[privin]

This is my ownership thread of Nexon EV Empowered, Pristine White.

Background

My (previous) car is Fiat Grande Punto MJD (, which I bought in 2009 - all thanks to team-bhp for that decision. It has been a superb driving experience for all these 14 years, 1.25 lakh kilometers. That car is still giving me 20kms on highways.

I have been considering to change for last few years, closely watching the EV space. I live in Pune, but I am often visiting Mysore due to personal considerations. My close friend in Mysore had already bought Nexon EV Prime about an year back. So I already could get a lot of practical feedback before deciding my next car to be EV.

Choosing the EV
Between MG ZS EV and Tata Nexon, I felt Tata Nexon is a good choice: (XUV400 was not even a choice because I don't think NMC chemistry batteries are are not totally safe, and less recharge cycles.)
- 50KWH battery vs. 40KWH battery. This was difficult decision. (See below)
- Not being sure whether MG would become totally Indian company, and whether it will be forced to leave the country.
- Much better set of features in Nexon, and with facelift, it was clearly an eye turner. I really liked that they have genuinely innovated on multiple fronts. Tata Motors seemed to be genuinely responsive even when vehicles are stalled mid-road.
- Many detailed reviews, and community is very active.

(I am not sure why I didn't find many "Stalled in middle of road due to HV battery issue" last month. Now, after purchase, I am finding many of these reports. Perhaps this would have changed my mind.)

My reasons to go with 40KW battery:
- Increase in battery size will not yield same increase in range. So I was not sure whether to spend Rs. 5 to 10 lakhs just to get effective 50 to 75 kms of range more.
- Plugshare showed many more charging points. Definitely density is increasing. With BPCL and Jio coming into game, we will not really have any problem with highway charging.
- In any long drive, we take breaks in long drives approx 200-250 kms.So 300kms range was deemed more than sufficient.
- My long drives are few per annum, and that too limited to 500-550kms per day.

And I am happy to have fully validated these points now, after 2000kms of driving.

Booking and Delivery Experience

So I booked in May or so at Urs Kar, Mysore. But not really following up, since there was a news of facelift EV in the air, I eagerly waited for it. I was bit disappointed for same 40kwh battery size. Nevertheless, I went ahead and confirmed the booking and asked SA to start the process. It took two weeks to get intimation that the car has been billed.

From then it took about a week for car to come to Mysore (just in time for Dasara week). I did a quick PDI - used all the checklists that team-bhp maintains. Then, I paid full amount. It took about 3-4 days for getting registration number allocated. I took separate insurance (and not from dealer). But the number plates took really long time to arrive. The reason given was that there are simply too many deliveries in pipeline, and they are getting only few number plates (from Delhi) every day. These are HSRP number plates.

But the SA told that we can drive the car without number plate in the meantime, within Karnataka. And that made us to first visit Sakleshpur, Kushalnagar and back to Mysore, about 400kms. All without number plate, but just a plain paper indicating our number. Once we got the number plate, we drove from Mysore to Dharwad, stayed for two days, and then to Pune. I will write about the experience of charging etc in my next post.

[privin]

This first photo is of my Punto MJD, showing 1.3lakh kms which I touched just yesterday.

[privin]

As soon as I got the car, the first task was to create a 20m cable extension box using 3 core, 2.5sqmm wire with a MCB in it. In addition, I added a switch to disable plug-point earth, and thus connect external earth connection if need be. I used this cable with home charger, and it worked perfectly fine, and then went around Mysore (and nearby places).

In the meanwhile, Zconnect app from Tata Motors was also installed. You can then monitor the charging from mobile itself.

And then ... ritual of installing Plugshare app to know about the available EV charging stations. I was surprised to find very few charging stations (3-4) in Mysore. To experience fast charging, we took the car to Nexus Center city mall. Jio-BP charging station were not functional. Thankfully they also had Statiq charger, and charging went very smooth. (All of them were not occupied.) Only thing, there was no specific warning for people not to park there unless they are EV and want to charge.

