[joybhowmik]

New beginnings always start at someone's end

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

As all good things come to an end, today I part with R3 well before it's due time.

He has served me well. I am returning him to the dealership. In bidding adieu, I am recompensed a handsome price after 8 years of very fulfilling ownership.

Backstory

Ever since R3 left to make someone else happy, a year had elapsed. A year where everyone who I knew, recoiled in shocked disbelief,when they heard, I hadn't replaced R3 with something manlier, more powerful, and a worthy successor.

For over a year, I cried myself hoarse, telling them ( yet never quite managing to quell the disbelief on their part) that the right 4x4 offroader for me, wasn't on the market, wasn't even born.
And yes, that was true. I was holding out for a petrol 4x4 (not AWD) south of ₹ 25 lakhs, that also did not look like the latest evolution of a matchbox on wheels, and carried 4 passengers as well as 4 mid size suitcases with aplomb. Simple requirement. You may think?

It just wasn't there.
The Scorpio N petrol was firmly a RWD car - and was one of my first rejects. Next in line was Thar 3D Petrol—just no luggage space, and a back-ache as a gift. Jimny ... matchbox? (erm!)

For a long time, I followed news on Toyota's mini LC, but there was no news about it making it to our shores. There was just a blip of excitement when Dacia 2024 was spied -and I thought , it just might come in a petrol AWD drivetrain - and I would live with it- yet alas!
Thar Roxx - despite all the anticipation, turned out to be a dampener; the Petrol version turned out to be a RWD too, and 4WD was nowhere on the horizon, when launched.
I even test drove the all-grip Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder - but for the money I wanted more than just AWD. Besides, it wasnt even a strong hybrid. A reluctant reject - but a reject nonetheless.
Along the way, we test drove the Innova Hycross (no 4WD), the Toyota Hilux 4WD (no Petrol variant), Fortuner (no Petrol variant) and didn't like anything.

Time passed, and our Toyota Glanza being the only car in the garage, became the natural workhorse. All good—except when you suddenly start clocking more than 15k km in a year, petrol bills do add up.
Like many families in Delhi, our average running within the city itself was about 80% ~ 90% on any given month.

We were okay with taking the Glanza out on the highway for the occasional road trip. The 10%~20% on roadtrips—Uttarakhand or Rajasthan were discretionary leisure trips. We've never done serious distances in the Glanza (ie > 1000 km)—that was always the domain of R3, or before that, the Milemuncher Innova.

Did we want to do extended distances on the Glanza? Thats a digression. But I will address that too. We were a one-car family now. Yes, if the situation called for it, the Glanza would need to do that. But, we would prefer doing this on a capable 4x4 tourer.

Were there opportunities in the near term to go touring long distances? The answer was a resounding "No".

That is due to family circumstances. We knew we would never venture more than a couple of hundred kilometers in the next two years. The Glanza was perfectly adequate for this, and continuing the 4x4 dream with a worthy successor to R3 could wait.

Yet we were not addressing how we get transport costs down - within the city. Glanza is a great city runabout, but with an average petrol bill of ₹ 1.2 lakhs a year (rough estimate) for city drives alone—and bound to increase more—with ever busier schedules of family members.


The answer was clear: we needed a daily driver right now to stop the bleeding that would also deliver the most cost-efficient ₹/km. We needed to replace the Glanza as a city runabout before replacing it forever.

That's how the idea of an EV was born.

When I first mentioned it to my family:

"You the macho 4x4 offroader!—will ply on an electric vehicle?" said my family in unison, and understandable shock. "What a scale back!" is what they meant.


The math, however, had no rejoinders.

1. We are both nearing retirement. We need a car that we can theoretically keep and use for the rest of our natural lives (and not watch the government unceremoniously take it away at gunpoint, quoting edicts of the notorious NGT.)
2. We prefer low running costs for our extensive city travel needs. A city runabout is adequate (no 4WD needed here).
3. We can afford to wait for a top-of-the line tourer 4WD for leisure travel. That doesn't mean we compromise by buying something we aren't happy with now, that also doesn't reduce costs.

[joybhowmik]

Dear reader,
I thought to compile a quick index to the first sections of my long term ownership review. I hope you find it useful, in case you want to quickly locate information of interest.

Otherwise, you could just read it just as it's written, and be surprised by my trials and travails and my little joys and hopes.

This index is current to the first 15 posts only, the remainder of the story will unfold , I'm sure , with plenty of surprises in the many months and years to follow!






Index

1. Ruby- My new Tata Punch.ev in Fearless Red
   
2. The Market Survey
   
3. Tiago.EV or Punch.EV? That is the question.
   
4. Booking and Remorse.
   
5. NCB letter woes
   
6. An Interesting call, and Sorting out Insurance
7. A rollercoaster ride of expectations
8. Home charging infrastructure, first charge, and charging cost estimates
   
9. First impressions and the first drive!
10. The quest for genuine Tata Motors accessories ... And confronting neglect!
    
11. Mats, Mudflaps, TPMS, Dashcam, Frunk, Rat treatment and more...
12. Software update of the Infotainment system
13. Looking back at the first thousand kilometers after driving the first hundred!
14. What's Ruby like, Inside and Outside? How well does it drive?
    
15. Niggles , Ruby's First Service, नज़र बट्टू & Acquiring Extended Warranty till 3 Years

[joybhowmik]

In December 2023, almost 1 in every 5 new vehicles bought in Delhi was an EV. Though a large percentage of that must have been two-wheelers, one cannot deny that one encounters more EVs amongst 4 wheelers than ever before.

From humble beginnings of the e20 & eVerito cars, the current 4 wheeler EV "early majority" market has been largely shaped by Tata Motors (several offerings are available: Curvv, Nexon, Punch, Tiago, and Tigor). Other known brands I knew of were MG (Comet & ZS), and, more recently, Windsor. Then there was the one horse pony in Mahindra 's XUV 400. There were also the upscale Hyundai (ioniq) and Kia. There was news of an EV on a Creta platform, and the first EV from Suzuki around the corner. Then there was the unapologetic Chinese - BYD.
There were also luxury EVs being offered by the Germans (but clearly I wouldn't be using those for carrying groceries home!!)

The Phone a Friend

That's not a huge number of choices - compared to ICE. But, I still asked a friend.
His advise: "Don't buy new; buy something that still has original warranty left."
His premise was that - by buying new, I was effectively paying an early adopter premium. That's why if I bought a pre-owned car , a warranty on it, I would get equivalent benefits for 80% of the price of a new car.

His other advice was : "Buy a MG ZS EV. Eyes closed". He'd recently bought a Skoda Kodiaq. So yes, a big believer in MG!

Why not a used EV?

For a moment , a depreciated car, still holding warranty , looks tasty.
But, after a brief look at that segment of the market, I steered clear.
No it wasn't about contracting dermatitis in it.
A few key reasons (for me).

1. I did not really find any used EVs that were top of the model line , and relatively new. Obviously - those were tasty enough , and the owners had retained them. I wasn't really interested in the lower variants (lack of features).
   
2. I was buying into a rapidly evolving technology—granted, I would be locking myself in at whichever point I bought in, but still spending 50k-100k more for a year's worth of tech innovation—was a no-brainer.
   
3. Of course, my family prevailed too. In the last twenty one plus years of staying in India, we've steered clear of buying second hand cars. Not to say, we are against, or have never purchased used cars. We have—in the US. Matters were different in the US, where there's an organized market and regulatory framework governing it. The Indian used car market isn't there yet, when it comes to transparency.
   

So, while I ignored my friend's advise to look at used cars, I could not quite ignore the advise about the brand.

The Contenders!

Morris Garages
My take on the brand. It's positioned as a British brand, with an Indian partner. The Chinese owner: SAIC is super silent on sales brochures, but that's expected, I guess. Positioning is key, and MG does lend some flair to any product, perhaps due to deep roots in the automotive tradition.

I called them for a TD, and quite counter intuitively , I asked them to bring along a Comet Exclusive (near top of line, feature wise, ) ESP : ₹ 9.36 lakhs—I'm guessing with taxes, extended warranties ,registration fees, insurance, etc - it would probably be ~ ₹ 11 lakh by the time it would reach home. That's serious money.
My first impressions:

• Minimalist but very roomy for front row.
• Then it goes into a tailspin of an apology - the backrow is not only cramped, its also suffers remarkable parallels with the ingress mechanics of "Thar 3D"
• The boot (for lack of a better word), is wide enough to hold 2 liter water bottles, or a laptop bag.
• And when it drives, its almost like the feeling, one's driving an e-rick—its so small and dimunitive, and incredibly nimble
• The size aspect, is important in Dilli - not because one has the flexibility to wedge into really tight parking spots—but more importantly, even a cyclist will ride taller than you. And said cyclist would expect you to yield (unheard of in Dilli)
• Other than that, super silent operation, a really long infotainment panel, and the car's controls are the only notable protruberances in the cabin. Did I mention minimalist?

Would I like to drive one to work and back? Terrifying visions of being bullied on Dilli/Gurgaon streets filled my head, and I gave this a pass.
However, it would be remiss of me not to point out—on the cuteness scale—that the Comet is a head turner. It does have some appeal for someone who would like to leave as little a footprint as possible—and surely that's something to aspire for.

The next TD quite predictably was for the MG ZS EV. I asked the salesperson to explain its features , and I tuned off. At ESP, ranging from₹ 24.43 (Executive Plus) to ₹ 25.43L (essence dual tone), the spread of features available onthe 10.1" screen, the plush seats, carbon-fiber like dash - the list went on and on.... I was loving it, immersed as it were in the luxury this car offered. Everyone in the family loved it , and though the money was eye-watering , we thought maybe this was the car we wanted as a keeper. Something the Delhi Government would not snatch away due to dire NGT warnings, 10 years later. Besides, there was an 8 year battery warranty, and the informed salesman assured me that the battery was good to go for 12+ years.
I will not bore you, dear reader, with a list of features , and a comparison between the variants. That is easily available.
I was just blown away at the ease with which the Android Auto wirelessly connected to my phone, and wirelessly charged it too!
Coming from a Glanza where I had been untangling annoying wires all these years—this was truly priceless.

And then the 360° camera! The images were pixellated - but the joy of seeing all around without having to turn your head!

There were two questions worth deliberating about, however:

1. How did MG ZS EV fare with respect to its mainstream competitors, viz Tata Nexon and M&M XUV 400?
2. Which MG ZS EV variant was right for us?

On the first question: I asked the MG Salesman to come with an answer. I was curious as to how they positioned ZS EV :



This comparison was for the Excite Pro variant, a couple of notches below the top variant - and it was a comparison to the top variants from Tata and M&M. Note that while factually correct, they left out the fact that M&M XUV400 EL Pro variant was actually ₹ 2 lakhs cheaper.
Still not a deal-breaker for me.
Though made a mental note to find out what M&M XUV400 and Tata Nexon EV were like.

On the second question: I debated with family; the main bone of contention was: should we opt for level 2 ADAS for an additional ₹ 1 lakh in ESP? My better half said no, and my heart said yes. I have veto rights when it comes to decisions about cars in the family. But in this case, I demurred. The question about level 2 ADAS brought up an even more fundamental question: Would we really make this a primary car? Would this be a highway milemuncher and a daily beater?

Sharp reality check
A quick check on plugshare.com demonstrated that even with stated range , in order to avoid range anxiety on a typical Delhi-Kolkata drive, we would need 7 charging stops each of at least an hour (and perhaps more!), to stay off range anxiety. On a total run time of 24-30 hours adding 7-10 hours just for refuelling is a bit much. So the EV , would never be a highway milemuncher. It was destined to be the primary urban daily beater.
A bit oversized (>4m) and eyewateringly expensive ₹ 27 lakhs for a daily beater - but then again - no power on earth would pry it loose from our clutching fingers after 10 years!

Mahindra & Mahindra
I know Mahindra. Quite well, in fact. I've lived with one for well over 7 years (LT ownership review (Raging Red Rover (R3) - My Mahindra Scorpio S10 4x4. EDIT: Sold!))
I am under no delusions when it comes to the brand. I know their products have little foibles, that gradually persist in annoying owners, till one erupts in frustration at M&M. Then M&M bends over backwards, and then some, to set matters right. And they usually do.
So , knowing this, I stepped into the world of EVs and Mahindra.

One quick digression though. M&M has been a hesitant entrant in India's EV marketplace. Despite world premiers of XUV700 & Thar on a born electric platform, the enthusiasm on display in South Africa hasn't really shown where it matters—here in India, M&M's biggest market.
When it comes to EVs, people typically recall Tata, MG, Hyundai, and even Kia and rarely think of M&M. That's a real shame. M&M need to work on improving the recall factor. It's probably not without reason too. The XUV400 is offered in few variants , leaving very little choice.

The test drive with EL Pro happened. We were suitably impressed with the substantial legroom the XUV400 offered, but beyond that, we began comparing with the superior MG ZS EV. I was willing to give this car points for being honest, so I asked the salesman - what he felt were its differentiators vis-a-vis the competition.
I'm not one to judge, but I will leave you the answer:



Towards the end of the test drive, I asked if I could subject the car to my "acid test"? The salesman was at first perturbed, thinking I would put the car to bodily harm. Nothing like that- I just wanted to see how wireless android auto worked. "No problem , saar"
And then we spend 5 minutes fiddling with the controls—and no connection to show for our labours. He sheepishly grinned. "Saar, the car needs an update."
There wasn't any 360° camera too—I pointed out—and he grinned some more.

And just like that, the M&M product was out of the reckoning. My reasons: Poor execution. And not enough choice.


Tata Motors
Not wanting to forego the experience of the main contender in the market, I decided to give Tata Motors a call. I actually signed up on their website for a test drive, and mentioned that Treo Tata , Nehru place may please bring the top model Nexon EV TD vehicle around.

Not only did Tata not acknowledge the request, the appointment time came and went.

Annoyed at being stood up, I called the showroom and was assured by the sweet talking CRM that someone would be sent the next day (Sunday, 14 July).
I said: "yes, and please also ask your salesman to bring the Tata version of a comparison between equivalent models of Nexon EV, XUV400 and ZS EV."

5 minutes before the appointment time, the assigned salesman calls to say he can't get a gate pass for the car , because he doesnt have a copy of my drivers license!!!
Needless to say, he also did not have a comparo to share.

I really lost it. I told the CRM of Treo Tata, they have some nerve asking me for proof of my driving skill before allowing me to test drive the car. I told her that neither MG nor M&M wanted it.

ऐसे बर्ताव करेंगे , तो अपनी गाड़ी अपने पास रखिए
If this is your attitude, please keep your car!

I never test drove the Nexon EV.

These two experiences with Tata and Mahindra pushed me inexorably towards MG.

But, I did not want it to end this way... the smaller but significant things turned out to be a deal breaker with MG too!

1. Chinese roots
Despite disclaimers that MG is a born UK brand, its ownership is Chinese. Aside from the Comet, and ZS EV, at that point in time (July '24) there were no other EV products on shelf. Jindals, as their JV partner, were not really visible to the public eye—or, should we say, did not receive as much media attention as the C-suite staff at Suzuki, M&M, Tata, Hyundai, etc. There was also news that BYD (another gargantuan EV maker) was facing a restrictive environment in India.
Which brought me to question if I really wanted a long-term relationship, with a company, that belonged to an adversary country. Nothing political—just huge doses of pragmatism.


