[Kid-ney]

Hi Team-BHP !

I am a new member and am grateful to be admitted to the Team-BHP family. I have gained plenty of wisdom from you over the years, but this is my first post. I need to ask your opinion on owning 2 EVs as family cars (and no ICE).

Here is some background information:
Family: We are a family of 4 (parents + 2 school-going teenagers) in Bangalore. We have grandparents and kids' friends occasionally in the car, but mostly just the 4 of us.

Vehicle needs & usage: We require 2 cars, what with both parents working out of the home and kids back in school and extracurriculars (thankfully!). Both cars are for city use predominantly with multiple trips around the city daily. We don't anticipate using these cars out of the city as we have another one for this.

The question: We would like to have 2 EVs instead of any ICE cars. This makes economic and environmental sense to us. We will charge at home (independent house) using a 15 A plug at present (see Nexon EV below). The senior family thinks this is not a good idea but is unable to give us clear reasons why other than EVs being a new technology in India. Barring a disaster where electricity is not available for an extended period, are there any reasons you all think having 2 EVs is inadvisable?

Our history with cars:
VW Jetta and Acura MDX: when we lived in the US until 2013. We had 12 years of use on the Jetta and 5 on the MDX and were sad to sell them!

Honda Brio (AT) and Honda City until 2022: Both 2013 models, now 9 years old. The City was the daily driver and clocked around 80,000Km when we sold it last month to Spinny. Excellent car but the suspension was giving up the ghost. The Brio is still with us and has 35000Km on it. It drives well but its poor comfort factor and small size make it unsuitable as a family car.

Tata Nexon EV XZ+: Given the sky-high petrol prices and our daily run-around, of 20-30km in traffic, we decided on an EV. We Test-drove the MG ZS EV first and booked it right away. However, we were told there would be a wait until the 2022 facelift became available. We then took a TD of the Nexon and enjoyed its 'zoom' factor. A white one was available in a week and we took delivery 2 weeks ago and it's being put to use! We are planning to make this our work-horse which the driver will mainly use to ferry kids to school etc.

Toyota Corolla: This has 120,000km on it and runs well and is the extended family's car. This is available for other road trips. Although we don't take road trips too often.

Our Choices: Our budget for the next car is < 30 lakhs. The 2nd car we would like to buy is for us to enjoy - Safety is most important, followed by the enjoyability of the drive, looks and the interior quality.

1. 2 EVs - Nexon EV + buy the MG ZS EV when available. Sell the Brio.
2. 2 EVs - Nexon + Buy the MG ZS EV and keep the Brio for emergencies.Will have to figure out where to keep it!
3. 1 EV (Nexon EV ) + buy a petrol car. We haven't looked into this yet, so would appreciate your suggestions if this is the route you suggest.

Thank you in advance for your valuable advice!

[pram_ind]

Go for 2 EVs.

As you are Nexon owner, you realize how enjoying it is to drive. Both have good range and can be used for highway travel too. As you are from Bangalore, you have good fast charger network on all highways.

Only challenge I see is charging both cars at the same time.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Kid-ney

1. 2 EVs - Nexon EV + buy the MG ZS EV when available. Sell the Brio.

Since you have access to an ICE car for the rare road-trips you will do, I think you can get away with two EVs. Especially since this is the option you are clearly more keen on. With the Nexon EV & MG ZS EV, you'll have two of the best mainstream EVs in your garage. Wait for the Nexon's updated version, there's lots of chatter on the same.

What I will suggest to you is to buy 1 EV in 2022, and another in 2023 or 2024. Reasons:

- It's a fast developing technology and just like smartphones, this year's EV is better than last years.

- You'll have a wider choice. Many more EVs are on the way, including the Altroz, XUV300 and who knows what else (Renault Zoe? Kia??).

Updated ZS EV is almost here and it's a superior car to the Nexon. Go for the ZS EV right now, and buy your next EV after a year or two.

