[fuzzydealhunter]

Wow did not think so many TBHP members would be so opposed to vehicles going electric based on the replies on other EV vehicle threads. Thought I would share our story to see if it helps ease concerns for some people.

Before anyone comes to me with the fact that most electricity is from renewable fossil fuels let me tell you that we have invested in a 5kw on grid solar installation for our house. So we are indeed fuelling our cars with renewable energy. Also I would recommend watching the wonderful video by the PluginIndia team so we can educate ourselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRNp...ectricVehicles

As someone who owns a Nexon EV as well as a Ola S1Pro let me tell you the ride comfort these vehicles give is nothing if not that of a couple of segments higher. I have come to realize there are 2 premium types of customers for cars: One that wants the noise and the other that does not want any. I fall in the latter category.

Driving these vehicles is just peaceful, you can really enjoy your music or just relax due to the near absence of vibration. All you can hear is the road noise and the Billion Royal Enfield Bullets on the road.





We are getting close to the 9000 km mark with the Nexon EV and our family absolutely loves it. We switched from a Fortuner and I would put the ride comfort of the Nexon EV close to what the Fortuner offered. So far we have had no issues with regards to the car.

The Nexon EV won out just based on the pricing vs the other EVs in the market. Dad loves the Harrier and wanted to leave room for a Harrier EV if and when its created.

Yes range anxiety can kick in if you are driving in directions where there are no fast chargers but so far we have been blessed. Since we have bought the car last year the number of fast chargers have only gone up. Completed a journey of about 450 km recently to a hill station and back for a low sum of Rs1045. We don't usually factor in the cost of charging at home as we usually have credit with the Electricity board due to the solar installation.





This beauty came in yesterday and oh my is it intoxicating to ride. It picks up speed effortlessly like the Nexon EV does. Speeds of 70 are achieved like it is nothing. I did not find any flaws in the built quality and the one that was delivered to us has been great so far. The value proposition for us was that its got good performance to price ratio with a low running cost. The Honda Activa we have gave roughly 100 km for Rs. 200 before the petrol prices decided to follow the stock market and now it gives 100km for Rs. 300. The Nexon EV is cheaper for us to use than the Honda Activa but the Ola changes the equation.

Please spare me the :

• "But you have to charge it?" - Do you forget to charge your phone daily? fyi you dont need to charge your vehicles daily
• "Most electricity is fossil fuel sourced" - Yes but we are producing out own.
• "Lithium ion mining is pollution" - Yes please tell me how much lesser pollution oil creates
• "Electricity prices will go up" - And petrol/diesel prices will not?
• "You have to wait to fast charge" - I usually take a driving break every 200km or so anyway. This gives me a reason to refuel. I would suggest everyone who drive long distances take a break if possible as well. Driver fatigue is a major cause of road accidents.

Yes I understand there will be those of you who drive 1000 km daily who EV's will not be right for fit for as it stands right now but this will change. Our driving is low and thus this group of vehicles fits our needs. We have budgeted money to hire cars to get us to places that we cant drive the EVs but we have not had to draw down on it so far.

I would recommend everyone who enjoys ICE engines to enjoy them as they are now but please do not discount EVs. These are just our reasons for this plunge into EV, I am sure everyones circumstances are not the same but I welcome the opportunity to help others understand EVs better as change is the only thing constant. I would recommend everyone to get a test ride to understand the difference as the experience will change you.

We can only control our own actions and so please do not think what difference does your efforts to be sustainable make.

[Everlearner]

Originally Posted by fuzzydealhunter

Before anyone comes to me with the fact that most electricity is from renewable fossil fuels let me tell you that we have invested in a 5kw on grid solar installation for our house. So we are indeed fuelling our cars with renewable energy.

Please spare me the :

• "But you have to charge it?" - Do you forget to charge your phone daily? fyi you dont need to charge your vehicles daily
• "Most electricity is fossil fuel sourced" - Yes but we are producing out own.
• "Lithium ion mining is pollution" - Yes please tell me how much lesser pollution oil creates
• "Electricity prices will go up" - And petrol/diesel prices will not?
• "You have to wait to fast charge" - I usually take a driving break every 200km or so anyway. This gives me a reason to refuel. I would suggest everyone who drive long distances take a break if possible as well. Driver fatigue is a major cause of road accidents.

Yes I understand there will be those of you who drive 1000 km daily who EV's will not be right for fit for

We can only control our own actions and so please do not think what difference does your efforts to be sustainable make.

Thanks for sharing I hope you will inspire others to join the bandwagon.

You have summarised the points well and to top it up, you have the perfect combination of solar energy and EV.

[Thilak29]

Congrats on your EV switch. Look forward to your inputs from both vehicles.