After full charge (and deliberation of taking a risk of not having number plate), we decided to have a small 3-day trip to Sakleshpur and thereabouts. The planning was done using plugshare (and carefully noting the comments made by users). We went via Hassan route, and charged just near Sakleshpur (130 kms) at Surabhi Delicacy. And consumption was around 175 wh/km till then. Rather high. But SA told that it will settle later. We did a full charge - about 20 units, and meanwhile had nice lunch at the restaurant. No extra waiting time.

Just to let you know, there was a charger at Hassan (which we skipped), and two chargers in Sakleshpur. So no range anxiety.

We stayed at a cozy and beautiful Raxidi Jungle Homes. Being a coffee estate, the inner roads are all just stone and mud, and you need good ground clearance vehicle. No problem with the new Nexon EV at all. This is duly recommended because owner is very friendly, and he belongs to Raxidi family and lots of stories to tell. They also have a private waterfall, and we had a good time there. I have requested the owner to provide a plugpoint for EV charging. (If you have a long cable, it is even now possible to charge your vehicle, since 16A plug is not very far, and is accessible from outside.) But we didn't have to charge.

The next stop for us was Kushalnagar near Madikeri. There are no chargers in between. But there is one in Kushalnagar (attached to restaurant), and then in Madikeri. So we charged, and then went to a resort nearby in Kushalnagar itself - Coorg Sarayu backwater resort, on banks of a lake. Didn't inquire if they have charging there. And then we were back to Mysore.

So the whole drive was around 400kms. And absolutely smooth, without any anxiety. The real experience of EV is that it is just too smooth. We were driving with quite good AC. The consumption by AC is max 2-3% of range of vehicle. It is almost like sitting in airplane unless roads are bad.

Enroute (between Kushalnagar and Mysore), I tested Sports mode and it was beyond my expectations. Eco drive itself was far better than my Punto experience. I don't think anyone will go back to ICE, unless of course, you like the sound, and feedback etc.

[privin]

Pocs from Rakshidi Jungle Homes. A good coffee estate stay.

















Pics from

[privin]

Pics from Coorg Sarayu resort. Haranagi dam backwaters.

[privin]

We received the number plate after 2 weeks. Now we could travel out of state as well. So planned to go to Dharwad first, from Mysore. Without going via Bangalore. Going by internal routes reduces Kms from 520 to 470 or so. But the road conditions can be unpredictable. My experiences of roads near Sakleshpur was that the roads are indeed quite good. Often quite wide also. We don't have to negotiate traffic. But then, a odd road might be bad.

We considered going via Shimoga, but thought it is better to go via routes near to NH4. But dropped that route because of less chargers after Shimoga. (Or it will require a longer route). We chose routes close to NH4, so we can join NH4 if need be.

We finally chose to go via Bellur Cross, where there is a charger near Cafe Coffee Day. It is just 100kms from Mysore, so it was a quick topup within 30 min. (We always start on full charge, charged at night at home). Bellur cross is on Bangalore-Mangalore highway. Many chargers on this route. But we were going north. Only one charger at Hosadurga at 128 kms. And we could go to NH4 if need be - another 50 kms.

It so happened that there was already someone at Hosadurga, who had just arrived. And there is only one charging gun. So.... we just decided to move on. And join NH4 near Chitradurga. There is Hotel Mysore Cafe with a chrger. Unfortunately even that was occupied. So we went to a nearby charger at petrol pump on other side of road. (BPCL charger). It had two guns and no one. So we did charge in hot sun, but in cool AC of the vehicle. We had to wait for 45 min, and no restaurant nearby.

And then we took lunch break at Davanagere - Excellent hotel on highway called Apoorva Resorts. I really wish they install a charger there. We then had another charging session at Reliance Jio petrol pump (which had restaurant) - of about 30 min. It has two guns. While we were charging, a Tiago EV came and got charged. The owner said he got battery replaced 3 times - because he was always on road, and never gets chance to do slow charge. (One slow charge is recommended after 4 fast charges.)

And finally, with full charge, we often touched 100-110kmph speeds till Hubli, in Eco mode, and almost empty roads.

