal Electric Vehicle Industry (NEVI) and currently serves as its Managing Director and Chairman.

He helped establish NEVI in the mid-1990s as the first private company to operate electric three-wheelers in Nepal, acquiring and improving the original Safa Tempo prototypes and launching the initial demonstration fleet in Kathmandu.

Under the leadership of Lobsang and his fellow founders, NEVI has manufactured more than 350 Safa Tempos and supports a fleet of around 650 vehicles across the Kathmandu Valley, backed by a network of charging stations.

Over nearly four decades as an entrepreneur, Lobsang has founded and led multiple ventures across manufacturing, education and agriculture, while remaining closely involved in youth and women’s empowerment initiatives in Nepal.

More recently, he has driven NEVI’s shift from lead-acid systems to advanced lithium-iron phosphate batteries and formalised the company’s evolution into Nepal Electric Vehicle Industry Research and Innovation Pvt. Ltd., positioning NEVI as a platform for ongoing R&D, training and commercial deployment.

For Project GANESHA, Lobsang is a strategic partner to Global Solutions. He sits at the intersection of governance, capital, and industrial capability, overseeing the development of new modular battery platforms, manufacturing investments, and NEVI fleet projects.

His role is to ensure that decisions on technology, factories, and routes are grounded in real operational data from NEVI’s decades of experience, so that GANESHA can move from pilots to bankable, scalable assets rather than remaining a one-off project.

Lobsang views the collaboration with Global Solutions and Innovate UK as an opportunity to develop a model for clean, locally powered urban transport that meets investor expectations while maintaining value in Nepal. By combining NEVI’s proven track record in electric public transport with Global Solutions’ system design, data and programme structures, he aims to create a framework that can attract disciplined capital, support future EV and battery investments, and deliver measurable benefits in jobs, air quality and energy independence for the communities NEVI serves.

Tenphel Z Lama

Managing Director, NEVI

Tenphel Z Lama is Managing Director of NEVI and a core leadership partner for Global Solutions on Project GANESHA.
He also serves as Managing Director of Hotel Tibet International and as the owner of Dusit Princess Hotel, bringing a blend of manufacturing, mobility, and hospitality experience to Nepal’s evolving clean-energy ecosystem.

Under his family’s leadership, their group of companies spans multiple industries and has played a significant role in the Nepalese economy. Both the Chairman and Chairwoman were the first couple in Nepal’s history to receive the Commercially Important Person (CIP) award from the President for their contribution through two separate companies; a recognition that reflects the group’s long-term investment in national development.

Tenphel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business from Wheaton College, Massachusetts, and a Master’s degree in Hospitality from Boston University. This grounding in economics, business and service operations shapes his approach to building NEVI as a professional, investor-ready organisation capable of delivering reliable, clean mobility at scale.

Through its partnership with Global Solutions, Tenphel focuses on strengthening institutional frameworks, elevating operational standards, and embedding international best practices into NEVI’s work.

Together, the aim is to create a model partnership that drives innovation, empowers stakeholders with better tools and knowledge, and delivers long-term value to the communities and industries NEVI serves.

He sees Project GANESHA as a platform to demonstrate how Nepalese-led companies can adopt and adapt global standards while keeping impact rooted locally.

Away from work, Tenphel enjoys travelling to new countries to explore and understand different cultures – a curiosity that informs how he approaches collaboration and cross-border partnerships.

Visit the NEVI website to explore their clean mobility projects.

Nirsha Shrestha

Finance and Administration Manager

Nirsha Shrestha is the Finance and Administration Manager at NEVI and serves as Manufacturing Site Assistant for Project GANESHA.

With an MBA (Master of Business Administration), Nirsha bridges financial discipline, operational detail and the day-to-day realities of running a manufacturing site in Nepal.

NEVI was founded by 28 environmentally conscious professionals with a clear mission: to reduce dependence on imported fuels, reduce urban pollution, improve public transport, and create employment through electric mobility.

Over the last 30 years, the company has manufactured more than 400 Safa Tempos and earned international recognition for its role in reducing air pollution in Kathmandu.

Within this context, Nirsha’s role on Project GANESHA is to help Global Solutions and NEVI align the financial, administrative and manufacturing systems needed to scale new battery and EV solutions.

Nirsha supports site-level planning, cost tracking, and operational reporting, ensuring investment decisions are grounded in accurate data and aligned with the project’s goals for sustainable, self-reliant growth.

Nirsha is particularly motivated by energy-efficient innovation and the adoption of clean energy in manufacturing and operations. She sees the partnership with Global Solutions as a way to combine NEVI’s long experience in Nepal with cutting-edge technology and research to expand EV access beyond major cities into rural and underserved communities.

For Nirsha, the collaboration is an opportunity to work on high-value projects, share knowledge, and deliver outcomes that would not be possible alone.

Outside work, Nirsha enjoys reading, volunteering and community service, fitness and meditation, habits that reflect her commitment to both personal well-being and positive social impact.