2. Greater than 4 m length.
I was beginning to question the practicality of owning an urban beater that was greater than 4 meters in length. Granted, the 4 meters is a psychological barrier, and a Tata Punch EV at 3857 mm is just 10 cm shorter, and practically speaking, it's not much. But 4m+ cars do attract extra duty. However, this factor applied equally to XUV400 as well as Nexon EV -so it wasn't a MG ZS EV deal breaker alone.


3. Lack of Service network
MG service network is noticeably smaller than Tata, Suzuki, Hyundai and M&M. For instance, in NCR region, MG portal shows 3 locations.
Ordinarily, lack of service network should not matter, especially if the car isn't going to go often outside its home zone.
However, a lack of service network also points to a potential lack of competition for customer's service business, which may translate to poor customer experience.


4. No fog lights!—and no way to have these installed as an accessory item!!
The exchange with the MG salesman says it all:

Me: "Fog lamps—can these be retrofitted on the car?"
MG Salesman: "Sir, there is no need for fog lamps in ZS EV. The reason is because MG Has set the angle of Headlamps on a particular angle so that you can easily visible the roads and corner visibility."

Me: Headlamp lens is not the same as fog lens - spread of light is different. Headlamp light is reflected back in your eyes by fog. Unlike fog lamp light. Kindly check with your technical team at MG - whether fog lamps can be fitted or not. This is available in XUV400 for instance. actually headlamp light when reflected back at you in heavy fog is pretty dangerous. It can blind the driver ...It has happened with me earlier on Yamuna Expressway -when I met sudden fog. This is a serious requirement from my side.

MG Salesman: Ok sir i asked our technical person he is some busy in family function . I will revert you back once he replied me ok sir

(please pardon the non-existent grammar/flawed sentence construction ! These are actual excerpts from WhatsApp chats )

No response came from the MG technical team. At one point, I was prepared to pay upto ₹ 27 lakhs for the top variant of this car. But no fog lights at ₹ 27 lakhs !

I did not pursue the matter.
The date was 15 July, 2024. I had just spent over 2 weeks recceing the market, and all I was left with was a tinge of dissapointment.

[joybhowmik]

Coming to terms with my requirement first.

What followed the disappointment of no deal was a period of soul searching.
It began with a question: What was it that I was really after?

It's so important to articulate one's need accurately. Otherwise, one is likely to get carried away during the process of buying a car. If one doesn't really know what one wants, one invariably wants it all, and ends up buying something one doesn't really need.

Case in point: I was about to sign on the dotted line for an MG ZS EV top-of-the line variant that had wowed me with wireless Android auto, swanky interiors, a dazzling dashboard, and a 360° camera—but it would cost me a pair of kidneys and a liver, and would likely end up being shelfware because it was impractically expensive.

All I needed was a small EV car. With bells and whistles available in most cars that were a segment or two above it.

I fell back on my friends advice to look out for a tasty pre-owned EV. For the next 3 weeks, I setup searches on the usual online portals, but nothing turned up. A base model comet (under 10000 km) was on sale for ₹ 6 lakhs. I enquired with the dealer - and he seemed unwilling to negotiate. So, I left it.

A few more days passed by. I'd almost given up on my plans to acquire an EV.
The Thar 5 door Roxx unveil was up next, and I thought maybe I should book that as a trustworthy replacement for my erstwhile R3. But insider sources revealed the petrol 4WD variant was still some ways away. And in any case, the Thar 5 door Roxx petrol 4WD would never really fit the role of a daily beater for the foreseeable future.


So come the first week of August, I still really needed a small beater EV car. Comet was way too small to be practical. And both the XUV400 and the MG ZS EV were way too big. Citroen eC3 crossed my mind , but I quickly crossed it off, as it really wasn't a mainstream brand in India yet. BYD didn't have any offerings in this segment. Creta EV and Suzuki's EV6(?) were a long way off, and they were in the > 4m segment. Skoda was rumoured to be working on a release, but not much else was known at the time.

I was still mad at Tata, for not bringing the Nexon around for a TD. But was that enough reason for me to diss the smaller EVs they were making? Would my ego ever make the climb down?

An encounter

Saturday the 10th August, 2024 was a fine day. I was walking home after a hike of almost 5 kms (counting to 10k steps). I recall I was attired quite casually: slippers , frayed jeans and a sweaty t-shirt. All that I was looking forward to was a nice shower followed by a sumptuous lunch. Walking into a car showroom was furthest from my mind. And yet, it happened.
I was walking past Treo Tata, Nehru Place (the same guys that did not bring the Nexon EV). From a distance, I espied two smaller sized EVs on the showroom floor. I tarried. Thoughts raced through my head. Should I walk in? One part of me said no, the other said yes. And both were right.


No: because of my less than casual attire, , might beget disdain.
Yes: this wasnt a formal visit at all, I would just do a walkaround and leave. No questions asked and no answers given.

And that moment (must have been around 12:15 PM), I walked in.
As I expected, I was ignored by the staff. The Tata Punch EV caught my eye. I walked around, opened all the doors , looked inside, and stepped back. At this point, a salesman came around asking if he could help. I wanted to remain incognito, still wanted to give them a chance to do their job, so I just asked him to sit his 6" tall colleague on the rear bench. Once done, I measured how much headroom remained—not much I ascertained. That wasnt looking promising. Next, I carefully considered the boot space—would it be sufficient to handle big grocery bags—and yes, it would. Maybe it could even handle a couple of cabin bags on airport runs. Inside the cabin, leg space was good on the front row, and just average in the rear—maybe one might be able to squeeze four fingers in ahead of the knee - so the verdict: adequate.
I stepped back some more and eyed the stance of the car. At that moment, if someone had asked me what adjective would describe the Punch EV, I would have said hungry(?) . It looked butch—like a junior prize fighter, aspirational, but not quite able to punch above its weight yet. I did not know it then, but it was kind of growing on me. It was crying out to be noticed—overshadowed as it were by its bigger cousin, the Nexon.

I next walked over to the Tiago EV. This one appeared to be quite a bit shorter but was proportionately roomier inside (for its size). The tall guy had no problem with headroom at the rear—his head didn't hit the ceiling, but it still was mighty close to touching it. Luggage space was pitiably small. Groceries would do fine. But that's about it. Also, this one was all function over form. No bells and whistles on offer. And it looked like the Indica: reborn.

I glanced at the watch. It was almost 1 PM. I had to leave, as folks were waiting for me at home. But, I called ahead and told my better half to be prepared for a quick test drive that same afternoon.
Our plan was to just look. No commitments. No booking. Just look and see.
Lunch done, we raced back to the showroom for a TD.
This time I had to reveal who I was. Naturally, the story about the failed Nexon EV appointment tumbled out. I could discern no sign of regret.
We only had an hour to complete the TD, to make the deadline for the next assignment for the day.

We took the Tiago EV out first. I edged it out of the parking lot, and into chaotic Delhi traffic. After driving for a kilometer, I handed the wheel over to my better half for her practical perspective. She liked it's vibes, but "this car doesn't have hill-hold". We returned to the showroom in about 15 minutes. It was kind of a letdown after our last in-cabin experience with the MG ZS EV.
Our verdict : The form factor was great for city drives, -though overall the in-cabin experience was a bit too practical. By not offering much by way of creature comforts or driving aids, and a smallish trunk, it meant it wasn't just right. Though it was a step up from the Comet, buying this would leave us with regrets later.

Then we sat ourselves in the Punch EV. And it sang so well that both of us were floored !
Same circuit as the Tiago EV- and I stopped it in the middle of the flyover— voila auto hill hold in action.
Plus the 360° camera outputs sharp pictures on screen—a step up from the pricier MG ZS, and all the other functions one might wish for.
My wife and I rarely agree, but this one was a no-brainer. The only material agreement was which variant.
This is where (as it turns out) we were misinformed by the salesman. On the TD, we said we wanted the highest variant, but no sunroof, and no AC fast charger.
He said go for Empowered + LR.
We were not to know it then, but Empowered + LR is different from Empowered "and" LR. And the salesman never bothered to clarify. You see,
Tata Motors has created variants based on feature lists and battery range.

So there were two different feature lists implied : Empowered versus Empowered Plus
And two different battery ranges: Standard vs Long Range
So these combinations meant a total of four variants. This was never explained to us. Partly my fault, this entire visit and TD were not planned, and I had not done my research.

I was winging it

The Quote

Back at the showroom, I asked for the price sheet.
Without realizing it, I showed interest for Empowered "and" LR. I thought I was asking the price of the top most variant minus the sunroof. I could not be more wrong.

Quote :₹ 14,20,000 covering ex-showroom price + Tax collected at source + registration charges (but no road tax) with fast tag and number plates + additional two-year warranty and including a ₹ 30,000 discount.
I specifically told them their insurance quote won't work for me, because I need it customised for my NCB - so they left that out.

I heard it and walked away. I told them I would come back next day, after a price check.
As dealers are wont to do, they gave me the usual spiel of a one time only offer.

We left and attended to our errand. While on the way, I texted Sab Motors in Lajpat Nagar for pricing.

EV : Tata Punch empowered LR
ESP: Need Quote
Registration: Delhi (Individual). Need Quote and Breakup-What is included/not included? No hypothecation charges please.
TCS: Need Quote.
Extended Warranty: 2 years. Need Quote.
Total on road (individual)—not including Insurance.
Discount: Need quote.
Net on road (individual): : Not including insurance. Need quote.
Insurance: Self (dont quote)
Essential Accessories: Dont quote
Car Care Package: Dont quote

The next day (11th March , Sunday), Sab Motors quoted, but their price was about ₹ 15,000 higher than Treo Tata.

To buy or not to buy? That is the question.

I had to make a decision. Should I book the Punch EV—yes or no?
The decision was really in two parts. It boiled down to : Did I trust
1) The brand?
2) and The product?

1) The Brand
Tata Motors as a brand is not an unknown quantity to me. In fact, 30 years ago, I had started my career at their plant in Jamshedpur.
They used to be known for locomotives, then trucks (and for a short while excavators), and later passenger vehicles. In fact, when I joined in '94, the Sierra was the preeminent SUV.
Time passed, I moved on, and so had Tata Motors. I hadn't kept in touch with past colleagues, and in any case, there wasn't any guarantee they would be able to give me an honest opinion.
My next encounter with Tata Motors had been at Vivek Automobiles, Mathura Road, New Delhi—a Fiat & Tata dealer , back in the days when these two brands ran a JV for service operations. Recalling those days, still gives me cold sweats. Visions of parts being stolen, and an unnecessary engine repair foisted on me still rankle after 16 years.
So, I opted to ask advice from an old friend who had purchased a Nexon ICE a few years ago.
His advice was that the brand was working hard to improve service; past challenges in service & parts availability were being turned around , and it seemed as if they cared enough about their reputation to claw back most of what was lost in the aftermath of Nano and Indica experiences.
If Tata is concerned about reputation, then yes, there's a definite path for improvement. This was reassuring enough for me.

2) The product
Youtube reviews indicated the car had been launched sometime early 2024 (Risk! coming from an Indian manufacturer)
The TBHP review generally pointed to this being one of the better products from Tata—general disclaimers about Tata quality notwithstanding.
And auto industry news indicated that the Punch's ICE variant had apparently beaten the mighty WagonR in sales.
This was enough to tell me that the car I had booked looked okay—and save for being a one-off lemon, in general this product did have acceptability, as well as some fan following.


I was clear in my mind to book the Punch.EV with Treo Tata the next day.

[joybhowmik]

12th August was a Monday. Ordinarily the first day of the week is full of activity at the office. Yet the chain of events of the past 48 hours, intruded, took primacy.

Why a Red Tata Punch EV?

Since we were planning to book, we needed to zero in on the color of the car.

Available options were a nondescript white, a boring gray, an oxide color that looked off-white, a dirty green , and red. There wasn't any blue - which we would have loved. Treo Tata had indicated they had the white and the oxide in stock and ready to go. But they looked really unexciting in the flesh. So, we quite unimaginatively chose red.


Oh yes, there was also another tiny reason for choosing red. Red isn't a popular color in India. We were essentially saying we wanted our car cooked fresh.

It would also be the reason why we paid ₹ 1.45 lakhs more on possession. But that's for later.

The call from Treo Tata's salesman

We received a call as we were getting ready to leave office for the day. It was the salesman from Treo Tata - and had we decided yet? I told him, yes we had , and we were prepared to book the car for ₹ 14 lakhs (ESP+registration+2 year warranty + discounts) , which was ₹ 20k lower than what was quoted to us on Saturday. He said he needed to check with his seniors, as pricing may have changed, and indeed it had.
He called back in 10 minutes with a revised offer of ₹ 14.5 lakhs—i.e., rescinded the ₹ 30k discount offered on Saturday.
I asked him why - and he took refuge in the usual story : saar one time offer and all that bull.

I told him no deal.

Shopping around

I did the next best thing. Reached home—quickly composed a WhatsApp message asking for best quote and used my alternate number to enquire about prices from 5 dealers. I did not want their sales teams to know I was the same person. In case the Tata dealers shared sales leads in their CRM.

EV : Tata Punch empowered LR
ESP: Need Quote
Registration: Delhi (Individual). Need Quote and Breakup-What is included/not included? No hypothecation charges please.
TCS: Need Quote.
Extended Warranty: 2 years. Need Quote.
Total on road (individual)—not including Insurance.
Discount: Need quote.
Net on road (individual): : Not including insurance. Need quote
Insurance: Self (dont quote)
Essential Accessories: Dont quote
Car Care Package: Dont quote

This went out to Auto Vikas, Sab Auto, Treo Tata (different location), and a couple others—I can't remember.
Sab Auto repeated their earlier offer. Auto Vikas did not respond, and the other two essentially regurgitated MRP.

The Booking

As luck would have it, the best bite came from Treo Tata's Sales GM , and the supervisor of the salesman I had been talking with.


This was actually better than what I had asked for. I agreed, and asked him to send someone over to sign the deal sheet and book the vehicle.
It turned out it was the same salesman. When I asked him later , why he did not offer me the car at ₹ 14 lakhs - he sheepishly said - the deal was cooked by GM sir - he did not have power. To me, that meant either he didn't read my intent to purchase correctly, or he just wasnt prepared to work hard to close the deal. In other words, one of the many cogs in the wheel , and eminently forgettable.

Anyway, the deal sheet was signed



and the order booked at home.




It was 8:09 PM, 12th August 2024.

While the booking formalities were in progress, I asked the salesman, about insurance formalities , and my need for a customized insurance quotation as I had NCB.
He mentioned the only document they needed was an e-copy of the previous car's RC, and a hard copy of the NCB letter.

Jinxed!
I had the e-copy of R3s RC; I even had an e-copy of the NCB letter, but I did not have the hardcopy NCB letter. It hadn't reached me, even though I had asked for one more than a year ago!



I knew I had to get that hard copy organized sooner than ever. But the story about the booking doesn't end here!

Oh no! For what would a good story be without its plot doing contortions!!

So more on that!

I spent my free time in the next few days reading up about the Tata Punch EV. This amounted to less than 10 minutes a day. I was that busy!
On the evening of 19th August, I re-read the Punch EV sales brochure, comparing the feature lists.
And the penny dropped.

Remorse

I realized the mistake. I had implicitly misunderstood what the salesman had said , when I asked for the topmost variant without a sunroof.
I had taken Empowered + LR to mean Empowered "and" LR. In fact the Empowered + variant had some additional creature comforts that I'd be a fool to turn away from : ventilated seats, a larger instrument cluster, a bigger infotainment screen, and wireless charging!
A WhatsApp conversation ensued with the GM—it was 9:40 PM.

