Nepal’s EV surge, powered by Chinese technology and domestic hydropower, has displaced India’s industrial influence and exposed weaknesses in Delhi’s regional strategy. In under five years, Chinese manufacturers have redefined the economic vectors of a country once tethered to Indian supply chains. Nepal’s central bank turned EV lending into a national priority—offering up to 90 percent financing—terms that were revolutionary in South Asia. The achievement exposes profound limitations in India’s regional strategy. As India projected influence through rhetoric, China reconfigured Nepal’s mobility in practice.