[Mechanto]

Voted NO!

Although EVs are good and sound fancy, having it as the only car in my garage is a big question mark.

EVs are still at their early stage now, I think the biggest concern for EV owners will come when they have to replace the battery - which could amount to a major chunk of the car value. Especially when you consider the car is already considerably old (say 7 years) and you are already thinking about a new car. I don't think the first gen EV owners have gotten to that stage yet. It would be interesting to see the mindset of people at that time.

[pandabear]

Completely depends on the usage, if my usage is going to be 90% city driving, honestly I don’t see the need for ICE cars. As the charging infrastructure becomes more robust along the highways, it just changes the equation for long distance journeys. The future is definitely going to be EV.

[StepUP!]

Originally Posted by shyampsunder

Interesting point. If you look at the data, Hybrids have the highest risk of catching fire. Roughly 3X of ICE vehicles. EVs are roughly 60X - 100X less likely to catch fire when compared to ICE depending on which source you use.Link 1, Link 2

Going by your logic, basements should only have EVs and all other vehicles should be parked outdoors. Don't see why EV owners should bear the risk of their vehicles catching fire due to fire-prone hybrids and ICE vehicles parked near them.

Yea but problem you see is I trust what I see. Rather than relying on some reports applicable or written based on US or EU sample data. Where rules are enforced - be it electrical modification, dumping electronic eWaste. Where climatic conditions differ. Where data is available for many years to draw conclusions.

For last many many years, I haven't seen a single ICE vehicle (even if it's cheap chinese make) catching fire in the basement. But I have seen atleast 5-6 electric two wheelers catching fire when people are asleep, burning down everything in the surrounding.

But hey, that's just me!
You are free to draw your own logic and believe in whatever reports you see.

[nathanjdias]

I voted yes.

I have been driving a Tata Nexon EV Max since July last year and I have covered 27k km in 9 months. I have only used the 7.3 kW charger at home and the fast chargers when travelling outside the state.

The car gives me a steady range of 260-290 km per charge, which is less than the advertised 453 km but enough for my daily needs.

However, if I had to choose only one car, I would not pick the Nexon EV Max. I would need an EV with at least 400 km of real-world range to make it my sole vehicle.

[ritedhawan]

Emphatic NO.

The fundamental fact that drives hordes of people into buying EV's or considering it as a prospective buy is the mistaken belief that since the vehicle has no ICE and thus no burning of fuel that leads to harmfull gases emitted by the vehicle including CO2.That they are helping the environment. Unlike ICE cars, and the incredible range offered by EV's which may be an enticing prospect within the city. These people dont realise that at the end of the day when they charge thier vehicles, the source of power is usually the thermal power plant which emits hordes of harmfull gases including Co2. Thus undercutting thier mistaken belief.

Unless the source is green energy, I do not forsee buying an EV.

The following video was kind of a revelation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT9_IYMq8DQ

[narayans80]

Short answer: No

Long answer:

Use case and will BEV address?

• Daily use of 80-120 km with anywhere between 1-5 people - Easy peasy. Even Comet will address, except for carrying 5 people part.
• Pondy lunch/dinner runs of 250 km round trip - Nexon EV would do the distance. But handling 5 people including a child seat is questionable. S-Cross couldn't handle.
• Highway runs of 300-700 km - Doable by most apart from Comet/Tiago with planning on charge stops and compromise on travel times.
• Off the book destinations and 700+ km - Out of league.

So in summary

• One car BEV garage is ruled out till my kids carry their own luggage on trips and/or we become near empty nesters.
• A sub 4600 mm 5+2 flexi seater would be a good addition, should any OEM consider it.
• Next best case is to buy a Comet EV as a city runner. With a car loan running, not excited to add one more at this point. This option is even considered due to the significant lower running cost with BEV for the urban use case. The range degradation over the years is not a serious deal breaker till the point it borderlines day's commute distance.

[ferrarirules]

Originally Posted by ritedhawan

Unless the source is green energy, I do not forsee buying an EV.

The following video was kind of a revelation:

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=XT9_IYMq8DQ

You are sadly mistaken. Taking into account everything EVs are 50% less polluting as compared to ICE even when powered by thermal power electricity.