BTW - is this you and your ride in this video ?

https://youtu.be/WeDKjiOudSQ

[raghupro]

Congrats on your EV journey so far and wishing you lot more happy miles on EVs.

I have seen a relevant video by MKBHD and felt it's good sharing. End of it, all we need is a decent charging infra that would make even the highway travel just as time consuming as with an ICE vehicle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXzuFprlyrw

Moreover, as you said, the ride comfort offered by an EV is something people fail to weigh in. It feels so less stressful driving an EV.

[BLACKRiVAL]

Congratulations on your EV acquisitions and both of them are the most VFM products in our market in the EV space. I am also transitioning from ICE to EV real soon as I am sold out on the EV refinement and acceleration after trying out the Ather 450x & Nexon EV. Have booked the OLA S1 Pro and waiting for the updated Nexon EV. Enjoy & cheers!! ��

[prasanna_indaje]

Originally Posted by fuzzydealhunter

We can only control our own actions and so please do not think what difference does your efforts to be sustainable make.

Wow ! Thanks for sharing.
Relatively new to EV world with a shade above 1000 kilometers on Nexon EV. But, loved every one of these kilometers !

Please keep us posted on Ola S1 Pro, as I too have a booking and sitting on the fence !

[fuzzydealhunter]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

Congrats on your EV switch. Look forward to your inputs from both vehicles.

BTW - is this you and your ride in this video ?

No, it's not me or our scooter. Must be another one of us lucky few who are starting to receive their scooters. If you have any specific questions more than willing to answer!

Originally Posted by prasanna_indaje

Wow ! Thanks for sharing.
Relatively new to EV world with a shade above 1000 kilometers on Nexon EV. But, loved every one of these kilometers !

Please keep us posted on Ola S1 Pro, as I too have a booking and sitting on the fence !

Cheers to you for taking the plunge. Like I said all of this is subjective. Everyone has different circumstances. We live in a free standing house so for us to add a plug point for an EV is not difficult at all. Also in the case of the Ola S1 Pro, we never do even close to 100km in a day. This gives us a lot of comfort that no matter what we have enough range in the scooter for city run arounds.

[rajk15]

My problem with EVs is that they are simply not for apartment dwellers. Also, the recent power crisis in India increase apprehensions on adoptability of EVs in India.

[fuzzydealhunter]

Originally Posted by rajk15

My problem with EVs is that they are simply not for apartment dwellers. Also, the recent power crisis in India increase apprehensions on adoptability of EVs in India.

Never say never. I know of a couple Nexon EV owners who have been able to get a charging point set up for themselves in their apartments. But I understand the problem you are bringing up. More often than not its the residents association that lays the roadblocks for EVs because they are as stubborn as an ox. This will change.

There are companies looking at providing Power as a service that are willing to put fast chargers at no cost so they can charge the apartment dwellers the charging costs. Newer developments are coming up with facilities for electric chargers built in.

The number of EVs are only increasing. A solution that fits the needs of the apartment dwellers will come up. It will be just a one time set up cost but in comparison, think about it. It's just bliss at home since you NEVER have to go to a petrol bunk unless its for a longer ride out of station.

[Piyush Kanthak]

"Most electricity is fossil fuel sourced" - Yes but we are producing out own.

Not to forget that electricity also comes from nuclear power plants, which don't pollute except the nuclear fuel, which on completing it's life(10-20) years are safely disposed away in lead chambers.

[brt_mhn]

Originally Posted by fuzzydealhunter

Before anyone comes to me with the fact that most electricity is from renewable fossil fuels let me tell you that we have invested in a 5kw on grid solar installation for our house. So we are indeed fuelling our cars with renewable energy.

This is wonderful to know! We have been planning to get solar panels for our house too but have never been able to do so due to constant thought of having to move to another city. I think we will be moving this year for sure and get it done there

Originally Posted by fuzzydealhunter

Also I would recommend watching the wonderful video by the PluginIndia team so we can educate ourselves.

Here's another video to really know the difference in pollution:

https://youtu.be/G67i_Z8ukD4

P.s. realistically speaking, all EVs south of 50L in India as of now fall under "smaller" size batteries. So i3 (roughly 33 kWh battery pack) (+) maximum 20% should be our yardstick.


And finally, congrats on your purchases and many happy miles on both!

[fuzzydealhunter]

Originally Posted by Piyush Kanthak

Not to forget that electricity also comes from nuclear power plants, which don't pollute except the nuclear fuel, which on completing it's life(10-20) years are safely disposed away in lead chambers.

100% agreed. Production, storage and transportation of Petrol and Diesel is very inefficient.