Me: Hi Raj. Somehow I was under the impression that I had ordered the empowered Plus LR model... but rechecked and it seems the order is for empowered LR.
I need the empowered Plus LR. Please advise the proper way to go about this. I have dropped an email
Him: Sir Tomorrow share with you updated quotation
Me: Yes, and please give me a good discount so I dont have to go to others
Him: Sure
Me: It was a lack of education—Your salesman should have pointed out to me the difference between empowered LR and empowered plus LR. During test drive we had told him , that only things we dont want are AC fast charger and sunroof. Please WhatsApp me the changed numbers

And the next day (20th August), a revised quotation arrived.



I asked him to give me a round figure and we shook hands at ₹14.45 lakhs.

The salesman came by; there was no money to be paid immediately, just a fresh signature on a revised deal sheet.

The final deal was closed at 1 pm 20th August 2024.

Or so I thought!

[joybhowmik]

Have you ever tried squeezing water from rocks?

Dear reader
In case you thought my troubles ended with signing the revised deal sheet, well, far from it.

There was still the question of obtaining a hard copy NCB letter. I needed to shift the NCB to the new car. The salesman had been very particular—there was no way they would offer an insurance quote with an NCB bonus without the NCB letter in original.

But that was easier said than done.

I had sold R3 on 06th August, 2023 - over a year ago. At the time, I had requested Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company India Limited (Chola MS) for a soft copy and hard copy of the No Claim Bonus letter (NCB). That had been on August 09,2023.



After multiple followups both on phone and email, they finally reverted on August 26, 2023, with the soft copy, and said the hard copy was on the way.



Though I had received the soft copy with this email (see below),



I never did receive a hard copy. I sent the customer care a reminder on August 30, 2023, asking them to resend the hard copy - but they refused, asking me to check with my local post office. Which I did. Only that the post office had no clue about what happened to the speed post.

1 year ago, there wasn't any urgency, in securing the hard copy, so I let matters lie where they were. In retrospect, that was a mistake. I should have stuck to my guns back then and saved myself grief later.

Death by obfuscation

But now the NCB could not be ignored any more. The new car was booked, and delivery was expected in a few weeks, I needed to re-initiate the process.
Dreading the worst, I wrote customer care and called them several times—and each time it was like hitting a stone wall. Each time I wrote them, they opened a new case number—making the original case buried so deep that it was impossible to find.

The final straw was when customer care wrote back on August 16, 2024, refusing to send a hard copy, under the pretext of having sent one a year ago. And then having the gall of asking me to check with the post office , for the article, which they knew I had never received.



This is the point—that I got really mad at this company.
Chola MS had just broken all records in testing my patience.
I wrote a stinger the next day (August 17, 2024) . My mail was put together painstakingly , summarizing every written communication, since August 09, 2023 - with singular intent of proving that customer care was harassing me and out to harm me financially
And I marked every regulator that I knew of in the Insurance industry - IRDA, Insurance Ombudsman, their own Chief Grievance Officer, their Nodal escalation - in short - I threw the book in their face.



In India, if you shout yourself hoarse, nothing happens.
But, people start behaving themselves, when you complain to someone, that can stop their livelihood in its tracks.

That's exactly what happened with Chola MS. Here's the mail from customer care on August 20th.



And within 24 hours of this mail, I had the hard copy in my hand.



Squeezing water from rocks in the desert might have been easier.

[joybhowmik]

An Interesting call.

August 20,2024
Dear reader, we picked up the thread again, on the revised booking. I decided to followup with an email to Treo Tata: asking them for a possibility of a delivery within 4 weeks.



August 22,2024
Wonder of wonders, I received a call from the salesman, two days after, that left me quite puzzled.
He said some other buyer had declined to purchase a car that was the exact same spec as my revised booking. The car was just off the assembly line and waiting in despatch. It would take 6 to 7 days to arrive in New Delhi, and if they targeted delivery at the end of the month, they could honour the pricing commitment in the deal sheet. He pressured me to pay some amount against the car right away so that the car could be assigned to me and dispatched. He started at 60% ESP, dropped that down to 50% , then 20% and finally 10% ESP.

While the promise of early delivery seemed almost too good to be true, alarm bells started going off in my head.

1. What if this car was actually a PDI reject, sitting in some dealer's stockyard?
   *WWhy should a dealer go out of his way to jump the queue on my behalf?
   (I was not to know it then, but maybe the dealer knew of the impending price drop on Punch EV in September.)
2. And finally, under what rule, does the dealer demand money for car assignment, that too not a fixed sum but a percent of the ESP after paying the booking amount?

On questioning him further, I let it be known, that I won't accept a car without a PDI, and also the car should not have been driven any more than 100 km. He agreed and said the car is truly not a PDI reject and that transit time is 6-7 days ex-factory. Also that he will provide details of chassis number, etc on assignment.

Still not wanting to take chances, I offered him payment of ₹ 1.5 lakhs but by credit card. (This mode of payment was to protect myself from fraud.) I told him, I don't have cash on hand, which was true, by the way. The money set aside for the car was in a short term FD.
He declined to take payment this way; transaction fees, are considerable, and I swiftly took the opportunity to decline the offer of early delivery.

I told him in no uncertain terms, that I did not want someone else's PDI rejected vehicle; I will not pay him a single paisa until the car passes my own PDI inspection. And that he should tell me the chassis number the day the car leaves the factory.


In fact, the whole episode stank so much, that I complained to the GM Sales on August 24.

[quote]Me: Hello Raj ji
Sameer called me 2 days ago demanding first 60%, then 50%, then 20%, then 10% of cost of booked empowered +LR in red.
He said you have apparently located such a car, which original customer won't buy. For getting the car assigned to me, he needs this payment made, immediately.
Even though the second part maybe true, my fundamental question is: why would a reputed dealer with so many branch offices, Resort to tactics like demanding payment before PDI?
Sameer tried to pressurize me further, saying that the pricing given by you may not be valid, if I don't take this offer up.
I refused. I am upset. Now I am thinking if your team goes back on its word, even before I start a relationship of few years, better I not enter in the relationship in first place!
Last thing I want is a bad relationship with Tata, that lacks trust.
It's simple. If at time of delivery it is found that Tata changed price, I will need transparency.

Him: Whenever you are free, kindly let me know I will call you and discuss this concern.

In the meeting that happened next with the Sales GM, I made it clear, that my expectations from Tata, about Trust are sky high. He assured me that the car wasn't on some dealer's lot, sitting as a PDI reject, but a genuine, just made car. I okayed the car to be assigned to me from factory, and he promised to let me know a couple days before the car arrived, so I could arrange the finances. That was fair. We shook on that.

I next asked him to ask the salesman to work out the insurance offer considering the NCB. He agreed to pass instructions.

A couple of hours later, the GM forwards the car is in transit message:
Punch EV Empowered + LR FELRED_NCTBK MATXXXXXXXXXXXXXX TZXXXXXXXXXXX 54681XXXXXXXXX 01-08-2024 2024 EV 3 In Transit Allocated PLANT JOY BHOWMIK/NP/SAMEER

The message looked legit. Looked like I was finally getting the car. And its manufacturing date showed 1st August.

Insurance for the Punch EV

Shopping for insurance turned out to be a bit of a chore really. I spent late nights between 24th Aug to 27th Aug , going through online portals , looking for nice deals from AAA rated companies.

I also engaged the salesman and through him the Insurance team at the dealership. The base quotation for individual premium was ₹ 61,244 - this included comprehensive, three year 3rd party liabilty and addons for Zero Depreciation, Consumables and Engine Protection.

I wanted a breakdown , and also customized for someone with 50% NCB.

After the breakdown I wanted detail on 4 scenarios like so:

Proposal 1: zero dep + rti , no voluntary deductible (vd)
Proposal 2: zero dep + rti + ₹15000 vd
Proposal 3: comprehensive ( no rti, no zero dep) + ₹15000 vd
Proposal 4: comprehensive + no vd

All proposals to have
1. NCB 50% discount on od premium
2. Anti theft discount on od premium
3. Personal Accident cover for 3 persons (not 5)
4. Compulsory PA cover for owner/ Driver
5. Mandated third party insurance


They quoted with the wrong add ons (they added RSA instead of RTI) - but even so : It gave me some idea of the direction the premiums were taking.

Have a look:

Proposal 1:



Proposal 2:



Proposal 3:



Proposal 4:




I thought something was off - so I asked them to revert.

Thank you Sameer ji
I have a few questions
1. Why is IDV not equal to ESP of car? It needs to be same. As per my order booking form ESP is ₹14,50,000 whereas IDV is ₹13,76,550
2. In VD case, why is NCB dropping by ₹1250 from non VD case ? VD means I am going to pay the first ₹15000, so premium should be lowered by ₹2500 as shown. NCB is the discount I get for making no claims. These are two separate things. The same ₹6464 (and will increase more if IDV matches ESP) should be applied whether VD or no VD
3. I have asked for PA cover for 3 pax not 5 pax. Please correct this.
4. I don't need PA cover for paid driver. I don't have a paid driver. Please remove this.

On point 1: as it turns out insurance companies are allowed to hit the car with 5% depreciation even before it gets registered with the RTO. In my opinion, this is unfair - and maybe someone here can suggest, how to take IRDA to task for allowing this practice.

On point 2: my concern was that the amount of NCB should remain invariant whether one opts for voluntary deductible or not. However, the explanation proffered for a lower NCB , when one opts for a voluntary deductible, is that the OD premium itself is reduced, hence the lower NCB. This was fair. One can't double count benefits.

On point 3: Even though the Punch would seat 3 Passengers + Driver, the Tata Motors Insurance system doesn't allow one to configure the number of passengers, one buys personal accident cover for. The Punch EV can at best seat 4 passengers. But the Tata Motors Insurance system forces the buyer to purchase PA cover for 5 passengers. It's not configurable at all.



On point 4: They fixed this.

Here's how things looked after the fix (just to see where we were) on Proposal 1.



All these deliberations and back and forth with the insurance team took all of 4 days - but in their defense - this straddled the intervening weekend.
In the meantime, I arranged for funds to pay for the car. The car was supposed to reach the dealer on Friday August 30th.


There still was a problem. I was being charged a premium add on for paid driver , in addition to the premium for personal accident cover of owner/driver. Try as they might , they could not remove the ₹150 premium add on for paid driver. In the end I spoke to the dealership's insurance head, and agreed with her , that they will reduce the amount from somewhere else. My outgo would be reduced by ₹177 (inclusive GST).


It was now time to choose which coverage to buy:
I opted for Comprehensive with Voluntary Deductible, Add-Ons selected were Zero Dep, Consumables and Return to Invoice.
The premium difference wasnt much between this case - and the simple comprehensive insurance with voluntary deductible < ₹ 8000.
I was going a bit overboard , with zero dep and RTI, but in my defense I was investing in brand new technology, and I was at that point thinking about unlikely scenarios of the car going up in flames.
I could do nothing about the mandatory three year third party liability: one just has to proffer this free windfall to insurance companies & I guess it keeps them afloat.


The proposal was re-created with the correct add-ons.



Now the insurance quotation was finally sorted. It was 4:30 PM on Thursday, August 29th.

I received news from the GM, Sales. My car had arrived in NCR and had been offloaded at the dealer's stockyard just outside Gurgaon.
The financials were sorted. Just in the nick of time.

[joybhowmik]

August 30,2024

What goes up must come down. That's physics for you. That's also how my emotions fared on the day of delivery - not from the sheer depths of despair to the rarefied heights of bliss. No. Quite the other way around.

Dear Reader,
As you may have already gathered - I was looking forward to the PDI and the delivery on this day.
I was well prepared, though a bit anxious. This would be the first time I would do the PDI of an EV car, and there was no friend available to help out.
Nevertheless, I turned to the one trusty friend I always depend on: TBHP- and in particular, a shoutout to @king_julien

Originally Posted by King_Julien

A Pdi checklist for punch ev. I hope it would be useful for new buyers.

I received a call from the salesman at approximately 11:15 AM saying the car was about to reach the showroom, and to please arrive at the showroom by lunchtime for doing the PDI. I arrived promptly at 1 PM and was greeted by my first sight of Ruby in flesh and blood.


I took a quick walk around, and proceeded to the showroom. After a few minutes waiting, the salesman and I proceeded with the PDI.
I followed king_julien's PDI to the letter.

The only thing missing were the jack & spanner

The salesman mentioned this is not available. I found that a bit strange. But more on this later.

There were uneven panel gaps between the LS rear door and frame. But I let it go—it was less than 2 mm.

There were also the tell tale signs of poor workmanship. A connector of some sort dangling in the driver foot well.



After about 45 minutes, the PDI was done. I okayed the car.

By this time, my better half joined me. She was mightily pleased with the color. I thought

Next I had to pay the balance.
Here's how much I had to pay:

Net amount after discounts (incl. registration, fast tag, license plate): ₹14,45,000
Less Booking: ₹ 21,000
Less token transfer when setting up Payee: ₹ 100
Payable w/o insurance: ₹ 14,23,900

Insurance quote: ₹43,873
Less correction for premium add on for paid driver : ₹ 177
Net insurance : ₹43,696

Net payable with insurance: ₹14,67,596

I transferred the amount , and it was with them in less than 1 minute. Wonders of RTGS.

I was told to wait for a couple hours as they began the registration formalities and insurance. I did not have a couple of hours to spare. The time was 2:40 PM, and I had meetings to attend, and so did my wife.

We spoke to the GM, and told him to get the paperwork sorted, and we would be back in 2 hours for the ceremony. Or so , we thought!

Well anyway, at about 3:45PM I receive an innocuous little whatsapp message from the GM

Call me whenever you are free.

It was anything but innocuous. At 4 PM about half an hour before delivery time , I called the GM back, and was informed that they aren't able to complete registration of the car.
Why?

It's because when we try to register the car, the system is picking up road tax for an ICE vehicle.

Still waiting for a revert from the department
Sir, my advise is dont pay the tax right now. We don't know if it's a glitch on the registration portal, or a policy decision. Until we have clarity , we dont recommend registering the vehicle.
Secondly, if this is a policy decision, its ill advised, because on the one hand they want to reduce pollution,on the other hand, they are removing incentives.

By this time, in true indian car dealership style, the salesman calls and asks me to provide the OTP , for purchase of insurance. It was as if the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing.
Well anyway, I had to inform him that he won't be purchasing the insurance today, because guess what the car is not getting registered!
To make doubly sure, I also emailed the head of the insurance department at the dealership and asked her to hold the process. The last thing I wanted was to purchase insurace on a car , that wasn't mine yet.

At approximately 5 PM, after finishing all my meetings for the day, I thought to speak with another major tata dealership -to fact check the story of sudden application of road tax by Delhi Government on EV cars. They couldn't immediately respond, as they were no deliveries planned that day.

I also left a message with the MG salesman - and he said deliveries were going on as planned - there were no reports of Delhi Government charging road tax. I was a bit puzzled , and thought to check next day.

As I went to bed that night, I was feeling really anxious. This dealership had not given me much confidence from day 1, and now, I had paid them almost ₹ 15 lakhs, there was no receipt that I had, and no car.

August 31, Saturday

I had some chores to do early morning, including getting the aftermarket cruise control fitted on our Glanza, but decided on the spur of the moment , to stop by at the dealer. I went directly to the GM office, and here's how the conversation went.

