[Madhu_Bengaluru]

Originally Posted by patwardhan

I would prefer a made in India EV that is size of a Tata Nano, as mostly these are to be used in city commute only..

I second this. A nano electric with a real world range of 150kms is what we need for a city like Bangalore. I am done with the driving big cars within the city.

[rageshgr]

Never. Unless cars with IC engines literally don’t exist.

[smooth indian]

I will be surprised if I invest in a full-size EV by the end of this decade. Although I like EVs and am also well aware of the environmental cost of out oil dependence, I am not sure my personal finances and career path would allow me to think about EVs in the distant future given the additional cost, the mileage and the charging infrastructure. Even if brisk progress is achieved, I might be more comfortable settling for a plug-in hybrid with a modest 50-100 km electric mode. If reliable conversion kits (for PHEVs) materialize in the next few years, then I will go for those earlier (by 2025). A Tata Nano like EV or PHEV would also be encouraging for adopting EVs earlier than anticipated.

[PratikPatel]

Will not be buying a EV till later part for this decade. Will be buying 1 more IC car in the near future to replace one of my cars which will be nearing the new 15 year limit that will be implemented shortly (will buy the Ford Focus ST, if Ford really decides to bring it in).

I am still not convinced with the arguments being made in favour of EVs. They still require at least one major breakthrough in energy storage technology before they can match the convenience and flexibility that IC cars provide.

[lbklenin]

When the EV market is matured enough with all safety features, a turbo engine, a minimum 700KM range, a proper charging network and a 30-60 min fast charging!

I truly believe all these are going to be available and possible in future around 2030.

[rlsp]

I hope, I would buy one within next 2 years. Preferably Tata Nexon as of now. As my daily driving is around 30-45 kms it will be good. And for highways there are other cars for now.

But to buy it for both highway and local drive, EV technology or rather battery technology needs to increase. I am hoping by 2025 we will have lot of cars with decent highway range (say >500 real range) commonly accessible.

[Abhijoy]

Hi, this is my first post here. Well, I am a happy early adopter of EV. Am using the MG ZS EV. The comfort with driving an EV depends a lot on what is the nature of travel and usually what distance you need to cover for 90% of your commute. I live in Mumbai and barring those 1-2 trips to Lonavala or Igatpuri, most of my drive is within the city. Having said that, Lonavala, at a distance of around 100kms from Mumbai, going and coming back on single charge is a breeze in MG. And what to say about the speed and acceleration. Its so amazing that I do not see myself buying an ICE again. For those longer trips, you need to plan well or use ICE car but like I mentioned earlier, they account for less than 90% of the commute.

I get minimum 300 kms in my MG consistently. I had to tweak my driving style slightly but I was always a light footed driver who prefers to cruise at 90-100 kmph on open roads or highway. That helps me to extract maximum range without compromising on comfort (AC on, cruise control etc).

So yes, not everyone can take the plunge because there are valid concerns with charging infrastructure but it is most needed on major highways and less so in cities. In fact, I have not used a commercial fast charger in the last 2 months since I purchased the car. EVs are here to stay and the situation can only develop positively to make Indian cities EV compliant. I feel good about being an early adopter and consistently give feedback to MG on what they could improve in the car or how can they support the development of charging infrastructure. There are many EV owners from whom you can learn so much about right way of driving an EV or availability of charging stations which a map would not yet show. It's been an electrifying journey till date and looking forward to more of it..

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by lbklenin

When the EV market is matured enough with a turbo engine.

That’s a big ask

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

The easiest would be to buy new, but I hate buying new cars, ICE or EV.

https://www.electricclassiccars.co.uk/ I think this will interest you. They also give parts for a DIY conversion. I know it will not give that feel of burning petrol or the aural pleasure, but if you must have an EV, this seems like a good option. I would if we could get something like this in India.

[Schneller]

If i had to choose my first EV on the options available today, they will definitely be the VW ID.3 or The Honda E or The Skoda Enyaq.

When is a difficult part. Me just starting out in my career, it would probably be a while until i'm comfortable spending big $$$ required for an EV. Maybe the next decade.

[padmrajravi]

A year back, I came home with the DTE meter in my car showing refuel at about 7PM. My mom told me she fainted for a few minutes just before I came in and wants to be taken to the hospital immediately. Any time I think about buying an EV, this instance comes to my mind and kills the plan altogether. To answer the thread, I want about 200km range under 5 mins and without any queues. In my part of the world, if there is more than two cars in a pump, I just leave that pump and head to the next one, which is ussually under 10 mins of driving. When the infrastructure matures to this extend, I will buy an EV.