What most of the poeple/youtube content creators miss are as follows
1. Extraction, Refining and disbursement of fuel also uses electricity. Where is that electricity coming from?
2. Extraction, Refining of fuel adds to the pollution and release much more than CO2.
3. Shipping of fuel across the world and shipping to gas stations also burns fuel.
4. ICE engines are less efficient in converting fuel to vehicular movement (due to heat losses, friction losses). EV motor conversion losses from electricity to vehicular movement is only 10%
5. The blend of electricity available today. Example - For India, current split stands at 57% vs 43% for fossil fuels vs non-fossil fuels. The non fossil fuel part is increasing.

Please remember there is a big fuel/ICE lobby which doesn't want ICE vehicles to die soon. Example - Exonn Mobil is the second company in the fortune 500 list. Think about the vested interest they have to keep ICE cars in play.

[ryzen7@5800u]

I voted No.
In my opinion, for EVs to be suitable in a one-car garage, the entire ecosystem around it - charging, battery recycling, aftermarket service etc. has to be fully developed - which will require time. 15 years in the future - it could certainly be a possibility.

[lina]

Votes yes because I have a one-car garage of a ZS EV.

BEVs fit the bill for most indians. For the price, especially the <30L EVs give far better value for money than their ICE counterparts. Far more powerful and refined and a superior driving experience.

[hybridpetrol]

I cannot imagine having one car that needs so much planning for long distances. While some have successfully completed 1500 km road trips with EVs, I honestly cannot imagine planning the route as per charging stations and spending hours there.

While EVs have its merits in terms of power on tap, great NVH, this single biggest challenge will never let me have just one EV at home.

I will consider buying a small EV for city runs, while having a Petrol car for highway runs and as backup.

I don’t know if we will ever reach that stage with current technology. I would imagine the charging infrastructure needs to become widespread with super fast chargers with 15 mins charging abilities, while EVs themselves should offer 500+ km range, so we can go on a 10 day road trip without breaking sweat. All I should require is a 15 mins charge to continue the full day journey the next day. In such a case, EVs can be just a single car at home.

[XRoader_001]

Voted Yes

I have been driving Hyundai Kona Ev from Jan-23 & it’s my primary vehicle for highways for city commute i am on my e-bike or Ola S1 pro.

With Evs you need to plan for sure it’s all about change for good most people are marred with ev myths & fuds like it or not like it worldwide most Oems have committed to Ev roadmap.

[xsrahul]

Voted No

The thrill of instant torque while driving an EV is addictive but on the highway, one has to cruise all day at 100 which is not the best utilisation of a EV.

If I had just 1 car garage, it would not be an EV. However as a second (in city) car, it is starting to make good sense and will consider when I return to India.

Issue for me is I am not a Tata fan (their cars are great, service is unreliable), Hyundai EV (Kona) suspension is quite floaty and am clearly not keen for the British branded car due to data security concerns from we know who.

But as a one car garage, hybrids are starting to make a lot more sense than pure EVs and I see why Maruti and Toyota are investing more in that direction.

[CCRider]

Voted Yes.
Already there are a couple of reasonably affordable options even in India - The MG ZS EV2 and the BYD Atto3 both of which give a real world range of 300+ kms on a single charge. Infact the Atto3 gives upwards of 400kms. If you live in a metro and your long drives are on major highways, this range is more than adequate for most long drives as there are several fast charge options. And youtube has scores of travelogues with intercity travel to further prove that this is possible.
Range anxiety exists only in mind.

The other advantage of EVs is that it will spend lesser time in the service shop so better than a single ICE car.

[PazhazziRaja]

In my opinion, NO...