GM: Our Tata Motors team is looking into this. Since this is a problem being faced by all EV dealers, in fact an industry consortium is being formed to meet with the Delhi Government on Monday. Come Tuesday, we will have better clarity.
Me: What about the money I paid?
GM: Sir, we can refund you the full amount. It will take 3-4 days to reach you. But please give us some time, as we sort this out. In fact, yours is still an easy case, as you have paid out of pocket. There are other buyers that have taken loans, and now they are really stuck, because foreclosing a loan costs money too.

I left, thinking I needed to find out what was really happenning. I pored over Delhi Government website, Vaahan, RTO portal -everywhere. But there was no official notice of road tax benefit being withdrawn.

Monday September 2

Me: hi Raj ji
I am given to understand that MG EVs are being delivered with no issues
GM: Hi Sir
Sorry for the late reply..
Still not any update from Delhi govt regarding tax...
Update you once i get any news from the department.
And i also checked with MG senior management They are also facing the same issues.

I conversed with the MG Salesman

"Yes sir abhi ruka hua hai RTO ka kaam EV vehicles mein"

Now, I had independent validation.That evening, I tweeted Delhi Government Transport Minister, as well as Union Minister of Road transport and highways, looking for answers, yes but also expressing my displeasure.

I also decided on the spur of the moment to register this problem officially with Tata Motors.
I wanted there to be a written record of the deal sheet, payments made, and what the dealership was claiming.

In order that I get a response back I even called at the Tata Motors number.
What transpired left me a bit surprised.

Me: Hello, I am calling about non-delivery of a booked vehicle.
Customer Care: Sorry to hear that sir. Are you calling about the Tata Curvv EV? (More on this later).
Me: No about a Tata Punch EV... and after explaining the situation with registration
Customer Care: Sir we have logged your complaint. Any further queries on this matter will be responded to with this complaint number:7-167456737551

I was satisfied. Later I saw a revert to the email I had written, from customer care, mentioning the complaint number. My issue with delivery was now well known within Tata Motors - independently of the dealer letting them know.

Tuesday September 3

Me: You had mentioned All EV manufacturers trying to get answer from Delhi Govt on Monday - is there any clarity if that meeting has happened, what are the decisions?
GM: No update sir. Maybe it will take 1-2 days more

and then later that day...

GM: Sir, Delhi RTO Department had withdrawn tax rebate on ev cars..
Now normal tax will be applicable as per the slab.

Salesman: Good Afternoon sir, we are waiting for the ev scheme. We are expecting it to come by the end of the day.

Evidently there was to be no ev scheme that day - the official tata announcement dropping prices by almost ₹ 1 lakh would come later.

Salesman : sir, this will be your final deal now after rto charges.


I did the maths, just the RTO charges were changing. And the salesman hadn't added the insurance. So, I asked for confirmation:


Me:Please confirm - that I have to pay ₹ 1,45,000 to move forward?
and then addressing the GM
Me: Please let me know ref what we spoke : if govt reverses its stand will be better .
GM: Let's see ,Wait for 1 Week ,Then decide

Wednesday September 4

I spent the next day mulling over my options

The question, was will the state government reverse its stand or even grant an "amnesty period". I called a classmate of mine, he is now in a senior position at Maruti Suzuki. He confirmed that the Delhi Government has no intent of reversing its stand on charging 10% roadtax for EV cars. He in fact encouraged me to get the car registered in NOIDA, UP.

My only problem was that I did not have any valid ID with a UP address, though I did have a property there.

I read somewhere, that to prove residence all one has to show are either a rental agreement or title deed, and an electricity bill. I had both a title deed, and an electricity bill. I could claim residence in UP, and best of all even claim the subsidy on EVs that the state government offered.
As usual my friend's advise was practical.

Thursday, September 5

I sent all these documents to the GM, the time was approximately 11:15 AM.
He called back and said my address documents were all in order, but he cannot register the car in UP because of internal Tata Motors reasons.
What he was essentially saying was, that Tata Motors does not allow dealers to sell a vehicle which is in the terrirtory of some other dealer. And since Treo Tata, did not have a registered showroom in NOIDA , he wasn't allowed to register the vehicle there.

I asked him to transfer my vehicle to some other NOIDA dealer, and have that dealer register the vehicle. He said he could not do that either.
As he saw it -I had two options:
a) Cancel this booking, take the refund , and apply a new booking at a different dealer.
b) Pay the road tax and take delivery of the car.

I chose option b).

Reasons I chose to pay the road tax - though it was with a heavy heart.

1. By this point , I was emotionally drained, I just wanted an end to this saga. Paying up ₹ 1,45,000 promised to end this once and for all. I was hugely miffed, but in the end the fault was mine for not going with a readily available colour , the day I made my booking.

2. More importantly, this was a long term purchase. While I had a property in NOIDA , and planned to keep it for the foreseeable future,there was no guarantee its ownership would outlast the car's. Also if and when, I did lease the property, then from that point on, I could not really claim "residency" in UP.

3. Next, the car was meant to be driven primarily in Delhi, and parts of NCR. Both my wife and I would be driving it. In this region, in the happenstance that either of us was pulled over by cops, having the car registered at a different address, than what the DL or Aadhar says, would require lengthy explanations. And we had no intention to change our address in any of our official IDs. There are far too many implications of that.

4. My locality is legendary for the annual Durga Puja pageant. At this time, all ingress points are closed to vehicular traffic except that of residents. A UP number plate, would raise eyebrows, and unnecessarily slow down the process of reaching home on such days.

5. Finally, the hon'ble union minister's statement that the government was not in favour of extending EV incentives/subsidies, showed, that these incentives are on their way out.


Decision done, I confirmed back to the GM,and paid the balance amount of road tax, at 11:50 AM. Things moved forward, first the insurance was purchased, and then the registration was applied. I had asked for an even number, but that was not to be

At about 3 PM, all the formalities were complete. I walked to the dealership to take possession of the car.
While there, I was proffered an explanation of the inclusions and paperwork. And coffee.


Finally , I took charge of Ruby!

The time read, 3:18 PM. I'd paid ₹ 16,33,696 for Ruby. But I now had peace of mind. She is registered on my residential address.
The odometer read 32 km.

[joybhowmik]

Interior wiring a dedicated 16-amp line to my verendah

I had taken note earlier of GTOs thread,and had decided to repurpose the 15A plug on our front verandah exclusively for EV charging.

Originally Posted by GTO

Confused about all the different home-charging options? Let's K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid ). IMHO, 95% of car owners do NOT need anything more than the regular dirt-cheap 15A plug.

To that end, on August 25 I had an electrician run 2.4 sq mm guage cables from this outlet directly to a dedicated 20 A MCB in the main distribution box. Earlier that line used to be a 4sq mm line and shared with an outlet for a window air-conditioner. Separating these lines was essential.

The same evening I placed an order for an energy meter


This was delivered on August 28th and installed on the same day.

Costs
As I had plenty of 2.4sq mm finolex wire, flexible tubing, and a 15 A Havells 3-pin top at home, I did not have to spend extra for these.

What I did need to spend on:
Amici Energy Meter: ₹1799
New Anchor 15 A Switch , Socket and a gang box: ₹270.
Wiring install : ₹2000 done by Urban company after some negotiation. It was under 15 meters to the DB
Change of 15A Switch (earlier one was over 30 years old), and installation of the energy meter: ₹500

Total spent on charging infrastructure: ₹ 4569

First full charge: Testing the rudimentary setup

After delivery of Ruby, I drove back the short 3 km home, and decided to reset Trip Meter A to 0, and fill er' up to 100%.

Installation of the included wall-box by Tata Power

September 06, 10 AM
With clockwork precision, Tata Power called up. Would I be interested to avail of their free services to setup a tamper proof outlet on the premises. They added that, 5m of external wiring , was included with the service.

I asked them to come over. I got rid of the ugly gang box, and they hung up the Tata Power lockable outlet.


The Tata power guy told me they normally recommend, directly running the wire to the DB, but in this case, I overruled him. I wanted the flexibility of disconnecting the box , and occassionally using power direct from the wall.

Poor quality materials used in Pintops from a name-brand company

I thought that maybe this was the end of it. However, I was mistaken, when approximately 14 days into ownership, on September 21 I decided to check the health of the pintop and socket installed on the wall.
Here is what I found:

The Havell's 15A pintop hadn't been able to withstand the load, and had heated up and melted. That had caused cracks in the 30 year old 15A socket as well.


I called the electrician back, and he installed a Norisys 25A rated pintop (usually used for AC loads), and replaced the socket.

Cost of 25A pintop : ₹150
Installation cost of socket and pintop: ₹383
Total: ₹537

Grand Total: ₹5102.
Fingers crossed this solution holds up!

Monthly Charging Costs

Prior to acquiring an EV, consumption on this electric connection varied between 150 to 300 units/month depending on the season. In winters, normally I am charged at ₹ 3.0 /unit. In the summers, I pay approximately 100 units at an enhanced slab rate of ₹ 4.50. This is because of reduced usage of high power appliance such as water pumps, air conditioners, microwave, refrigerator in the winter months.

At the height of summer my baseline consumption (before EV) was roughly 300 units/month in June'24.

The utility's applicable tariff structure is reproduced below - for me Individual Connection applies in table below.




In September, my consumption for charging EV was 168 units.



Worst case scenario if September consumption is similar to June (it won't be!) ; that means 68 units of my consumption will be charged at ₹6.50, and the remaining 100 units will be charged at ₹ 4.50. This is a weighted average cost of ₹ 5.31. Of course in winters, the WAC will reduce because the baseline consumption will fall. Therefore in winters, I'd expect to be paying about ₹ 4.50 / unit for the EV. OTOH ,In peak summers, I'd expect to pay ₹6.50.

That means the maximum I'll pay is ₹6.50 which is considerably less than what commercial charging stations demand. Home charging will be my preferred charging method , for economic benefit alone.


Why I won't immediately invest in a dedicated electric connection.
Though the operating cost for a dedicated electric connection at home will be limited to ₹ 4.50/unit, and no fixed charges (I'm told) I am reluctant to go for it.

Main reason for this, is the necessity to do civil and electric work , as all wiring,including the Utility wiring is underground , and reaches the meter+DB panels inside the premises. A new meter will also necessitate its own Distribution Box (albeit with just the one MCB). That means cutting into a wall, that's been freshly painted. I have recently endured considerable civil and contractual work during a home renovation project, and I would like to take a break from it for the next two years at least. If I do opt for a separate connection, it will likely be rolled in with other planned renovations, so that I minimize the disruption.

[joybhowmik]

September 5,2024
Ruby was here. Family all over the world wanted photos of the interior, and as it was evening, I thought the best way would be to take some photos then and there.

The instrument cluster



Note the low tyre pressure warning. In fact, the pressure was low in all four tyres, when I arrived home. I topped the air up, but the warning wouldn't go away. I later found, that the onboard TPMS had to be reset. Further, the TPMS was actually an iTPMS; this uses indirect data, not actual tyre pressure, to figure out the approximate tyre pressure. Mental note to self: Get a proper TPMS installed which would give an actual temperature and pressure readout!

The steering wheel, Infotainment and dashboard. Apologies for the out of focus image here.



My first impression as I gripped the steering, was one of bewilderment.
Never before, had I actually owned a car whose interface was not very different from a smartphone!
I used to own a diesel scorpio as my main drive. From that to a Glanza which had an android auto , was a step up, and required some adjustment. And now, again, here I was staring at an infotainment and digital instrument cluster , which worked seamlessly together , flexibly configurable, and most of all bombarded me with every kind of information!
The dashboard, extended the smartphone like experience , with touch buttons - for hazard light, for hill descent, fog lamp activation etc.
This needed getting used to. An element of unlearning was involved.

And finally the center console.



At one end was a wireless phone charger, at the other end, a small cubby hole fit for keys. In the middle the large jewelled gear knob rotary dial, drive mode selector, and next to it the electronic parking brake and auto hold.
The gear knob dial, seemed to have a mind of its own. Though not very laggy, it didn't seem to "obey" when I twisted it to put it into D. I realized I that's because I was rotating it anti-clockwise from P to D , direct , much like a fan regulator knob that can be rotated direct from Off to 5. Intuition wont work here And your right foot better be on the brake , else it won't select D at all.

I also realized the car forces the paired phone to switch to its own data hotspot when selecting android auto.
In order to prevent further data quota loss , I gave Ruby her own static IP on my home network.
Its sort of a befitting "Welcome Home!" for a computer on wheels !




Post dinner, the family piled on, and we went for a celebratory drive to India Gate C Hexagon, to get ice cream.
The roads were empty, but as I was getting used to the car, I drove at a sedate pace in Eco Mode Regen Level 3. Total distance driven 22.7 km, with a 9% SoC drop. Not economical at all compared to the gurus. But when I did the math, that drive costed me ₹ 17, for transporting 3 adults with AC.
Each ice cream at India Gate costed more!

[joybhowmik]

What do car accessories have to do with neglect?

Well, read on.

August 29,2024

Me:
Sameer ji
I will be needing the following accessories fitted at time of delivery.
I will be purchasing these three alongside the car , part numbers alongside
1. Punch EV Mud Flaps (885732003474)
2. Black Floor Carpet Mat Punch EV (885732003472)
3. Black Trunk Carpet Mat Punch EV (885732003473)
Please add these*to*the*bill.

August 30, 2024

Just before I went for the PDI

Salesman:
Sir
1. Punch EV Mud Flaps - ₹700/- 885732003474
2. Black Floor Carpet Mat Punch EV - ₹1900/- 885732003472
3. Black Trunk Carpet Mat Punch EV - ₹ 1500/-*885732003473

And just before I made the payment for the car, I asked him to show these to me. As I suspected he was trying to pass off Tata Punch ICE accessories instead of the EV accessories. The part number wasn't matching.
I had suspected this all along because these accessories were available on https://ev.tatamotors.com/accessories/ . And the price he was quoting did not match the official price on the portal.

So, in the end, I gave up on buying these accessories on that day. In any case, as you know, I did not get the car until much later.

But I did notice something. To order accessories online, from the portal, one needs to sign in. Mental note to myself. Try out sign-in after taking delivery.

September 5,2024

While taking delivery, I was informed by the sales coordinator that the dealership had applied for my membership with the ZConnect app. This is the app for Tata Motors EV customers.

I also spoke to the staff member responsible for accessories and asked him again for the exact accessories I wanted. He admitted he didn't have them in stock, and he could not say by when they would be. He offered to fit the Punch ICE accessories, and of course I refused.

Anyway, given that the dealer did not stock these parts, once I reached home, I signed up for the ev.tatamotors.com portal using my registered mobile number and added my registered email address (registered, that is for the zconnect app).

As I navigated to the accessory page, I discovered the portal wouldn't allow me to add the accessory to the basket, until I added my vehicle.

And when I tried adding my vehicle either with my license plate number or my chassis number, I got an error.



Thinking this was because I had not been onboarded into ZConnect app yet, I asked a clarification from the sales team.

Me: Is it because the IRA/Z-Connect is pending—that's why I am unable to register car on https://ev.tatamotors.com/account/your-vehicle.html
See message that the phone number associated with the vehicle does not match the mobile number in my account. I have provided 9XXXXXXXX in this account. Not sure*what's*wrong.
Salesman: Yes, sir

I tend to take people at face value a lot. I believed the guy. After all, I had just brought the car home. Maybe Tata systems needed more time. And maybe my data entry to the zonnect system, would cascade down to ev.tatamotors.com. You see the IT professional in me thought reasonably, that this could be the data flow Tata has adopted.