Originally Posted by pram_ind

Only challenge I see is charging both cars at same time.

I don't see a problem with that as no EV with city running needs to be charged every night. It'll be more like once a week or so. Charge one EV on Monday, the other on Tuesday .

[prasanna_indaje]

Originally Posted by Kid-ney

Hi Team-BHP !

Our Choices: Our budget for the next car is < 30 lakhs. The 2nd car we would like to buy is for us to enjoy - Safety is most important, followed by the enjoyability of the drive, looks and the interior quality.
1. 2 EVs - Nexon EV + buy the MG ZS EV when available. Sell the Brio.
2. 2 EVs - Nexon + Buy the MG ZS EV and keep the Brio for emergencies. Will have to figure out where to keep it!
3. 1 EV (Nexon EV ) + buy a petrol car. We haven't looked into this yet, so would appreciate your suggestions if this is the route you suggest.

There is is another option.
You can consider combination of Nexon EV and Tigor EV for now. These will meet all city running needs.

Once a born EV is available in few years (3 - 4), you can switch one of your EVs with that.

[Kid-ney]

Thank you GTO, for your valuable advice! Although we booked the MG ZS EV first we were told that delivery could be months away due to the launch of the 2022 facelift.
Therefore we actually bought the Nexon EV and took delivery 3 weeks ago as it became available within a week. It has happily settled into our family.
So now we have a Nexon EV and a booking for the MG ZS EV (which we loved!). So, the question we are grappling with is whether to buy the MG soon or to wait till more EVs launch next year? Our budget won't extend > 30 - 35 lakhs though.
Glad to hear you support 2 EVs, by the way.

Originally Posted by prasanna_indaje

There is is another option.
You can consider combination of Nexon EV and Tigor EV for now. These will meet all city running needs.

Once a born EV is available in few years (3 - 4), you can switch one of your EVs with that.

Thank you, that is a very practical suggestion. However, we checked out the Tigor EV and found the rear seat legroom & overall space limited (son is over 6 ft tall and not done growing). We were really hoping to own one car with high-end interiors + sun-roof. If we go with an EV, the MG ZS would be the only one that fit the bill at present.

May I ask if there are any opinions on the resale value of EVs?

Mod Note: Please use the EDIT or QUOTE+ (multi-quote) button instead of typing one post after another on the SAME THREAD!

To know how to multi-quote, click here.

[mac187]

If I were you, I would go for one EV for now. As Hyundai is expected to launch the Ioniq 5 in India, KIA will follow suit. Tesla, VW ID series is also in the pipeline. Better to buy a proper EV car with bells and whistles.

You can retain the Brio as its just 35k kms old. Else sell the Brio, add some cash and get a second hand car which you can remap and have a hoot, as a last hurrah for ICE cars.

[souvikjana83]

Go for 2 EVs and book ICE from Zoomcar/Revv for those rare long trips. In my opinion this would be the ideal scenario to save money from rising fuel prices. If both your cars run 20-30 kms on daily basis, the long term savings will be phenomenal.

The only problem in this is the unreliability of Zoomcar to provide a car even after a confirmed booking during peak demands. I have faced this scenario and its a very bad experience.

Nonetheless, even considering this, looking at the way charging infrastructure is getting improved in the country, long distance journeys in EVs will become possible with a little planning and time in hand.

[kosjam]

How about a slightly different idea.
Go in for the subscription service with Tata or MG (if they have one) or for that matter even an ICE subscription service with a commitment for a year, by which time there should be better clarity on the offerings in the market.
At that point of time, in case you have already subscribed to an EV from Tata/MG, you can convert it into full ownership, or continue with the subscription...

[Kid-ney]

Originally Posted by kosjam

in case you have already subscribed to an EV from Tata/MG, you can convert it into full ownership, or continue with the subscription...

Have to check this out ! Since we already own the Nexon EV that would leave only a MG subscription.