Hopefully , by that time, I have enough cash to buy a Mercedes itself. I think by this time, the big brands would have reached Tesla level and the coolest one will be the one who started the automobile revolution itself. A small sedan which can recharge to about 200kms in 5 mins will be my first EV.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

https://www.electricclassiccars.co.uk/ I think this will interest you. They also give parts for a DIY conversion. I know it will not give that feel of burning petrol or the aural pleasure, but if you must have an EV, this seems like a good option. I would if we could get something like this in India.

Thanks. But converting real classic cars to electrical cars is plainly sacrilege. I will scrap my classics before I put an E motor in it.

Lots of lobbying ongoing in Western Europe to at least exempt all classic cars from all these emission restriction. In addition there is some interesting work ongoing with new environmental fuel. Simferopol now I will just keep using my classic as much as I can, before somebody decides I can’t drive them anymore.

Jeroen

[Axe77]

I don't know when it would be but I would like any EV I buy to have a minimum real world range of at least 400/450 kms and notwithstanding the above, still a decent outlay of charging infrastructure both on our highways and within our cities.

I think most likely I would like my first EV to be in a medium range (think Nexon to MG price point). I can't imagine spending flagship car money on my first EV. Nor do I think I will enjoy the absolutely budget end of the spectrum like Wagon R or Verito territory.

The car will have to be well put together and have all the characteristics of a "nice" second car, that can do most of what my primary car can do in terms of city usage as well as at least basic long distance like Bombay Pune or even Bombay - Pune - Bombay day trip (and similar).

It might also happen either a lot sooner or a lot later than expected. I am in the market for a Creta or similar product in the next 12 - 18 months. I doubt I will be ready for EVs by then based on where I see readiness at the moment and also offerings at the moment.

Should I buy a Creta (/ similar) and as expected hold it to 7 - 8 years plus, that's how far away if would set me back from buying my first EV.

[prasi55]

I have used 2 EVs:

• Ampere v60 electric scooter (55-75km range, lead-acid battery, replaced the battery once)
• Mahindra E2O (sold it after 5 years after the warranty got over)

While the E2O was still in warranty, its range dropped from 120 to 88 km (near the end of 5 years). Natural degradation in battery performance does not qualify for battery replacement. The cost of a new battery for the E2O was 4.5 lakh, so I was forced to let go of it as soon as the warranty got over.

I was really keen to buy an EV 4-wheeler last year, but given the slow progress in EV tech in India, decided to buy a Kwid and use it for 1-2 years until a good EV with 300+ km on road range and reasonable price (~16 lakh) came along.

Now, I feel an EV doesn't really make sense in Indian conditions, as one will always be limited by range and charging infrastructure. (I don't see this situation significantly improving in the next 5-7 years.) A hybrid seems to make more sense, but hardly any hybrids are available.

For comparison: the purchase price of a small petrol car in the city + a larger petrol/diesel car for the highways still works out cheaper in most cases than the purchase price of available electric cars. This means one can keep two cars and get the best of both city and highway use without any range anxiety and still be better off than having an EV.

Having said that, I think a 2-wheeler EV still makes a lot of sense in India.
For my usage, even the Ampere v60 rarely gave me range anxiety. With lithium-ion batteries offering better life (50000 km) vs lead-acid batteries (15000 km) and with the costs of petrol scooters reaching 1 lakh on road, it's probably the right time to pay an extra 20K and get an EV scooter or bike.

For now, my next EV will be a 2-wheeler EV, one of

• TVS iQube (range 55-75km)
• Bajaj Chetak (range 85-95km)
• Ather 450 or 450+

[ohaak]

I sold off my e2o+ p6 in order to upgrade to the Nexon. Thanks to Covid, the purchase got scrapped and I don't have an electric car now. I do have electric two wheelers.

Due to the new remote work model, I am now contemplating an inter-city EV in the future. With advances being made in battery technologies (solid state, aluminium air, etc.) I am fairly certain that we will have a good inter-city car in the next few years.

Charging infrastructure has silently cropped up all over. They are in packets right now with small firms running the show. They know that they will be bought out at a premium when the big players are forced to act. Change is happening and many of the changes are behind the scenes and out of sight at the moment. I am an optimist when it comes to EVs.