September 6,2024

Me: What is status of IRA/Zconnect? When will it be active?
Salesman: It will take about 2-3 working days, sir. After invoicing, we will send the details to Tata Motors.Then Tata Motors will get in touch with you within next 7-10 days for confirmation.

September 7,2024

By this time, I had collected my RC card and license plate. I thought this would be sufficient time, for Tata Motors to have synced their systems.

September 8,2024

I was connected to the zconnect app. But I still got the same error message on the ev.tatamotors.com portal.

Me: I am able to access the Zconnect app but still cant add the vehicle to https://ev.tatamotors.com/account/your-vehicle.html
Getting an error when trying to add my registration number.
I called the Tata Helpline number: 1800 209 8282; they advised that I contact the dealer. When you can, please could you check and let me know if my car can be added to my account in ev.tatamotors.com?
Salesman: Sir, as I said in the morning, it will take upto 10 working days for ZConnect app to get activated. We have already sent the details to Tata Motors. You will get a confirmation call from Tata Motors, then only it will*get*activated.

Evidently, he could not understand that I was already connected to zconnect and where the problem really lay.

September 9,2024

I got a puzzling email from the dealer's CRM, congratulating me on my purchase of a Tata Curvv EV.



Something was quite fishy! And I recalled the surprise of the customer care agent when I told him I was calling about a Tata Punch EV, not a Tata Curvv EV.

September 10, 2024

The salesman called to pressure me to send a blanket mail saying delivery was complete. I would not accept that delivery was complete, because, as per my needs, I was unable to see my vehicle on the EV portal.

This is when he said the dealership is responsible for only ZConnect app
I escalated to tata motors customer care, stating I would not accept delivery is complete until, I was onboarded into the tata motors ev portal. I again asked them to onboard me, providing details of the error as well as my RC card.



Within a couple hours I got a conciliatory email back from the dealer's CRM, saying the complaint would be kept open until I was satisfied. This email is copied to the Tata Motors TSM, the Treo Tata VP and customer care.

September 11,2024

The salesman called again and asked again for confirmation of delivery of the car. I refused point blank. It was a heated argument. He reiterated his scope was limited to onboarding on ZConnect. I reminded him, that he himself said that my non-onboarding to EV portal was related to zconnect app onboarding. This is where he claimed he did not understand what I meant by EV portal.

Anyway, to cut to the chase, he asked me what I needed. So, I told him, the only reason why onboarding the EV portal was important, was because I wanted access to genuine accessories. I told him, I needed the original mudflaps, and most importantly, I needed the frunk.
He called back an hour later and said he can arrange the frunk for ₹ 3,500, but that he won't give a bill, because he doesn't have the part number. I asked him, how is it possible that he ordered the part without a part number? There is pin-drop silence. I refused. I need a GST paid bill. He refused. The whole episode left a bad taste in my mouth. This wasn't very unlike him, pressuring me to pay a token amount for vehicle allotment at the factory. This guy had a penchant for breaking rules.

September 12,2024

There was no response on the issue from either the dealer or from Tata Customer Care.

September 13, 2024

I logged into the EV portal, and without trying to add the car, checked out the other links. That is when I found this on the Orders page:

It suddenly became crystal clear to me. No wonder the Tata Motors customer care and Dealer weren't able to help. I mentally pieced together the sequence of events.

It all started with incorrect order data entry by the Treo Tata Salesman.

He ordered a Tata Curvv EV. In their CRM, my phone number was mapped to a Tata Curvv EV.

Then they redirected a Tata Punch EV for me at the factory. Their fulfillment system (in the factory) probably wouldn't accept my details in (as per CRM, I'd ordered a Tata Curvv EV! vehicle mismatch!), so someone likely had the bright idea to input some random phone number against my Tata Punch EV chassis number—to byepass the system check.

Now, in a third system, they have correctly registered my registration number against a Tata Punch EV, so its showing up on the EV portal.

But when I ask for the car to be registered on the EV portal , it fails because, as per their fulfillment system, the Tata Punch EV belonged to someone else! "The number associated with this vehicle doesn't match the mobile number in your account.".

And there's a real upload issue in the EV portal, so I could not provide the ownership proof that would sort all of this out. The one manual entry point for the truth was cut off.

In my frustration at what had likely happened, I posted a sharp WhatsApp group message to the CRM, the GM, the salesman, and their sales coordinator:

Bunch of incompetents—all of you. This is the order you have logged. No wonder I am not getting onboarded!!
Obviously all of you won't respond.
Disgusted!!!!

By this time, I had onboarded into a local WhatsApp group of Tata EV owners. At the advise of one of the moderators, I shot off an email to the evolve helpline : evolve@aspirelifestyles.com. I spoke to them on the phone too. My mail went unanswered. The telephone conversation turned out to be equally fruitless.

I again wrote an email to customer care, the Tata Motors TSM, the VP of Treo Tata, and the CRM, telling them in no uncertain terms to fix the issue. I also told them my frustration has been vented on TBHP already. And more would come on the platform through an ownership thread, where I will lay my experience threadbare.



By evening of that day, nothing had happened. This time, I pointedly took a screenshot of the wrong order of Tata Curvv EV and mailed that to the same gents. My language was scathing but stopped short of calling them unprintable names.

September 14,2024

As I was attending an errand concerning "Ruby", I received a call from a lady at the dealership. She was evidently a senior person, I could figure that much out. She was interested in a resolution. Then for the first time ever, someone at the dealership actually figured out what I was really asking for and where the problem lay. She tried onboarding me on the EV portal and failed. Realization dawned.
She called back a couple of hours; I was driving then. As soon as I took the call, she asked me to stay connected as she called people from Tata Motors in. Then she explained the problem to them. Their first reaction was "how could the dealership have messed up this bad".
Anyway, I was assured that they would look into the problem, and a solution would be available by the next day. She stayed on the call to work through the issue.
I really thought we were going somewhere now. At least this was the first time someone from Tata Motors realized there was a "data problem" in their system.
Once I reached home, my mailbox contained a request for help by the dealership team to the Tata Motors TSM and his supervisor. I can't be sure, but it's possible they were conferenced in earlier with me.

September 17, 2024

An intervening Monday passed with no visible resolution.
As the issue was being fronted by the dealership now, and as I hadn't heard back from anyone in Tata Motors, so I asked the Vice President of Treo Tata, for a status update. After all, he had been marked on these mails for the past several days. If anything, was he doing his job?



Quite funnily, the customer care handle of Tata Motors woke up from its slumber and responded, asking me to connect with the VP for all further enquiries.



Though one thing resulted from this email. I had the phone number of the VP. The other dealership staff had flat out refused to provide me his number. Not that this visibility made a difference. This VP refused to respond to calls, or messages.

September 18, 2024

The mail from customer care provided me an opportunity to blast the entire Tata Motors team associated with my issue. After all, it was Tata Motors official customer care responding to my email—so my response went to them—and called out the Tata Motors TSM and his supervisor for their silence.



This finally elicited a response from the Tata Motors personnel. The admission that something that was wrong was being fixed and they needed more time should have come on Monday September 16, but it came on Wednesday, September 18.



This was an important mail. It showed me that there was a real lack of integration within Tata Motors systems. And a lack of remediation processes. Otherwise, what could explain, a simple data update hanging fire for almost two weeks.

It's the sort of problem that goes beyond a department. I figured if I waited for a resolution from this bunch, I would have to wait for a very long time.
So I decided to write to the head of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles EV Division.

But I still gave the local team another day.

September 19, 2024

The mail to the head of EV division went out as planned.

September 20, 2024

Sometime in the afternoon, as I was heading to a meeting, I got a call from Tata Motors. It was a Mr. Ramakrishna on the line. I pulled over. He explained he was from IT, and had received a forwarded email with my complaint. But he wanted to hear from me. I explained everything, he told me he had looked into the problem already and fixed it. So, would I please log into the portal and confirm. I promised to look into it at my destination and call him back.
Once there, I logged into the EV portal, and voila:

Ruby was finally onboarded



the Curvv EV order stood cancelled, a (correct) Punch EV order , and an order for Extended warranty were in place.

September 21, 2024

I received a call from one Mr. Satya of Tata Motors, and he introduced himself as the senior of Mr. Ramakrishna. He validated that my account on the portal was setup. He apologized for the mixup that led to the grievance, and rightly put it squarely on transitory processes in the organization. Though I wish Tata Motors had handled the transition better!

Anyway, he graciously offered to onboard me to their new IRA.EV platform, which I accepted.
This is how that looks in beta form.



I've been invited to get back to them with my experience.


Thus ended the very exhausting saga of ordering genuine Tata accessories online , which turned into a battle for being acknowledged & included as a paying customer.

[joybhowmik]

Dear Reader
If you've made it this far, fair warning.
This part will be quite boring.
No drama, just search, install and repeat. Or is it?

Floor mats

September 6, 2024


One of the first accessories I purchased, was a decent set of mats.
And yes, thats because Tata Motors has decided to make the mat ordering process dependent on getting your car ID vetted by the NSA. ;-)
More importantly, these ones are dry quickly when washed, unlike the carrera fabric mats that Tata offers as a genuine accessory
Nothing much to be said , except that these fitted exceedingly well, and were delivered the very next day.



They also turned out to be quite easy to clean. Just yank them out, dunk them in water, shake , dry off and put back.
Thanks go out to Mr. Mandar Dewalikar on the All India Tata Punch EV Owners Whatsapp Group - for recommending this product to me , based on his personal experience.
Cost: ₹ 3198, shipped home.

Dashcam

September 8, 2024

I askied for opinions on the All India Tata Punch EV Owners Whatsapp Group, as to which dashcam , was suitable. Most people recommended 4K capable dashcams.
Treo Tata was offering a Blaupunkt BP 5.1 dashcam that was 4K compliant for ₹9,899.



This model wasn't current , Blaupunkt India website does not feature it anymore. Furthermore this model did not feature in the official accessories list on the Tata EV portal. I thought it was old stock and gave it a miss.

In the end, I decided to stick with reuse of my old 70Mai Middrive D01.



Its nigh on 6 years+ now, and I had harvested it from R3, after having sold him. The dashcam works, and if I ever need to throw it away I will. But I really didn't see value going for the newer breeds of 4k front and rear dashcams costing northwards of ₹ 8,000.

Instead I just went to Shamshad, at Palika Bhawan (Opp Hyatt Regency) and got it installed for ₹ 500.

He's worked on my cars off and on since June 2012 (Suggestions for 2-DIN audio/GPS device).

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

5. A 70Mai Dashcam
I had mentioned, I wanted to get a new dashcam, so I did. The 70 Mai dashcam by Xiaomi's real nifty, and easy on the pocket ($ 39.90). Mine cost $33.89, but it took 14 days to arrive. It's voice controlled, boasts wifi, is controlled by a smart phone (true WYSIWYG).

Attachment 1828491
70 Mai Dashcam mounted , and a pic from it

Here's how it appears now, quite discreetly tucked away, and a little offset from center because I have RFID tags pasted exactly there.

Sensairy TPMS

11 September 2024

The day I got Ruby home, I'd decided to install a proper TPMS system. Well, as it turns out, I'd recently refreshed the TPMS installed on the Glanza with another set of TPMS sensors. Over the last 5 years, I have been impressed with Sensairy, which last for about 5 years- approximately the lifetime of the tyre.
I got talking with the Sensairy team, on September 6 , and they recommended their 4 tyre version, for ₹5400 after 10% discount. This was cheaper than Amazon, so I ordered it. It arrived in 2 days, and on 11-September , I got this installed at Tyre Plaza Lajpat Nagar for ₹1280. This included balancing weights.
Total cost: ₹ 6680.
Here's a view from the realtime readout (requires android auto or apple carplay)

Mudflaps

Nearby to the tyre store, is one of the old & popular car accessory shops of Lajpat Nagar : Elegant Kar Accessories.
I have known the owner for decades. I got an average set of mudflaps installed for ₹400.
Maybe this was a hurried decision, and I could have waited for my access to the Tata EV portal. However, it was mid september and this year we've had too much rain in the region, leading to dirty doors , fenders and quarter panels. The mudflaps are only partially effective, as you can see from the before (left) and after(right) images.

Frunk

September 14
I had been on the lookout for a Frunk (it's a trunk in the Front - hence Frunk). Its because I needed a way to securely store the included portable charger. And that also meant that the portable charger would not be thrown around in the boot when cornering etc.

I was also on the lookout for an alternative service center. A kind soul on the Tata EVians NCR and North Premier Whatsapp group recommended I check out the exclusive tata ev service center in Gurgaon Sector 14. It's run by Auto Vikas an old Tata dealer in the city.

I had been having issues with my Android Auto for the past week.

Facing a wierd problem, while driving, android auto disconnects with a warning chime , and automatically reconnects after a few seconds. Very annoying

Fellow owners recommended I get the infotainment software updated to the latest release. Rather than trying the update myself (I had the executable) , I thought it's a good ruse to check out a potential service center for future needs.

Here, I met Mr. Arvind , Service Center Manager. Clearly quite competent, and running a smooth opeation. I got the update done, and while there, asked him if possible , can I get the Frunk?

As it so happens, the Frunk wasn't at that point a regular accessory (in fact it wasn't featured on the EV portal). However, the team there, were happy to re-direct a Frunk for my car as an accessory , with bill for ₹5,500.

Such a far cry from Treo Tata who had been wanting to sell a Frunk without a bill. The difference between the two establishments stood out.
The attachment process itself is quite quick. Just undo a few bolts holding the engine cover in place.
Remove and replace with the frunk.
Here's how the installation went.

Frunk Installation process

The Frunk was finally attached to Ruby, and the portable charger finally found a home.



The part number for Frunk wasn't immediately available. They provided me a countersale receipt.



The staff in charge of accessories promised to send the bill at the earliest.
Here's the bill for the Frunk- it did arrive , albeit after a few days.



I have the plastic engine cover left over. I'm not quite sure, what Tata Motors expects us to do with it.

The Punch EV sales brochure had mentioned that the frunk is standard with Empowered + S, Empowered + LR + S. All other Punch EV variants get the frunk as an accessory item. AFAIK, all Punch EVs are manufactured with this engine cover. Many of these engine covers will eventually be thrown away by those owners that get the frunk (whether "free" or bought as accessory). Looking at the size of the frunk and engine cover, I am pretty sure they would cost almost the same to make. This left me quite bewildered.
Why couldn't Tata Motors just give the Frunk standard with the car?

After purchasing the frunk, I've noticed that anything stored there get pretty warm after a drive of only about 20-25 km. Tata Motors should put a warning label suitably informing customers about the potential of damage to temperature sensitive belongings.

Data Cables

September 17


As there is a probability of two maybe three additional passengers in the car, at any given time, I purchased for 3 standard data/charging cables. Two of these are fitted to the provided USB A and USB C ports under the fascia. A third cable is kept as a standby or insurance spare.

Cost : ₹ 997 and ordered from amazon.

Jack and Spanner

September 24

As a former Tata Motors employee, I do find it a bit embarassing having to recount my experience of Jack and Toolkit (spanner) here in this section with what are clearly non-essential accessories.
And yet, for all practical purposes , it seems Tata Motors wants to change the perception of this essential driver aid, and relegate it to that of an accessory.

Something you can do without.