Originally Posted by Kid-ney
[B

Mod Note: Please use the EDIT or QUOTE+ (multi-quote) button instead of typing one post after another on the SAME THREAD!.[/b]

I think I may have finally figured this out. Sorry for the multiple previous posts!

Originally Posted by mac187

If I were you, I would go for one EV for now. As Hyundai is expected to launch the Ioniq 5 in India, KIA will follow suit. Tesla, VW ID series is also in the pipeline. Better to buy a proper EV car with bells and whistles. You can retain the Brio as its just 35k kms old.

I think this is what we are going to do. But waiting for the launch of the MG ZS EV to finalise our decision

Originally Posted by souvikjana83

even considering this, looking at the way charging infrastructure is getting improved in the country, long-distance journeys in EVs will become possible with a little planning and time in hand.

Fortunately, we already have an out of town car ( ICE). I really wish that MG had launched the long-range version here!

Mod Note - Please use the Muli Quote function and Quote only the relevant portion.

[souvikjana83]

Originally Posted by Kid-ney

Fortunately we already have an out of town car ( ICE). I really wish that MG had launched the long range version here!

I believe then you can get 1 EV for now and wait for Kia EV6 or Hyundai Ioniq to launch in India. Or you can also wait for BYD to launch its e6 for personal users.

The point to note is long range means larger battery which also pushes the prices of the car. So in case of EVs every car company plans to balance out and maintain a price-distance equilibrium which will be acceptable to the average Indian buyer. However it is still very expensive for the masses.

Ideally I would prefer an EV only for city usage. So an EV under ₹10 lakhs with around 150 kms range like eKUV100 or Punch EV probably would be the ideal vehicle for me. Drive in City everyday and charge at home every alternate day. I don't see any point in buying an EV with 250 kms range. It's like too much range and price for a city car but too less range to travel on highways.

[ruchiragrawal]

Just an opinion - if you do decide to go for 2 EVs, just ensure that you have your neighbour or someone else's ICE car as a backup for emergencies. God forbid that if you ever have to go somewhere far urgently and your car doesn't have enough juice, you'd regret it then.

I say this from personal experience - few months ago, my friend (who has two Tesla Model Ss, one for his wife and one for himself) had a medical emergency in which he had to reach the airport 2 hrs away. Unfortunately that day, he didn't have enough charge, and no cars were available for rent immediately. Luckily, I was around, and so I dropped him off in my ICE car.

[Kid-ney]

Originally Posted by souvikjana83

I believe then you can get 1 EV for now and wait for Kia EV6 or Hyundai Ioniq to launch in India. Or you can also wait for BYD to launch its e6 for personal users.

Looking into this option, it appears that the KIA EV6 and the Ioniq Will both be priced at over 45 lakhs. This is over our budget. They do look impressive though!

Originally Posted by ruchiragrawal

Just an opinion - if you do decide to go for 2 EVs, just ensure that you have your neighbour or someone else's ICE car as a backup for emergencies. God forbid that if you ever have to go somewhere far urgently and your car doesn't have enough juice, you'd regret it then.

True! That would be terrible.

So, have been following the news of the MG ZS EV release yesterday. Better range, better interiors and same price! Reviews seem good too. We haven’t cancelled our booking from 6 weeks ago.I think we’ll take it for a test drive.

[Livnletcarsliv]

Since you already have an EV and your's extended family's ICE Toyota for the long road trips, I strongly suggest you retain the Brio for 2 important reasons.
1. The auto industry in India (and the world) is not in a good shape due to the various obvious situations (War, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Covid, Economy, Emissions, etc).
2. EV is technology and affordability is growing super fast (Like smartphones, TVs, etc). An EV in 2024-25 will be way advanced, miles better, and more affordable compared to an EV today. So the resale value WILL take a hit.
So investing in a 2nd EV in the almost same segment (MG ZS) is not a good idea.

So wait for a couple of years to replace the Brio with a better EV.