[DarthVeda]

Originally Posted by varkey

Any fellow EV owners have a hands on experience in using a general OBD scanner for this?

I got myself an elm327 bluetooth adapter from Amazon, pick anyone, which suits your budget. I used Car Scanner and connected to the OBDII adapter. Cleared DTC errors, that's it.

You won't get info like battery charging speed, discharge rate etc. as we don't know the codes for those, and there is no profile for Nexon EV yet.

[varkey]

Originally Posted by DarthVeda

I used Car Scanner and connected to the OBDII adapter. Cleared DTC errors, that's it.

Thank you this is very helpful. So is this enough to clear these HV battery error codes which prevent fast charging from working? Like the dreaded "contactor welded" error flag?

[DarthVeda]

I think so, but am not 100% sure, since i haven't done it. But I believe this is what the SC guys do.

[varkey]

Originally Posted by DarthVeda

I got myself an elm327 bluetooth adapter from Amazon, pick anyone, which suits your budget.

If you don’t mind could you please share the specific model (a link would be great) that you have which is known to work with the Tata EV. I was doing some reading and apparently there are many clones/fakes of the ELM327 and the cheaper models do not really support all the protocols or command set. Some are locked to specific apps etc.

I found this article quite helpful.

[speedmiester]

I just returned from a trip to Goa. I used Jio BP fast chargers, twice at the Fuel station just before Ranebennur and once at the charger in Honnavar. Both are 60KW chargers and the entire process was smooth.

Jio chargers are one of the best along with other players like Zeon, Relux and Chargezone.

[Turbanator]

I am thinking of adding an EV with a range of about 350. Though, some recent videos at CarWow where Matt takes some of these to Zero, I will try to be safe

For example, if I have to plan a trip from Gurgaon to Kandla with overnight halts at Beawar & Ahmedabad (for work reasons), where should we look?

I have downloaded multiple apps but am not too happy with the experience. What's the best way?

I tried google, but it does not show, is this feature not available here?

https://www.howtogeek.com/762729/how...n-google-maps/

[carthick1000]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

where should we look?

I have downloaded multiple apps but am not too happy with the experience. What's the best way?

They say the feature is available in Google. But I don't think it is available for Google maps on phone, tablet or web browsers, but only on Google maps of the native Android Automotive applications integrated in cars like Volvos XC40/C40 electric, (some other non Indian market cars like Polestars, Renault and a lot more cars in the near future).

I would start with plugshare.com to plan the route via chargers. But I am not sure about the availability/wait times and reliability of the chargers on the way as this is dependent on the CPOs (Charge point operators). Most EV owners use these sort of apps to plan the route and also check-in at these apps online to review them. So you can get an idea about when was the charger last used and if it is a good bet to choose as a charging stop.

In this below example, I used as a Nexon EV for range calculation, but you can use any other car in their database. Most modern EVs are available. You can also input a lot of parameters like realistic range you want to use, stop over preferences etc. Having said that, I would be cautious buying an EV in the indian market esp. if you want to use it for long distances. For shorter distances, EV is a no brainer in India. You can buy an EV with 350kW charging speed capability, but if the maximum fast charger speed available enroute is 50kW, you are limited by that. And most EVs sold in India has maximum DC charging speeds of 30-50kW. Combined this with the less prevelance of EV fast chargers, you might be waiting for your turn more often for someone to charge up.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by carthick1000

They say the feature is available in Google.

I would start with plugshare.com to plan the route via chargers. ]

Thanks, I was looking at the app. It shows me hardly any option when I choose the "show best", ignoring some of the better charges by Jio and Statiq.

The web interface does look much better, I will try it on Android or the car if that happens and update

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

For example, if I have to plan a trip from Gurgaon to Kandla with overnight halts at Beawar & Ahmedabad (for work reasons), where should we look? ]

There are absolutely no issues with charging along any major route today. You have options in Gurgaon, plenty on the way to Jaipur, then in and around Jaipur, Beawar, then Udaipur and Ahmedabad.

Originally Posted by carthick1000

I would be cautious buying an EV in the indian market esp. if you want to use it for long distances. For shorter distances, EV is a no brainer in India. You can buy an EV with 350kW charging speed capability, but if the maximum fast charger speed available enroute is 50kW, you are limited by that. And most EVs sold in India has maximum DC charging speeds of 30-50kW. Combined this with the less prevelance of EV fast chargers, you might be waiting for your turn more often for someone to charge up. ]

No issues anywhere in India except remote areas. I have driven my MG ZS EV all over India and routinely take it out of town. There are plenty of fast chargers available with a lot of redundancy in most places. Charging speed of 30 or 50KW is perfectly fine. ZS EV can use the 60KW chargers as well. The battery capacity is only around 42KWh and you wouldn’t be at or near zero. So if you need to top up 25 or 30KWh then even a 30 or 50KW charger would do it under an hour. You need that much time to park, stretch, eat something and come back. Most highways have locations with multiple chargers and there are several locations around in case one is fully occupied. All you have to do is plan a rest stop every 200 to 250Kms which is something that most people do in ICE vehicles as well. See some examples of locations with plenty of chargers available below.