I discovered during PDI that a Jack and Spanner weren't present in the boot.

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

The only things missing were the jack and spanner.
[ATTACH=No Jack, No Spanner No Toolkit.jpeg]2658580[/ATTACH]
The salesman mentioned this is not available. I found that a bit strange. But more on this later.

I found this to be quite strange. So, I decided to check in the Tata Punch EV All India group. And happenstance, I was pointed at a TBHP post, containing what appears to be an extract from some sort of internal Tata Motors communication.

Originally Posted by King_Julien

Got this image shared from group. It appears that Jack, the spanner, and the Jack handle will be removed in future Punch Evs.

Experience was varied within the WhatsApp group amongst current Tata Punch EV owners, but it seemed like sometime between Q1 and Q2 2024, Tata Motors had made the unilateral decision to not supply the Jack and spanner any more. Some owners had it, some didn't.

On September 21, 2024, I raised this with the Dealer CRM of Treo Tata Nehru Place, on the WhatsApp group they'd set up exclusively for me when selling me the car.

I told them that the owners manual mentioned Jack and Spanner were supposed to be supplied with the car. Yet, this wasn't found in the PDI and had no mention on the Delivery checklist.

As I expected, there was no response. Nevertheless, I decided to call the CRM on September 23 (Monday). After validating that indeed the owner manual did mention that the jack & toolkit were to be supplied with the car, she said that she doesn't have any instructions on how to cater to this request. At one point she said, that if I insisted , she could get me the item, but that it would come out of the salesman's pocket. I objected to that : how was the salesman to be blamed? In this instance either Tata Motors would supply the item, or replace the obviously defective owner's manual.

On September 24, I noted that the left side of the page did not have important information and the dealer's stamp on it. Apparently warranty was contingent on the proper stamp and signature. So, I went to the dealer's office to get this paperwork filled out. The GM and CRM met me.

While there, the topic of jack and toolkit came up. They sent me the same image mentioned in the aforementioned TBHP post.

Then they mentioned that they could supply me the item as a gesture of goodwill. I told them, There's no need; if I've purchased a car for ₹ 16 lakh+, I can also afford a Jack and spanner. Instead, I would much prefer to raise this to Tata Motors customer service, as it is they that printed the owner's manual stating that the jack and toolkit come with the car.


They said if I do that, then they will be forced to open an inquiry on the salesman. I disagreed. I told them the salesman made a different blunder, ordering the wrong car and then offering me a frunk without a bill. This is about a jack and spanner, and here Tata Motors is at fault.

The GM said:

"Sir, Tata Motors will turn it around and put the ball in our court—asking us to manage.".

I said, Let's see. As I was leaving and as if to reiterate the point, I smilingly said:

what happens if I have a puncture at 2 AM driving home without any open repair shops nearby? What am I supposed to do?
I will also make this point on my ownership blog, and I will make sure that senior management at Tata Motors sees the statements I've made.

I left.
They called me back after 10 minutes and asked me to pickup the jack and toolkit, compliments of the dealership.
Finally Treo Tata had made an effort to complete the car's delivery in its entirety - and I acknowledged this.
There was nothing else outstanding from them, 19 days into my ownership

They also asked me to sign a customer satisfaction note stating my complaint about lack of Jack and spanner had been attended to. Maybe they will send this to Tata Motors with a bill. I hope they do.
If ever there's a criminal code published for automakers: Not supplying jack and toolkit with a car should top the list of offenses!



Now the boot looks complete. Most essentials:—Jack, Spanner, Tow Hook, Compressor, Warning Triangle—are all in the bag.

3M Rat Repellent Spray & CarKit 360° Rat Repellent Ultrasound device

September 25



3M Rat Repellent Spray

2024 will go down as a year of unprecedented rain in the Delhi NCR region and localized flooding. This has led to rodents such as rats, mice and shrews being displaced from their natural habitat, and seeking refuge wherever there is warmth and a dry environment.
Cars have always represented a favorite haunt of these animals.

As we have the Glanza parked under a tree (therefore perhaps more at risk than Ruby the Punch.ev) , I decided to get 3M Rat Repellent Spray and apply it as an emergency preventive maintenance on both vehicles.



I applied a full can (250 grams) to their pre-cleaned engine bays, making sure to coat all electrical conduits, plastics, and, of course, rubber hoses.
This stuff reportedly lasts for a month or two atleast. I have never seen evidence of these creatures between applications.



Cost : ₹ 245 for one treatment.

CarKit 360° Rat Repellent Ultrasound device

I am not sure how much ultrasound emitters help, but I installed one of these in each of our cars as well. This is a no-name brand CarKit 360° Rat Repellent

There is some anxiety of auxillary battery drain on the (now) less used Glanza, but I have a Bosch C7 charger, which I intend to use to top up the charge every week.

I got these delivered direct from the manufacturer for ₹ 2500 each (total ₹ 5000 as I purchased two kits).

Unboxing the kit



Installation is simple. Just tie the playing card-sized box to an available anchor point using the provided cable ties. It helps if the anchor point is close to the 12V battery.





This is how the connections go.



I had spoken to the manufacturer and asked for eyelet terminals that are easy to attach, instead of the default crocodile clips that ships from amazon.
Fasten the power cables to the auxiliary battery, and use the smaller cable ties to tidy up loose wiring.
Rajender my FNG, did the job for ₹50 per car.

CarKit 360° Rat Repellent Ultrasound device

I hope these two meaures keep these vile creatures away.

Puncture Repair Kit

September 30
I got myself a regular puncture repair kit from Amazon.

Its all about Keeping It Simple & Straightforward (KISS), and at Amazon, WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)





It contains everything needed to test the position of a leak, remove the nail, prep and apply the rubber cement strip, and cut off any excess. Simple, Robust. Works.

Scuff plates on door sills

October 6
At the end of the first service , I treated Ruby to a set of scuff plates.
This is because, on all our previous owned cars, door sills invariably looked the worse for wear and tear after a few months, due to abrasive effect on paint by soil/sand adhering to the soles of footwear.




************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** *******************************

Summary of costs for accessories:

Floor Mats: ₹ 3198
Dashcam: ₹ 500. The cost of the dashcam ($33 and change has depreciated to zero)
Sensairy TPMS : ₹ 6680. This includes item cost and cost of installation
Frunk : ₹ 5500
Data Cables: ₹ 997
Jack & Spanner : ₹ 0 (Complimentary!)
3M Rat Repellent Spray (1 application): ₹ 245
CarKit 360° Rat Repellent : ₹2550 (including installation)
Puncture Repair Kit: ₹ 0 (used complimentary gift card courtesy credit card rewards)
Scuff plates: ₹ 1299

Total Additional Accessories: ₹ 20,969

[joybhowmik]

September 14,2024

Readers will recollect, a problem I had surfaced earlier in the WhatsApp support group for Tata Punch EV owners

Facing a weird problem, while driving, android auto disconnects with a warning chime , and automatically reconnects after a few seconds. Very annoying

I also had another problem, and asked for help there. This time I had managed a photo of it.

I took a Microsoft teams call on my morning commute.
Ever since then , despite shutting down car for close to 4 hours , and parking it, I'm getting an indicator of call in Progeess on the instrument cluster.

The only way the infotainment would revert to normal behaviour , would be to perform a forced restart. Now that's not easy to do, practically speaking. One can't take one's attention off the road , and navigate deep inside system settings to perform this action



The only way out , as advised by fellow owners, was to get the infotainment software updated.
I was tempted to do a self update. Instructions existed , via an unofficial telegram channel.

And in fact, several owners on both the NCR and the All India WhatsApp group had done successful updates using the .upd file available on a public share.
Yet, I desisted. Why?
Because the OP on that channel, wouldn't guarantee the software's performance. In a sense, if something went wrong with the update, the owner was on his own.
Readers, may recall, that around thid time , I was desperately looking out for a ruse to identify an EV service center that could be trusted. Getting a software update done, sounded like the perfect reason to find one.

A helpful moderator on the local WhatsApp group pointed me to NCR region's exclusive Tata EV outlet run by AutoVikas , and asked me to contact Mr. Arvind , the very helpful Service Manager.



10:15 AM. Peak hour. I reached the service center without an appointment, yet was promptly attended to.
The customer reception area was adequately sized and right next to Mr. Arvind's room. I introduced myself to him as the "friend of a friend" , but he didn't hold that against me! :-)

I've had experience of Mahindra before, so I knew Tata wouldn't be all that different. I've had my share of service center experiences where they promised the Earth , and all one got for their trust ,was mud.
So, in my mind, it's all about the people.

1. Are they selling what they can deliver?
2. Are they technically competent?
3. Do they genuinely care about customers?
4. Are they relaxed?

If the answer to these questions is "yes", then one should follow that service center for life.

It's for this reason that I had chosen Koncept Mahindra's Okhla service center—even though they moved twice. It's for the same reason, I had chosen Galaxy Toyota's Okhla Service Center—through both my Toyota cars.

That's why, for me, after the purchase of a car, the choice of primary service center is perhaps the most important decision one will make during the ownership experience.

Mr. Arvind answered all my questions with candour. The reception area was bristling with activity. Service advisors were using mobile desks to catch up on paperwork. The workshop itself was squeaky clean. Everything (and I mean everything) was neatly labelled. Not even a single tool box was out of place. I quietly watched the movements of the technical staff. I could see they were properly uniformed, deferred to the site DT (diagnostic technician), and to Mr. Arvind or the Job Controller.
All this went to show the team here took pride in their work, were passionate about the work they did, and most importantly , genuinely respected the chain of command.

The technician working on deploying the software update, described his career, that included working on supercars, and how his interest in learning about EVs drew him to this workshop, how he was trained and enabled. The pride and quiet confidence were evident.

A chat with the technician

The software update itself consisted of plugging in the USB stick, waiting for it to be recognized, selecting "Update" from the Infotainment menu, and essentially waiting for it to finish.
But wait, No! As in most things from Indian brands, it did require having a go twice! Apparently it's a known issue with the update process. You see, the first time this update gets deployed, turn signal chimes stop working. So it needs installation again.
At least that's what I was told. But I think there may be a technical explanation involving a failed copy or validation step, the first time around.

The About screen post update:


The update was over in about an hour.

A zero bill with gate pass was generated shortly after.



I waited around for the frunk to be installed. That didn't take long.
I left at 12:30 PM.

Satisfied.

[joybhowmik]

So, what are some of the key impressions & takeaways as an owner and a driver of the Punch EV Empowered+LR?

Learning to Drive, Once again.

I remember hitting 100 km on the odometer, It was 8:09 AM, the day after I ushered Ruby home , September 6. I had on a whim decided to WFH, but realized my laptop charger was in the office desk drawer. I'd woken up early, raced into office, and was back home well before rush hour traffic hit the streets.

I don't remember hitting 1000 km on the odometer, but can fairly guess it must have been around 12:50 PM on September 24

If you were to ask me, what's changed? It's a deeper understanding of the car's capabilities , and therefore more confidence in myself.

The first two weeks of ownership were characterized by driving maddeningly slowly, restricting myself to Eco Mode—Regen Level 3, accompanied by watching the energy meter with a hawk eye, trying to extract maximum range.

The first three or four days, went by in learning to modulate speed , according to traffic, using just the A pedal. The energy meter , and the day's review of driving behaviour used to show suboptimal acceleration. Which meant I was prone to losing momentum, and therefore a few dozen kilometers of range.

The zeal to extract maximum range, resulted in my resorting to using cruise control in city limits. I got acquainted with a cruise control system that could be activated at much lower speeds than diesels/petrols of the day. And I learnt to modulate speed, in city traffic, exclusively using the cruise speed +/- buttons. I tried this a couple of times in low traffic conditions of early morning, and I was rewarded with very decent economy figures, but then this sort of driving wasn't sustainable.

Then I learned that the range indicator indicates anything but an accurate range. A better indicator is how much SOC is left, and how many kilometers have been driven since 100% SOC.

I asked other Punch EV owners, and they said try City with Regen level 1.
I did, and it transformed the way I was looking at the economy number. I was turning out quite similar mileage, but I was also cutting my travel time by 10%. And having loads of fun doing so. Imagine going from 0 to 50 kph in 3 maybe 4 seconds.

Pesky road runners are usually left far behind, in a dead heat. But there have been no instances of road races or rage. And I let all the stereotypical red corpuscled & corpulent dilliwala pass me by. Why inspire them to buy an EV and give them more ammunition to wreak more mayhem?

I have become more empathetic towards the mechanicals. I have taken to swivelling the gear dial to neutral at red lights, and engaging Drive when the car in front starts to move. I have also, taken to set the speed limit to 60 kmph, as that's the maximum allowable speed limit on my route. Gone are those days, of swiftly downshifting, and flooring the A pedal in a bid to race away from slower vehicles around me.

My patience with other drivers has taken a turn for the better. I used to react to bad drivers, with a few choice epithets, mouthing off in rage. Maybe it's the quieter environment around me, that has calmed me down. There's no engine noise, everything is much quieter all around. I am within the speed limit, this gives me time to react defensively. And I find myself swearing at surprises sprung by people or cattle less and less.

I think Ruby will make me a better driver in the long run.
And I am still learning.

Range Anxiety

Let's address the elephant in the room: Range Anxiety.
Though I have installed plugshare, statiq and tata power apps , that was more out of FOMO, and satisfying my curiosity. I have never actually used these EV charging apps.
There has never been a need.

Bottomline: At the time of composing this , and I have more than 1000 km under the belt, I haven't felt anything like range anxiety.

The Empowered+LR is equipped with a 35 kwh battery. That's easily good for 250 km of in-city driving with 90% AC on, and an average of 3 adults in the car, with 15% SOC left over.

But I like to keep a buffer and have decided to not wait till 15% SoC but to charge whenever I hit 25% SoC, or as soon as convenient over this threshold.


And even if I am ever faced with a situation of only 25% SoC at my office , I'll still have enough reserve to come back home. Though there are 3 different fast charger clusters installed where I work!

Its quite unlikely that I'll ever leave home, with a possibility of having 25% SoC left at destination.

That's the other thing that owning an EV has taught me these past weeks. It's about planning the next day's journey.

This has led to deliberate choices about the routes to take, and which errands to prioritize. I'm able to get things done more efficiently this way. Gone are those days of inefficiently travelling twice to nearly the same place for two different things because I "forgot" about the other thing. I guess this is true for more than most. Ubiquitous availability with general prosperity results in inefficiency.

As noted previously, at the present time, my average cost per unit is anywhere between ₹4.5 and ₹6.5. This is why I prefer slow charging at home.
There's no point in going out of my way to locate a fast charger, when, at any given point in time, I am never more than 30 km away from my home.
Till date, I've never used anything but the supplied portable charger. That too, always at home.


The owner's manual in fact recommends slow charging at least once every 4 charge cycles. That's the bare minimum. It also recommends avoiding driving below 10% SoC.



Having noted the above, On September 28, I did a planned and controlled discharge of Ruby to less than 10% SoC under everyday driving conditions. I wanted to confirm if my battery pack was correctly calibrated, and one of the tell tale signs is sudden discharge at low battery levels.
You may have seen this phenomenon with older smartphones, whose charge levels drop from 9%-10% levels to 0% very quickly (phone shuts down).

Planned and controlled discharge to 6% SoC

At 10% SoC, the Distance to Empty is replaced by the Recharge reminder, a warning on the instrument cluster appeared saying "Limited Performance Mode is activated", and notifications from the ZConnect App arrived asking me to recharge. This notification, incidentally buzzed on my smartwatch as well. The Limp Home Mode warning also got activated on the instrument cluster.



