About the author, Sept. 16 -- Ben Cahill is director for energy markets and policy at the Center for Energy and Environmental Systems Analysis at the University of Texas at Austin.

Electric vehicle sales are booming in some unlikely places.

A bewildering array of gas-guzzling motorcycles, three-wheelers, cars, and buses clog the narrow streets of Kathmandu-but Chinese EVs are suddenly everywhere, too.

I have visited my wife's family in Kathmandu almost annually since 2011. While there in July, I saw plenty of Tatas, Hyundais, and Kias. But they were far outnumbered by Chinese EV brands like BYD, Deepal, MG, Omoda, and Dongfeng. Some of these cars were new to me; U.S. tariffs and regulatory barriers essentially block car imports from Ch...