[nidhikapoor]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

I just returned from a trip to Goa. I used Jio BP fast chargers, twice at the Fuel station just before Ranebennur and once at the charger in Honnavar.

Why did you need to charge so often? I thought Bangalore Goa can be done with just one charge right?

Also, if charging stations are of so many companies, which apps do you guys load and keep? Is there any single app that can be used with multiple companies?

[speedmiester]

Originally Posted by nidhikapoor

Why did you need to charge so often? I thought Bangalore Goa can be done with just one charge right?

Also, if charging stations are of so many companies, which apps do you guys load and keep? Is there any single app that can be used with multiple companies?

Bangalore to Goa is ~600Kms and it's a drive from 900mts altitude to sea level, the drive to Goa can be done with one single charge midway. ZS EV offers a realistic range of around 320-350kms on full charge.
I charged at Jio BP station midway after driving for 304Kms, topped up to 95%, this was sufficient to reach Goa.
Goa-Bangalore is a different issue as you have to climb 900mts from sea level, this will consume more energy, hence two charging sessions in between is preferred, just to have a comfortable drive.

I install apps of relevant chargers on my route and top it up with sufficient balance to ensure no hiccups in between. As of now, there is no single app that can be used across multiple charging companies. This is under work though.

[nidhikapoor]

Originally Posted by obaidhakim

From my last trip in the EV from mumbai to Goa and back.
I have learnt that the most efficient and cost effective trick is to charge upto 80% and move on unless absolutely necessary.
The time and cost incurred to charge above 80% SOC is significantly higher.

Originally Posted by Axe77

I was browsing through Recharge and a few things came to mind.

Most chargers displayed are regular 15AMP chargers and not fast chargers. I would have thought if you’re looking for public chargers a fast charger is more apt as it can quickly get you to recharge from (say) 10% to 80% while you take a snack break. How will 15 AMP chargers get a meaningful recharge in an hour or so?

The second point was that a lot of them are not operational 24x7. Slight bummer. But I guess if you’re on a multiple day trip you’re going to choose hotels that will facilitate overnight charging.

Third point is its a bit of a banana republic with private facilities at some places asking for ridiculous amounts. For instance while the norm for a slow charger seems to be 50-60 Rs / hour, apparently some places are asking for as much as Rs. 100/-. Not sure what’s the correct benchmark for a slow vs fast charger. Hopefully this will streamline to a narrow band in future as more infra comes up.

I'm confused with these two posts. Don't they charge per KW? Then how is time taken to charge affect the cost?

[curiosity]

Which app do folks here use to find a nearby Charging Station? Asking since I have recently got a Volvo C40 Recharge and want to plan for some road trips. Is there a common platform of sorts to make payment or would that involve downloading multiple apps/opening multiple accounts?

[speedmiester]

Originally Posted by curiosity

Which app do folks here use to find a nearby Charging Station? Asking since I have recently got a Volvo C40 Recharge and want to plan for some road trips. Is there a common platform of sorts to make payment or would that involve downloading multiple apps/opening multiple accounts?

For charging station discovery, it's plugshare.
Unfortunately there is no single app which can be used for discovery and payment.
Though there are some efforts towards this, it's far from completion. Until that point, you will have to rely on multiple apps.

[idoctor]

Did a self drive EV rental trip from Bengaluru airport to Madikeri, Coorg. Had hired a Nexon EV Prime. It was my first EV trip ever.

Had done planning using Plugshare and planned 2 stops on either sides since the distance is 300 kms+ one way. Very nice infrastructure on BLR-MYS highway, so good that I had planned backup chargers as well if the primary charger was occupied or not working. The location of the chargers also was at eateries where we had food while the car charged.

Had planned my stay at Club Mahindra, Madikeri knowing that it had a Sunfuel charger AC charger. There also I had 2 more fast charging options, both Tata chargers, one in Taj Madikeri and the other one below a restaurant in the main city. Had to use the main city one once as the hotel charger did not charge overnight on one night when I had planned another sight seeing trip. Planned breakfast at a nearby restaurant while the car got charged. Rest of the nights, hotel charger was fine.

On the way back also had planned 2 stops, had breakfast during the first stop and lunch during the second one.

Overall it was a great experience and the running cost for the entire trip was Rs 2.5/km all done on public chargers. Best charging experience was with Zeon, very seamless, followed by Tata Power and worst with Sunfuel as the charging used to stop abruptly. But was impressed with the charging infrastructure in a place like Madikeri!