At 9% SoC , acceleration was sluggish, I found that one could switch between City and Eco Drive modes and also select different Regen levels. However Sports mode couldn't be engaged (in fact it can't be engaged at SoC <= 25% per owner's manual).

Also, I found that one can breach the Limp Home speed limit of 50 kph. Note that I reached 10% SoC around 4:05 PM, but I hit 52 kph at 4:28 pm , considerably after Limp Home Mode got activated.




This behaviour contradicts what the owner's manual says.



AC continued to function okay , despite being in Limp Home mode. I couldn't detect noticeably less cooling: the windows were up, and lack of AC, would be apparent very quickly. That did not happen.

I stopped the car for some errands at 6% SoC. On restarting , I found a couple of momentary warnings on instrument cluster (as can be expected). They were gone before I could capture them on my phone. So, when I reached home, I recreated the situation, by turning the motor off and on again. One was the "Limited Performance Mode Activated" warning, and the other was "Battery needs to be charged."



Though all functions continued to be available as a glance at the fascia, instrument cluster and infotainment showed.




Just before I turned Ruby off, I noted I had done 260+ km, largely a mix of driving in City mode (75%) and Eco mode (25%), with varied application of Regen.



During this use cycle, most times, there were two or three adults, and AC was on at a comfortable 23°C throughout (Auto mode). Though I don't think AC per se contributes much to depleting range, it's more about preserving momentum and gross weight, IMO.


Finally, to give an idea of how long it took to charge back to 100%



I started charging at 5:25 PM on Saturday, 28th, from 6% SoC. I received a notification at 7:46 AM on Sunday 29th that charging was complete (100% SoC)

Units consumed: 37.51 I am not quite sure how this units consumed maths is correct: because the battery capacity is 35kwh, and to make up 94% capacity it should have consumed ~33kwh . I am not sure if the sub-optimal power factor has anything to do with this , or it's an error in the energy meter or something entirely different. If you know, please enlighten me.
Time: 14 hours , 21 minutes

The planned and controlled discharge and subsequent recharge test at least proved there's nothing catastrophically wrong with the battery pack presently.

Range Anxiety is unlikely to happen in the forseeable future. Not with my stated use case. For highway drives , we have the Glanza. Its decent enough, and can pull its weight.

Owners that don't drive should avoid buying the Punch.EV

For a car that, even after the recent price cuts, will easily cost ₹ 15 lakhs+ for top variant ex Delhi, if you plan to be seated in the rear, then look elsewhere. For the same money, much better options are available. It's not about being in a squeeze with 3 passengers. That's a given.

Ingress

Ingress is easy, with all doors opening at a wide 90° angle. Seats are easy to get to. But the real question is, would someone like to be seated here for more than an hour?



Rear Seating Comfort

Owners taller than 6' ? chances are high that they will feel that both the underthigh support and legroom are limited.
Tall occupants will find their knees positioned higher than hip level due to the angle the seat makes with the back. While the seat width does not reach to the back of their knees, the back of their legs loses contact with the seat about 3-4" well before the knee. This causes some discomfort.
This is exacerbated by compromised legroom, especially if the seat pocket contains a small laptop or the sunday newspaper.




Lack of headroom for people taller than 6'

Notice the headrest almost touching the ceiling headliner? That's precisely what a tall owner will have to endure seated on the rear bench. There's only about a 3 to 4" gap between the top of the head and the roof. This is due to the sloping roof line. A tall passenger may indeed hit his head hard on the ceiling due to the bounciness induced by the firm suspension.



Unimaginative use of space to facilitate storage of items of everyday use



Shown here is the back of the center console, that consists of a single cubby hole, just about large enough to put 1 hand in. The other side shows the very unimaginative compartmentalization of the storage inside the rear door card.

The rear door card for instance, can hold one water bottle and perhaps a mobile phone. The slanting space can accommodate a small bag of chips. That's it.



Above the storage compartments in the rear door card and adjacent to the power window control is the standard-sized cubby hole for candy wrappers and loose change.



No dedicated Power outlet for rear bench

The back of the center console suggests Tata may have kept a provision for USB outlets/12V sockets but then disappointingly left it out! Maybe aftermarket offerings can help address this gap.



The owner's manual suggests a power outlet is provided at the back of the LH seat near the headrests. But there's nothing there. Was someone ?



The only option for rear-seat passengers is to carry their own power banks or snake a wire from the front row (untidy!)

No cup holders!

The owner's manual suggests that the rear seat armrest has a facility to rest your coffee cup. Sadly, reality is very different. If there were cup holders ever, they've since been removed, and the arm rest is permanently stitched shut!




Stay in the dark
No ceiling light/dome light for the rear seat(s). The dome light in the front row is subdued , and its throw isn't adequate for the rear seat.



Therefore, forget looking for a dropped coin or earring in the dark.

Uncomfortably warm at the rear
Tata might have made the rear bench a tad more comfortable by providing an additional rear AC vent. As it happens, the HVAC unit's performance is upstaged by range priorities. That may have been mitigated somewhat had Tata installed a small blower at the back of the center console, above the quite small cubby hole.



The lack of amenities and space for the rear passenger is another reason; the car isn't suitable for a family drive that's in excess of an hour, maybe two. It doesn't matter much to me. I don't think, I will encounter this scenario.

Safety

I'd chosen Empowered Plus LR; this has all the safety features available in the highest variant. So, on the face of it, my choice didn't compromise on what was possible to be purchased. But let's take a quick look at what these features are, and to what extent is this important (on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being most important , and 1 being least) for my use case. Also, I am applying a slightly wider context to the term safety.
For me, Safety isn't only about people involved but also for the vehicle itself (anything therefore that reduces collision risk, however minor, in that such collision doesn't endanger occupants or pedestrians )

ABS With EBD: ABS, Prevents the wheels from locking up when you brake suddenly, allowing you to steer while braking hard. ABS uses sensors on each wheel to monitor speed and relay this information to the car's Electronic Control Unit (ECU). EBD Automatically adjusts the amount of braking force applied to each wheel based on road conditions, speed, and loading. EBD works with ABS to maximize stopping power while maintaining control of the vehicle.
Importance: 5. I think this feature has become standard, in the Indian car market, over the course of the last two decades. Conditions for its use appear in both city and highway use conditions.

SOS /Breakdown Calling: This is available through a dedicated button in the ceiling as well as through the mobile app. I tried the breakdown function and it appears to send the live location to the helpline. Very cool
Importance: 1 (for me). This is a roundabout way of asking for assistance in NCR, where this car will be primarily used. It's much more efficient to request assistance by calling the emergency services, or the dealer directly and WhatsApping live location to the responder.


All Disc Brakes: : Needs no explanation
Importance: 5. Highways/or City. I prefer disc brakes for superior braking.


Electronic Stability program: This consists of a whole range of stability and traction control functions. Features such as: Offroad ABS (unlikely to be used in city conditions), Electronic Traction Control (+++), Roll Over Mitigation (unlikely to be ever used as I don't do sharp turns/corners at high speeds), Brake Disc Wiping (Interesting feature - probably may be useful during monsoons), Electronic Brake Pre-fill (never heard of this mechanism before, but does promise shorter braking distance).
Importance: 5 - for the sheer range of assistants available. I for one think most of these will never get exercised during the tenure of my ownership. But hey, if it manages to save lives, I am all for it.



Collapsible Steering Wheel: Needs no explanation. This should be standard fitment on all cars.
Importance: 5 - no debate at all. This is a life saver even in low-speed crashes.

6 airbags Needs no explanation.
Importance: 5 - no debate at all.

Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) With Auto Hold: Needs no explanation. Importance: 5 - because Delhi-NCR sees a lot of bumper-to-bumper traffic on flyovers, where rollbacks can happen if one isn't careful. So as it could prevent a minor collision and a potential road rage incident involving loved ones, a big YES.

Built on GNCAP5 star rated platform - GNCAP5 Needs no explanation.
Importance: 1. Because they haven't tested the Punch EV per se. I don't know what a frontal impact, side impact or pole impact will mean, when the tinder box underneath my feet is punctured and catches fire. Will the fact that 6 airbags cocooned me, and the collapsible steering column didn't puncture my liver be any consolation if I can't escape the vehicle, and the punctured batteries explode shortly after in thermal runaway.

Headlamp Leveling: Affords better visibility to the driver and can help avoid blinding oncoming traffic.
Importance: 1 or 2: Unlikely that the vehicle will be loaded to capacity in city use. Also very few chances of using the car at night.

Hill Descent Control: : Helps maintain a constant speed when going down a steep grade.
Importance: 1. Unlikely to ever use this feature, as the car will be driven in relatively flat NCR region.


ISOFIX: Needs no explanation.
Importance: 1. Everyone in the family is an adult.

Speed Alert: When the vehicle speed crosses 80 kmph, then speed limit warning indicator turns ‘ON’ along with an audio chime for every two minutes (audible warning). When the vehicle speed is reduced below 75 kmph, then the speed limit warning indicator and the audio warning will turn off. If vehicle speed crosses 120 kmph, the speed limit warning indicator flashes along with an audio warning for every two seconds one beep (audible warning) until the vehicle speed is above 120 kmph.
When the vehicle speed is reduced below 115 kmph, then speed limit warning indicator turns ‘ON’ along with an audio chime, and for every two minutes one beep (audible warning)
Importance: 1. The maximum speed limit is 60 60kmph inside the city, where the car will be driven.

Perimetric Alarm System: This is just marketing speak for reverse parking alarm.
Importance: 5. I have gotten to depend on the audible warning. Cant do without it.


Puncture Repair Kit: This is the air-compressor cum sealant kit included with the Punch EV
Importance: 1. I gave this a low score of 1, because in my opinion, a puncture repair kit is NOT a show stopper in a car that I plan to use as a beater car for city use. Next of all it's not a good solution. It works on the premise that you'll leave the nail in the tread and sealoff its entry point. In fact, if you think about it logically, you are better off removing the nail, plugging the tyre with a regular rubber cement strip (available for ₹250 at any car accessory shop), after using the hopefully supplied jack and spanner. This is vastly superior due to its simplicity, robustness and permanence.
Applying the sealant requires you to follow a really elaborate procedure outlined in the manual: first use the sealant but underinflate the tyre, then drive for 3-10 km, then stop and fill air to the correct pressure, then take the car to a tyre dealer, so they can take the tyre off the rim to wash off the sealant, and then finally fix the tyre anyway using a rubber cement strip. This exercise will cost you money and time. In the city, particularly in the daytime, I can stop, overinflate the tyre temporarily, find a puncture repair shop, and be home after getting the puncture fixed in less than half the time, and at a fraction of the expense of the sealant solution. Even at night one can in principle ,just overinflate, reach home, and fix the problem the next day. Tata Motors design team went overboard with this solution.


Front Defroster/Rear Demister: Needs no explanation
Importance: 5. no debate at all.

Rear Parking Sensors: Needs no explanation
Importance: 5. no debate at all. At the same time, Front parking sensors are glaringly absent. Though the Front camera does help mitigate from scrapes, if one remembers to turn it on.

Reverse Parking Camera: Needs no explanation
Importance: 5. no debate at all. This is a must-have. The dynamic guide is such an upgrade from what I've been used to on R3 and the Glanza


Seat Belt Reminder: Reminders on front seats are enabled by a weight sensor; no such weight sensor is available on the rear seats. This leads to people byepassing the system altogether by keeping the seat belts buckles engaged when no one is on the rear seat. And when people do use the rear seat, they invariably end up sitting on the seat belt instead of wearing them - thus making the rear seat belt reminder totally obsolete. An example of Tata Motors not thinking through the implications of the system design.
Importance: 5. no contest. I live with the warning chimes of rear seat belts not buckled when no one is seated there. It's better than someone not wearing the seat belt if seated

Seat Belt With Pretensioners & Load Limiters: These are designed to limit injury in case of a collision. Pre-tensioners tighten the seat belt around the body, keeping the occupant from moving in the event of a crash, whereas load limiters prevent injury to the chest by slacking the shoulder strap. I suspect this is supplied only for the driver and co-driver seats, not for all seat belts. This isn't clarified anywhere.
Importance: 5.

Speed Dependent Auto Door Locks: These lock the vehicle when it picks up speed. One benefit is keeping occupants secure from bad actors at a red light for instance.
Importance: 5. Plenty of incidents of gangs trying to loot laptops/mobile phones in congestion/red lights

iTPMS: Indirect TPMS (iTPMS) systems such as this do not use physical pressure sensors; they measure air pressures using software-based systems, that work by evaluating and combining existing sensor signals such as wheel speeds, accelerometers, and driveline data to estimate and monitor the tire pressure without physical pressure sensors. I have found the implementation on Punch to be utterly and completely useless, ,because a) it doesn't give a pressure readout, and b) It activates only if pressure is drastically lower in one tyre or one axle compared to the other. This means that the driver only gets a warning when it's too late. I've had to get a regular TPMS solution to alert me of pressure drops well in advance. The system notifies my phone's app, and I get instant notification alerts through a buzz on my smartwatch. Its far more effective when I know one tyre suddenly shows an unexplained pressure drop of 5 psi but not the others.
Importance: 5. Just because any TPMS, even iTPMS is better than no TPMS at all!

Build Quality

This is an area where Tata Motors have done an excellent job. There's evidence of sturdy build quality that doesn't totally compromise refinement, almost everywhere.

From the bonnet to the tailgate, and all doors in between, each shuts with a reassuringly solid thunk , and zero rattles / vibrations thereafter. This means all "loose" objects not melded with the closing door are well secured.

In the interior, the plastics don't rattle or squeak when pounded. No, nor does the headliner. The storage cubby between driver and co-driver as well as the glovebox open silently and shut with a snap-fit, then stay shut. There's no rattle. In fact, there's no sound in the cabin of any loose object rattling or rolling over—whether from the interior or from the engine bay. Even the tools in the trunk are held securely in place, with robust stays.

It's very refined and solid. However, sometimes the tailgate doesn't shut completely, requiring extra efforts to swing it shut. But it's not a big problem.

Sturdy Build Quality that doesn't compromise refinement

[joybhowmik]

Outside First!

Here's Ruby, in the office underground parking. Its dusty from the day's commute, and the subdued lighting doesn't do it justice.



But I like the color and think it goes well with the shape.
Wait No! I absolutely adore it.

Here's Ruby at India Gate!



This is maybe why I had no qualms paying ₹ 1.45 lakhs more. I'm kidding!

And another two shots from the same morning.

Front profile pic



and a side profile pic!


It glows in the dark too - kind of cool!



I also think the rear goes well with the front.



I like the cute wrap around tail lights, and of course the various distinctive marks and badges, that include a very discreet rhino,
and a surprising Vocal4Local sticker from an MNC company belonging to a Global Group!

Distinctive Style Statement



BTW, I wonder what both these are all about? Does anyone know - why a Rhino,and why a Vocal4Local sticker on this model?

All Digital Premium Experience for driver and co-driver

The Punch.ev offered me an unforgettable all-digital experience from the moment I stepped into the cabin and wrapped my hands on the steering wheel, till the point I switched off and left.
From a digital instrument cluster that extends infotainment functions to the incredibly sophisticated infotainment screens, to an all-digital fascia, everything looks and feels as if it fits right in with my smart device centric lifestyle.
It doesn't end at that, the premium nature of the interiors extends to the plastics , the fabric of the seats, the nice faux leather of the steering, the damper on the glove box ...