Originally Posted by brt_mhn

This is wonderful to know! We have been planning to get solar panels for our house too but have never been able to do so due to constant thought of having to move to another city. I think we will be moving this year for sure and get it done there

It has got to be one of the investments we are most proud of. No one at the house really worries about the electricity anymore. No more running into a room to turn off a fan or light or worrying about turning on the AC. We have moved most of out cooking to electricity as-well using induction cookers, electric kettles, microwaves and ovens. Now we have to get a gas cylinder refill every 2 months or so. But don't get me wrong, we still don't abuse it. We use it judiciously, we still need to charge a car and a scooter now.

[pradheepsr]

Big question?
I do have the provision to install home charger at my parking lot and have solar panels installed at home as well. I live in a tier 2 city in TN and the TATA dealer here is relatively new and he isn’t dealing with the NEXON ev at the moment. The ASS is a big ? The closest dealer for Nexon EV would be 150kms from my place.
Would you still advise to go ahead and buy a Nexon EV considering the above factors?
There’s almost ZERO charging stations in my city and though I hear some may come up this year. But I’m going to use the EV only for local trips as of now (school trips and shopping) which would be hardly 10-15 kms a day max and I’m currently using an I20 diesel for those errands.
Should I still wait it out for things to get better ?
I hear MG is opening a dealership soon and the ZS EV will also be available as an option.

Your opinions please.

[fuzzydealhunter]

Originally Posted by pradheepsr

Big question?
I do have the provision to install home charger at my parking lot and have solar panels installed at home as well. I live in a tier 2 city in TN and the TATA dealer here is relatively new and he isn’t dealing with the NEXON ev at the moment. The ASS is a big ? The closest dealer for Nexon EV would be 150kms from my place.
Would you still advise to go ahead and buy a Nexon EV considering the above factors?
There’s almost ZERO charging stations in my city and though I hear some may come up this year. But I’m going to use the EV only for local trips as of now (school trips and shopping) which would be hardly 10-15 kms a day max and I’m currently using an I20 diesel for those errands.
Should I still wait it out for things to get better ?
I hear MG is opening a dealership soon and the ZS EV will also be available as an option.

Your opinions please.

Let me put your fears about fast chargers in your city at ease. I have never had to fast charge in my city as I can easily charge at home. You need fast chargers when you plan to travel longer distances say to Chennai or Bangalore. The ability to charge at home is such a blessing, you never need to worry about the fuel in the tank or a stop to fill during your daily commute.

There are lots of Nexon EV owners who are not as closely located to Tata service stations and so far I have not heard of this being an issue yet. Tata for sure has a better foot print in India than MG. Our primary reason for picking the Nexon EV over the MG was that we did not feel like there was 4-5 lakhs worth of value added if we jumped from the former to the latter. Also dad did not trust MG as much(Chinese ownership selling British Heritage). You would need to have a hard look at your usage to understand which fits your use case the best.

Hmm your situation is quite different. We felt we could save money right now by making the switch. I would encourage you to make calculations with your expenses to see if you also save money the way we did. Keep in mind some states provide subsidies and there are also tax breaks on EV loans. Happy to discuss it further if you share your thought process.

[prasanna_indaje]

Originally Posted by pradheepsr

Big question?
I do have the provision to install home charger at my parking lot and have solar panels installed at home as well. I live in a tier 2 city in TN and the TATA dealer here is relatively new and he isn’t dealing with the NEXON ev at the moment. The ASS is a big ? The closest dealer for Nexon EV would be 150kms from my place.
Would you still advise to go ahead and buy a Nexon EV considering the above factors?
There’s almost ZERO charging stations in my city and though I hear some may come up this year. But I’m going to use the EV only for local trips as of now (school trips and shopping) which would be hardly 10-15 kms a day max and I’m currently using an I20 diesel for those errands.
Should I still wait it out for things to get better ?
I hear MG is opening a dealership soon and the ZS EV will also be available as an option.

Your opinions please.

I live in a village ~50 kilometers away from a tier 2 city. But, the Tata dealership in a town 15 kilometres from my village has recently started dealing with EVs and have sold quite a few already.
Your nearest TaMo dealership too may start dealing with EVs soon. Just see if they have any timelines for the same. Alternatively, you can call regional sales people from Tata and get clarification on serviceability of your EV in nearest TASS.

While I do not rule out the possibility of initial hiccups, which will be covered by warranty and RSA, EVs generally will be trouble free and 150Kms of distance to TASS will come into picture only during yearly service.

Also, fast charger availability (or lack of it) will not have much effect on your use case as the usage seem to be less than 30 kilometres per day. My usage pattern is similar to yours. Within a month I have covered ~1200 kilometres and my fuel expenses have reduced significantly.

Buying an EV only for 15-20 kms of daily usage will delay the RoI. But, as I have seen usage of EV will increase with time and will shift from other ICE vehicles at home.