Can you live with an EV as your main vehicle?

For EVs with smaller batteries, such as the Tata Nexon EV, a 120kW charger can fully charge the car in less than 20 minutes

- Shouvik Das

It was the middle of June, with the north-Indian heat wave threatening to step into 50 degrees. I hadn't felt its impact in the near-350 kilometers that I drove to reach the basement of a five-star hotel in Chandigarh—which I was pointed to as the closest destination for a public electric vehicle charger. It was only after I had reached the basement that I started feeling the heat—in more ways than one.

I'd driven in with a BMW i7—an electrified variant of the luxury sedan. I was loaned the car by the company to get a taste of how "the best" electric car in India works. And yet, despite finding a public charger and making a payment, ChargeZone, the charging station provider, could not process my request or detect the car. That the charger was hidden in the corner of a basement with barely any access to network—for a service that wouldn't work without an app—compounded the mess of the situation.

As I found out, India's nascent electric vehicle charging infrastructure is a quagmire of contradictions. When it works, it is a charm—but to find one that really works is a task that can leave you stranded with no way out.

THE IDEAL SECOND CAR

Six months ago, 45-year-old Koyeli Mapa, a biochemistry researcher, upgraded to an MG Windsor from her decade-old Honda Brio hatchback. Today, she is extremely happy with the choice that she made as her new car.

"I wanted a car that was spacious from the inside since we often have four humans and a dog traveling together, and still felt premium. I could go electric because my husband already drives a petrol SUV—which is what we use on long road trips. Plus, I didn't need to spend additional money to install my own charger—the apartment complex I live in has four charging points. Even though they are slow chargers, I mostly leave my car plugged in overnight once a week—and that is good enough for a week's worth of city driving," Mapa said.