Overall, the SoC usage came down to 130's wh/km during this time. It seems like 100km speed took up the Soc usage from 130 to at most 140.

At Dharward, I could do home charging. We went to a trip to Dandeli (70 kms one way). And after two days, started to Pune on full charge.

We chose to fast charge at Viraj Junction Food Mall, just before Kognoli Toll Naka. This is one of the superb stopovers in Bangalore-Pune route. It has McDonalds, KFC, Anna Idli and many other joints all in Mall style. It has Two chargers. One of them was occupied when we went, and we used the other one. This location is about 180kms from Dharwad. A full charge here will mean 240 kms to Pune, and thus not requiring any more charge.

We still did another top up charge at Maharashtra Food mall near Pune, just so that we have sufficent charge even in Pune. (I live in society, and I had to manage a point to charge etc.)

All in all, absolutely no problems charging on NH4. Yes, you may have clashes with others wanting to charge (as documented here). But the apps can show that info beforehand. And you can really plan ahead.

[rarcar]

Originally Posted by privin

My (previous) car is Fiat Grande Punto MJD (, which I bought in 2009 - all thanks to team-bhp for that decision. It has been a superb driving experience for all these 14 years, 1.25 lakh kilometers. That car is still giving me 20kms on highways.

.

Wow, that is quite a long ownership.
I own a Punto 1.3 MJD for past 10 years, planning to push for some 2-3 years.

Congratulations on your Nexon EV.
Looks like highway trips with an EV would require solid planning, hope situation will become better in the coming years !

[meisteramg]

Congrats on your purchase. Just wanted to share my experience in a friend's Nexon EV. We went to Deccan Rally Hyderabad which was about 60 kms from my place, round trip coming to 120 kms. The range was 240 kms when we started. We put the car on cruise control at 110 kms on Outer Ring road. By the time we reached back home the range was 7 kms only. We checked for charging stations along the way but had to take long exit and were not very sure if they would be in working condition or not and so decided to reduce speed to 60kms with the AC switched off. I experienced range anxiety for the first time and did not like it one bit. Ev's may be good for city but certainly not for highways and range is deceptive taking into account lack of battery regen on highways.

[nandakumarms]

Originally Posted by privin

We received the number plate after 2 weeks. Now we could travel out of state as well. So planned to go to Dharwad first, from Mysore. Without going via Bangalore. Going by internal routes reduces Kms from 520 to 470 or so. But the road conditions can be unpredictable. My experiences of roads near Sakleshpur was that the roads are indeed quite good. Often quite wide also. We don't have to negotiate traffic. But then, a odd road might be bad.
...
...

Nice to read your detailed account of your Nexon EV experience. Being a Punto 90HP owner myself (I just returned from Madikeri to Hyderabad at a stretch and my 2010 Punto took it admirably - for it was almost 850 KM and 15 Hrs with hardly an hour's break! Being senior citizen, this was something, really!). I am also in considering buying Nexon EV and I find your account truly enlightening. Maybe you can add Nexon EV's speed characteristics (power drain wise -though you touched upon that) and road manners including negotiating speed breakers - visible and invisible and potholes!

Best wishes!

[Nanolover]

Yes agree to your point. After the effortless drive in my Tigor EV and Tiago EV, we never use the petrol engined cars now unless for absolutely mundane duties/ backup. After a go in electric , driving something like the Spresso is like driving a cement mixer, the engine noise and the vibrations etc. Even the Brezza petrol is cumbersome due to the low torque and need to shift gears. Not to mention we are BURNING money on petrol.

If your running is only within city and the highways around it, i see no point in investing money in gasoline or diesel anymore. If highway duties are called for, my next choice and most logical upgrade will either be the Nexon .ev LR or the MG ZS EV. Never ever IC engined cars again.

[100Kmphormore]

Originally Posted by meisteramg

Congrats on your purchase. Just wanted to share my experience in a friend's Nexon EV. We went to Deccan Rally Hyderabad which was about 60 kms from my place, round trip coming to 120 kms. The range was 240 kms when we started. We put the car on cruise control at 110 kms on Outer Ring road. By the time we reached back home the range was 7 kms only.