Dharma Kumar Shrestha

General Manager

Dharma Kumar Shrestha is the General Manager at NEVI and the Assistant Project Manager for Project GANESHA.

With an MPSS (Master’s Programme in Sports Science), he brings a mix of leadership, performance mindset and hands-on operational experience to NEVI’s clean-transport work.

As General Manager, Dharma oversees day-to-day operations across NEVI’s activities, from manufacturing and maintenance through to staff management and service quality. He is closely involved in the Safa Tempo fleet and wider EV operations, working to ensure that vehicles, charging infrastructure and teams all perform reliably in the demanding conditions of urban Nepal.

On Project GANESHA, Dharma’s role is to help Global Solutions’ system design land cleanly inside NEVI’s real-world operations. He supports project planning, site coordination, and implementation, ensuring new battery systems, processes, and standards can be adopted without disrupting existing services.

For Dharma, the partnership is a way to leverage NEVI’s decades of experience and match it with Global Solutions’ technology, data, and programme structures, so EV adoption can move from a handful of routes to a joined-up network that reaches more communities.

Dharma is particularly motivated by energy-efficient practices and the wider goal of sustainable development. He sees GANESHA as an opportunity to prove that Nepal’s move to electric mobility and renewable energy can support self-reliant growth, not just cleaner streets.

Working with Global Solutions, Dharma is focused on building a collaborative model that raises operational standards, creates new skills and jobs, and delivers long-term value for the people who rely on public transport every day.

Outside work, he enjoys sports, volunteering and community service, and maintaining his own fitness – a personal commitment that mirrors his belief in healthy, resilient communities.

Pasang Temba Sherpa

Electrical Engineer

Pasang Temba Sherpa is an Electrical Engineer at NEVI and a member of the technical team supporting Project GANESHA.

His work focuses on electric three-wheelers (Safa Tempos), battery systems and the wider electrical infrastructure that keeps clean transport running reliably in Nepal’s conditions.

NEVI, founded in 1996, was the first company in Nepal to manufacture and assemble electric three-wheelers and has continued to develop battery systems, including lithium-based packs, tailored to local needs.

Pasang contributes to this by working on the design, improvement and integration of battery and charging solutions that can operate safely and efficiently in demanding urban and peri-urban environments.

Through Project GANESHA, Pasang works with Global Solutions to align NEVI’s practical experience with new modular battery platforms, smart charging concepts and data-led planning.

He sees the partnership as a way to scale Nepal’s transition to clean transportation and renewable energy, leveraging advanced technologies, shared research, and strategic collaboration to accelerate EV adoption not only in cities but also in rural and off-grid communities where reliable power and transport are harder to secure.

Pasang is deeply interested in renewable energy technologies and smart grid systems that contribute to a more sustainable future.

He is passionate about exploring innovative solutions that optimise energy efficiency, promote clean energy adoption, and support sustainable development in the communities that NEVI and Global Solutions serve.

Outside of work, Pasang enjoys playing football and travelling.

Field Assistants

Ram Jee KARKI

Pilot Sites Field Specialist (GANESHA)

Ram Jee is a Nepalese humanitarian and development specialist working with NEVI on Project GANESHA. With a background in social work, government liaison, and relief interventions, he brings extensive experience working with international and national NGOs, as well as translating policy into practical support for communities.

Over his career, Ram Jee has been closely involved in some of Nepal’s most challenging periods. He worked on earthquake response efforts in 2015, helped coordinate relief during the armed conflict in Nepal as a humanitarian worker with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for 13 years, and spent a further nine years supporting Bhutanese refugee assistance in camps and field locations nationwide.

This combination of field work and coordination has given him a grounded understanding of how new initiatives affect people’s lives on the ground.

Academically, he holds an International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA) from Fordham University in New York, a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Development Studies from Kathmandu University, a Master’s degree in Economics from Tribhuvan University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a focus on accountancy, taxation and auditing.

This mix of humanitarian, economic and management training underpins his approach to development and partnership.

For Ram Jee, partnership is central to effective change. He believes development work is strongest when organisations collaborate around a shared goal rather than working alone, and he has spent his career building relationships with a wide range of community organisations.

Within NEVI and Project GANESHA, this perspective helps ensure that clean mobility and energy initiatives connect with local priorities and community structures.

Outside of work, Ram Jee enjoys travelling and has a strong interest in political and development issues. He likes to be involved at the grassroots level, spending time in the field and working directly with communities.

Khakindra Bhandari

Field Assistant, Bardiya (NEVI / Project GANESHA)

Khakindra Bhandari works as a Field Assistant in Bardiya with NEVI on Project GANESHA, supporting field operations, data collection, and community coordination for development projects, helping ensure decisions are grounded in what is actually happening on the routes and in local communities.

Khakindra is excited to partner with Global Solutions to improve project impact and achieve better results together, combining local field knowledge with new clean-mobility solutions.

Outside of work, she enjoys travelling, music, and learning new things, bringing curiosity and openness to her approach to her role.