There are multiple aspects to it in my view
1. Financial - in my opinion, the most important one. Especially for India and one i see discussed in a very different light altogether in almost all forums related to same. We all know that EVs are much cheaper to run than ICE but has a higher upfront cost. However, i feel the impact of this upfront cost increase is not accounted properly in many comparisons. Majority of customers in India use a financing option in purchase of their car implying that a higher upfront cost would attract higher EMIs which offset the savings in running cost with EV meaning you need to accumulate more kms to break even with that increased acquisition cost. Additionally, the govt. of India currently runs EVs with subsidies including GST reductions which mean that once taken off this would increase the upfront cost and hence the interest amounts for EVs further. For an EV alone garage to work financially in 6-7 years you need parity of purchase costs considering the financing model or should be a use case where you accumulate 1000s of kms very quickly. Note: in my calculations considering Nexon EV and it's gasoline AMT counter part variant, you need to bag ~84,000km to reach breakeven
2. Range and top-up times: roads in India are getting bigger and better ( not the bangalore city ones)..and so in outstation trips you would cover longer distances before need for a break and that too with possibly >100 kmph speeds.. even if your use case is 90% city with only 10% in outstation trips, for that 10% to be possible a realistic number for EV should be ~400km of real road range with a charge time less than 45min... A slower range or charging rate means frequent stops and hefty planning too if the volume of EVs on road are high. Additionally, there could be increased expense due to these stops (you would mostly end up in a restaurant nearby for each stop to kill time). Another point is charging infrastructure in cities. Many in cities love in rented spaces where parking itself comes at a premium. They will have to depend on public charging points in case of EV. But this means longer waiting periods and charging times as the numbers increase. Hopefully someone comes with a clever solution to this. Having open charging may not be suited for India as we are still far from having the confidence in our societies to do it.
3. Features: this is another area i have seen ICE being shown as lacking when most are not powertrain dependent. The features exclusive to EV (not ones relating to performance) are very few. All the usual bells and whistles like, infotainment system, ADAS, vehicle and driving information, creep functionalities etc can be replicated on any vehicle. When it comes to features related to performace like OTA for performance updates, tuning performance to match drive pattern etc are some areas where EV clearly wins due to it not putting emissions in exhaust.. ICE could do this in theory, but the process to validate impact of any change in emissions and get legal approval is very cumbersome.
4. Performance: this is one area where EVs have a clear lead. The availability of full torque from get go is a serious advantage compared to even perfectly tuned turbos especially in overtaking situations. Most EVs don't sustain their peak power above 10 mins..but this is not required unless you intend to keep on accelerating. Having said all this, if the range and top up times are not in levels close to exisiting vehicles you wouldn't be able to enjoy this performance advantage in outstation trips
5. Environmental Impact: another area where EVs shine and becomes a very good way to un-pollute urban congested areas. The only potential local emission source from a EV is the tyres due to its instant torque delivery and higher mass being carried..but i don't know exactly how it fares against an ICE. As the sources of energy get cleaner, the impact on environment reduces...and since, the recycling of batteries is available, there is little concerns in that aspect as well
6. India specific environment conditions: this is an aspect where ICE with its years of development is robust against almost any environment conditions you can throw at it. EVs are in their nascent stage and it will take time to get systems developed and put in place to tackle anything thrown it's way..coming to India, we see 50-60 degrees high in summers ro -15 and below in winters and relative humidities ranging from 20s to 80s.To have a product that performs reliably and continuosly in all these conditions would take many more kms of testing and perfecting with real drive datas...
7. Safety: let's be real here. Purely in terms of energy a full tank gasoline car carries more than a similar range giving EV. So any unfortunate incident, the gasoline would be the one releasing out more energy..but difference is that the learning from years of running have made this energy release slow and controllable to a great extent. EVs on other hand have fires that are difficult to extinguish and puts out toxic gases that are as harmful or more to humans in close vicinity than the ones from burning gasoline/diesel. The safety standards for batteries are evolving and so are the chemistries. So it's only a matter of time before EVs turn to be as robust as an ICE

Summary: At the moment no EVs for mass market make sense financially and from usability p.o. v for it to be single car for the garage...in my view, it might take 2025 or above with a disruptive battery technology for it to be a viable alternative.
Note: heard about 500Wh/kg battery from China..very good development and if it supports faster charging times, win-win

[Sumedik]

Voted No, like majority of others. The reasons are:

1. High upfront cost.
2. Lack of clarity on resale value; we simply do not have enough data to come to a conclusion.
3. Lack of clarity on insurance coverage. Will insurance cover battery pack and motor replacement in case of accidents in zero depreciation mode?
4. At any time, "urgent" trip range is subject to battery SOC at that time, even if the car is at home. In case of ICE if the car is running low on fuel and a urgent trip needs to be made where the trip distance is greater than distance to empty, a detour to the nearest petrol bunk is all that is needed to negate the low fuel situation. In case of EVs, one has no choice but to wait for hour(s) till battery is charged again.