I experienced range anxiety for the first time and did not like it one bit. Ev's may be good for city but certainly not for highways and range is deceptive taking into account lack of battery regen on highways.

That’s literally just 127 km, only half of what the range displayed! Any reason as to why the sharp drop? Will have to read up more on this. In my experience with our E2O, 100 km display range meant atleast 90 km, 80 km if with AC, 70 on the highway.

Tata recently released a bulletin having a long lists of dos and donts after a couple of incidents involving high voltage warning breakdowns went viral. On that thread itself was many new things I did not know about with their EVs. Personally these many things to keep in mind instead of them optimising their software/hardware is what is discouraging many away as it’s not an enjoyable experience. If my Samsung M51 can train it’s battery to last longer (auto cutoff at 85% while charging, my iPhone 13 adjusts itself to the charging cycles). I know the difference is big but these should too.

[Shresth_EV]

Originally Posted by meisteramg

The range was 240 kms when we started.

Assuming this being prime not max, 240km comes at 125Wh/km. This would be the consumption from previous driving patterns unless trip is reset.

I can confirm this because I did 223km on trip with 18km remaining in May’23 itself — top speed being 80 (as per the NH limits) and avg trip speed being 50kmph (4.5h) on highway and the final Wh/km being 123.

Ev's may be good for city but certainly not for highways and range is deceptive taking into account lack of battery regen on highways.

Range is not deceptive — in fact, at speed parity, you’ll get more range on highway than city — say 60kmph in bursts in city with regen vs 60kmph on open roads with no regen, the latter will give more range because regen is not 100% efficient cycle.

Tata recently released a bulletin having a long lists of dos and donts after a couple of incidents involving high voltage warning breakdowns went viral.

It’s mostly same as what is written in the user manual itself. Unfortunately, it maybe second nature to me to read documentation being in software, but to 99.9% drivers, manual is never read and tossed into the bin, even for ICE cars let alone EV.

Personally these many things to keep in mind instead of them optimising their software/hardware is what is discouraging many away as it’s not an enjoyable experience.

As such, you would be correct if comparing UX to laptops or phones, but if you compare to cars, I find no difference in the plethora of things one must know to drive and upkeep ICE properly.

Rev matching? Half clutching? Overdrive? And lots of others that come just for driving, not even upkeep — most of which is also written in the user manual itself — the fluids top up intervals etc.

You can use it how you like just like how people used to abuse DSG in traffic and then foot the repair bill. Or you can follow the instructions down to the letter and have the machine last for generations.

And it’s not like EVs don’t come with these features — just not at this price. Premium EVs like tesla and Ioniq have set charging limit on the companion app and car itself.

[privin]

Originally Posted by meisteramg

We put the car on cruise control at 110 kms on Outer Ring road. By the time we reached back home the range was 7 kms only. We checked for charging stations along the way but had to take long exit and were not very sure if they would be in working condition or not and so decided to reduce speed to 60kms with the AC switched off.

Driving at 110kmph, wind resistance will take a toll. I guess there will be some learning of how much energy is consumed in what situations.

115wh/km is usual energy consumption if one drives at upto 80kmph. (Two people). The range shown is approximation. Tracking the energy usage is what one should do.

If the energy available (i.e. % of battery and range) drops suddenly for no reason, then it could be a battery problem.

Unfortunately Nexon doesn't show (in empowered model at least), what is the instantaneous energy usage in last km or so. I guess previous models would show live graph.

[UNSC117]

Originally Posted by privin

This first photo is of my Punto MJD, showing 1.3lakh kms which I touched just yesterday.

Attachment 2529921

That's quite incredible driving it around for so long. Good job

[viggienomad]

Apart from new Charging locations, existing locations also need to increase the number of charging guns. More & more EVs are registered every working day. We cannot afford to stand in queue like in a petrol bunk.

Hopefully BPCL, Jio & others may come up with multiple slots & proper parking space. Something like this