Coming as I was from the rough and ready world of a 4WD scorpio, this sort of refinement was not only all fascinatingly new for me , it was also a refreshing change - nicer! Subconciously this was probably a huge factor in choosing the Punch.ev over the Taiago.ev , MG Comet and XUV400 - though the vehicle size class is different.

Doors that open 90° wide
The premium experience starts with front doors that open wide, welcoming in their expanse.



The sill is a bit high in comparison to the low-slung Glanza; however, there is no grab handle to get an assist from. Though one may forgive Tata Motors—after all, it's a city car, not an offroading SUV like my erstwhile R3.

Expansively Roomy and airy cockpit experience
Seen from the other side, the cockpit area is roomy and appears well-stocked. The seats in white add to the illusion of space.



Premium quality steering wheel
Once inside, the two spoke, flat bottomed, faux leather wrapped dual tone steering wheel feels a mile higher than the plasticky experience with R3, our Innova and even the Glanza. My hands instinctively grip it. The texture is is soft yet reassuringly firm when gripped. It exudes a premium vibe.

The steering is adjustable to one's shoulder height. The excellent range of seat adjustment positions, obviates the need for telescopic adjustment.

Ergonomically placed buttons help issue basic commands to infotainment system and the instrument cluster , and to control speed are all within easy reach. Control stalks and paddle shifters (that control multi-mode regen levels) complete the ensemble. I've successfully done a commute to work (25 km away) in light traffic, only using the controls available on the steering wheel. Yes, I did not touch the A pedal or B pedal at all after reaching cruise speed. All braking and speed control, lane changes, etc were successfully done using only the controls available via the steering wheel. This also delivered the best SoC use to-date.
In the interest of safety, I would not recommend this way of driving for everyone, but this is precisely what I meant in the section 'Learning to Drive, Once again'.



And wait! It's lit too!
The light-colored inside is a dirt magnet, though. Dirt alongwith sweat from palms sticks to the surface, and can make the off-white colour gray in a few weeks. Colin spray or equivalent with microfiber towels is great to keep it spick and span!

The Seats
Ventilated & plush seats in a white fabric adorn the front row. These offer comfortable under thigh, back and head support and such a differentiated experience compared with the rear bench. I only wonder, why would an owner , choose to sit in the back and be driven around by a chauffer?



Seat adjustments are all manual (thank god!) and these make it easy to adjust the seat height just right in relation to one's shoulder height and the steering wheel height setting. Ventilator fan control is through a three step regulator on the side. The white color has its disadvantages. Dirt or stains smudged on is easily visible. Tata Motors recommends Wurth and Autokrom, but I'll have to try with genteel solution + vinegar for a small smear , that's been left on the driver seat since before the delivery date.

Both seats have weight sensors , unlike the rear seats.

View of the outside
One of the best elements that I liked is the commanding view from the windscreen. On this count, Punch.ev scored higher than the MG ZS in my evaluation. The higher seating position makes it easier to see where the corners of the bonnet are.



The motorized ORVMs are large and chunky. They each offer a reasonable angle of view, this is supplemented with Blind spot monitoring using the 360° Surround View system (SVS). One can't complain any more about thick C pillars obstructing lane change maneuvers. Incidentally, the comparatively better sharpness of the images (grainy ones in MG ZS EV) , and the non-availability of the 360° camera in XUV 400 , were important plus points in favour of the Tata Punch EV.



Rear view is just about adequate to manage in NCR traffic. The sloping roofline is the reason the rear view's compromised. The headrests, add their bit as well.



The autodimming IRVM comes with a manual ON/OFF override switch that can be useful, when reversing towards someone who has his headlights on. (Otherwise, in normal functioning, the autodimming function switches off when reverse gear is engaged). Thoughtful design.



The center console

The center console is the next significant element of the premium front row experience.



It starts with the dashboard fascia , just underneath the infotainment, and ends with a small storage box in between the front row seats. In between, are two cup holders; drive control buttons : to switch driving modes, auto-hold & electronic parking brake; a jewelled rotary gear selector; a 15 Watt wireless power charging unit with an anti-slip mat, USB A, USB C, and a 12V outlet.

One complaint in this setup is that the storage box is quite small, and the left arm rest (doubling as it's lid) is inadequate. Tata should have designed the lid on the storage box to slide forward instead of being attached with a hinge.

The fascia in piano black with a glossy finish looks great. The backlit touch buttons are flush mounted and add to the digital theme. The blower and temperature controls, though, are implemented with physical toggle switches, that break the monotony of an all touch user experience.



At first glance, the plethora of touch-button driver controls left me bewildered (non-intuitive placement) and a bit overwhelmed (unawareness of icons):
a) due to their non-intuitive placement (for instance, climate control is at the bottom, whereas less used buttons such as hill descent are in the top row). It was difficult to create muscle memory in the first week of operation.

b) For the initial couple of days, when I hadn't had the time to read through the manual thoroughly, I found it difficult to understand the purpose of some of the touch buttons. I had to ask someone in the WhatsApp group to discover the button for opening the charging flap, and for unlocking the charger.

c) Even now, sometimes when adjusting the AC temperature, I end up brushing the back of my finger against the 360° camera touch button—this has the irritating effect of showing the rear camera view instead of Android Auto!


Cup holders for both the front row occupants have been thoughtfully provided. This is thoughtful gesture; it's so nice to be able to rest one's coffee mug in its own spot rather than have to compete for a space.



However, not all coffee mugs can be easily accommodated in these narrow cup holders. I had to buy slender water bottles and mugs!

Incidentally, these cup holders have a weird key symbol (no, it does not denote a temperature gauge). Wonder why that is so? Is it an easter egg? Please comment if you know the answer.




The wireless charger underneath the fascia is equipped with an anti-slip removable mat, and is adequately sized to hold my large mobile phone. In addition, the USB ports flexibly charge and connect to the infotainment. I am using the 12V outlet to power the dashcam. I've opted not to deploy any 12V multi-way extension sockets. This isn't a car for a long drive.



Ceiling controls
The ceiling gets a central dome light with a 3-way switch. The unit incorporates the microphone and speaker for phone calls. On its side are two buttons to call for help—an SOS button and a Breakdown button - pressing either sends current GPS coordinates and calls the helpline using the e-sim bundled with the car. There's also a switch to turn off the passenger air bag in case a child is seated on the co-driver seat.



Sadly, there's no sunglass/parking ticket holder on the ceiling unit. For this one, you need to install strap on storage on the sun-shades.

Driver Door Controls

These consist of standard central lock/unlock , window opening controls and ORVM adjustment




Storage

Plenty of storage between the large sized Glove box



and the compartments in the front door cards



However, bottle holders in the door cards are slanted, so be careful if your water bottle has a loose cap and water spills out!


Vanity Mirror

In what maybe construed as somewhat sexist design, Tata Motors, has pointedly provided a vanity mirror only on the co-driver side , minus courtesy lights. Tata Motors, if you are listening , please do better!




Infotainment cluster
Saving the best for the end, we finally arrive at the show-piece Infotainment cluster : cluster because it works together with your phone, your subscriptions, the car's instrument cluster, climate control, .... . I'll stop talking and let the pictures do the talking.

All-Digital Premium Experience

• Even now, I feel properly elated with the welcome screen that plays simultaneously across the instrument cluster and the infotainment. If connected cars are a paradigm they are trying to upsell, the point is driven home just by this feature alone. In my experience, all previous ICE cars I've owned left the "integration of information" between infotainment and instrument cluster to the driver. For the first time ever, I've experienced someone implementing a system, where the integration has been done for the driver. So, I can navigate just by glancing down at the instrument cluster, and not have to take my eyes off the road even for a second.
  
• I experienced breezy bluetooth pairing and the wireless android auto setup got me into my comfort zone pretty quick (music/navigation/messaging/calls are just how I like them, on my other car)
  
• Aside from Google Assistant , there's also a voice-based Tata Assistant to deliver car-related help.
  
• On the minus side, both the infotainment and the instrument cluster are dizzyingly busy for a person stepping in from a quasi-digital or analog-only car-driving experience. Tata Motors could have made the transition easier by including quick start video tutorials on the infotainment (I picked up this idea btw from my experience on R3). It took me some time to get used to the key features, and even after a month, I'm still learning. Oh and yes, please keep the searchable Punch.ev pdf manual around. You may want to refer to it to understand any error message that could randomly pop up.
  
• Arcade.ev offers an in-car experience to Disney Hotstar, YouTube , Prime Video and a few more. Personalizing these was quick , except for a couple of hiccups on Disney app. I feel Arcade.ev should have been modeled on a play store like paradigm, allowing the use of other OTT providers to onboard, and thus offer a modicum of personalizing one's entertainment sources. I would have loved to have Netflix on it.
  
• I love the sound from the Harman sound system. Did I count right : 8 speaker grilles? I don't need an upgrade.
  
  
  
• A nice touch from Tata Motors to add AQI information on the infotainment. Good to know I am not contributing to poor AQI anymore.

The Powerplant

The engine bay is a bit intimidating. I can correctly identify the HV unit (big steel box that you can see below) and, of course, the usual windshield washer fluid, 12 V battery and the fuse box. But not much else.


I'm also attaching a short video.

Ruby's Heart - The Powerplant

If you know more about what the different components are and how they work, I'll be very grateful to learn from your comments.

What's it like to drive?

I'll jot down thoughts without worrying too much about if they have been mentioned elsewhere in this blog. If there are some inadvertent repeats, please forgive the inconvenience.

(+) Instant acceleration on tap
(+) Linear power delivery. There are absolutely no jerks when speeding up. This is best observed in Eco mode (due to longer acceleration time) but exists in all modes.
(+) Multi-mode regen and disc brakes all around , offers reassurance of safely stopping whether sharply or coasting to a stop - and every scenario in between
(+) Great handling on corners. Guess that's because of the lowered CG due to the placement of the battery pack
(+) Firm suspension tune feels robust when going over bumpy surfaces. Reassurance that it can standup to no-road situations.
(-) Suspension is adequate and okay for city. I do feel the bumpy surface when navigating through patchy tarmac and no-tarmac conditions (e.g., Ghitorni village)
(-) Some owners (on WhatsApp groups) have complained of uneven tyre wear and misalignment issues early into ownership.
(+) Steering feedback is great. Steering feels properly weighted at speed
(-) HVAC auto control is very conservative. The computer keeps shutting it down to provide better range. That makes it uncomfortably warm even in the front row. This will take getting used to.
(-) No air vents for the rear seat passengers. Together with the conservative climate control, you need to wait for the cabin to cool down adequately.
(-) No spare wheel. That's not very re-assuring. Also, it's yet another reason, I will hesitate taking Ruby out on long highway drives.
(+) No engine noise and the Amperion tyres are nice for in-city drives. In city conditions, I did not find much tyre noise creeping in. Speeds have been within 60 kph, tending between 30 -40 kph mostly. Absolute Zen. Passengers will feel comfortable meditating, it's that good!
(+) Rain sensing wipers are a boon. Have been missing these since letting R3 go—don't have this on the Glanza
(-) Turn signal chime is sometimes erratic. No set pattern as such. But on occasion it will speed up with no apparent cause!
(-) There is no dead pedal. If your left foot is on the floor—not on the raised step in the footwell—then the corner of the fascia impinge the left knee , especially when your (driver's) seat is pulled up forward. This make the driver uncomfortable due to constant grazing of the left knee , especially on a long drive.




(-) This point about knee hitting the rounded corner of the fascia is true for co-driver as well, when sitting with backrest upright.
Here's a photo of my knee grazing against the fascia when driving.



(+) Customizable instrument cluster display means every driver in the family can adapt it to their needs.
(+) Super useful and sharp 360° camera makes parallel parking , lane changing, and reversing procedures a breeze.
(+) Static and dynamic guidelines are super useful when reversing into tight spaces.
(-) Constant data balance anxiety for the e-sim bundled with the car. This is because, you don't have the option to use your own mobile's data when navigating. This is a "problem" with the Android Auto implementation. I understand Tata's need to implement connected car; for that, yes, you need an e-sim bundled in but only as a failover connectivity option, if user does not provide a wifi signal. Under no circumstances should you force the user, to use that connection for android auto. Unless this is by design: some kind of nefarious alliance with the CSP (Airtel?)
(-) Using the rotary gear selector dial takes getting used to. Coming from a stick shift (or even on an automatic), if your left hand is used to pushing or pulling a gear knob, you'll need to retrain your muscle memory
(+) Auto headlight setting is a boon on cloudy days, and twilight hours.
(-) Can't depend on the Range estimate (DTE). Forecasts change too often—even though driving style and pattern don't.
(+) Subtle warning by indicator lights when going over a bump at speed.
(+) Auto Hold is a blessing when enduring bumper-to-bumper traffic on flyovers. Gone are those days of timing the release of the handbrake & clutch, and flooring the accelerator.
(+) Eco + Regen L3 driving = driving with 1 foot on A pedal—and forgetting the brakes even exist. It's perhaps the best choice for bumper-to-bumper and low-speed traffic clusters that's prone to sudden stops. The braking is that good in this mode! And you don't have to think too much—just let go of the A pedal, and the car will do the rest.
(+) City + Regen L1 driving = great for use when dodging light/medium congestion in city traffic. There's always the reassurance that Regen L2 and L3 , will be applied in succession, before the brake pad faces friction losses. It's sheer joy to hit 0-50 in about 3-4 seconds, leaving the unsightly jostling mess of unruly auto-wallahs and boorish two-wheeler riders—far behind in the blink of an eye. I could be wrong about this - but this combination probably affords the based range in city if one drives with abundant caution!
(-) Takes some getting used to. But as is obvious , when you start driving from 100% SoC you can't drive with just the A-pedal !! That's because there's no regen possible , until the SoC depletes sufficiently , to make sense to charge the battery from the car's kinetic energy.



The following sections are not about driving the car. They are about the touchpoints Tata Motors have into the customer experience. Unfortunately , I have mixed feelings. Read on.

App Experience

I've tried both the zconnect app and the IRA.ev app. The IRA.ev app is I in beta release and more feature rich ; it maybe a bit premature to pass comments. Though I have been quick with feedback to the development team.
Impressions below are solely about the zconnect app
(+) UI is easy to understand & navigate
(-) Trips : App can't identify the source and destination location correctly. Trip history (unplanned trips) keeps mislabelling my home address as that of my neighbour's even though the respective houses are properly tagged in GMaps. I don't use the "Set a trip" feature at all because, I can't get the app to set the address for my starting location - the app does not recognize GMaps plus codes nor does it take lat/long coordinates as a location identifier. That's why all my trips show up as Unplanned trips. This is why I just go ahead and use GMaps as I have always done in the past. Without a usable entry point into this feature, I feel people will eventually stop being interested enough to go into details and find out how they did on the trip.
(-) My Space: My Documents: This is where one should be able to automatically see the insurance purchased via the dealership or atleast allow manual entry. Even though my Insurance is purchased from Digit , it shows the policy having been issued by New India Assurance.
(+) Service Stations view is very comprehensive, and up-to-date
(-) Service Stations view doesn't allow you to seamlessly request an appointment for service or running repair
(-) Charging Stations view is not comprehensive and leaves out providers that appear on google maps and plugshare. Tata may do better to get a feed direct from plugshare.com or google
(+) Love the Controls panel—lock/unlock , AC on, lights, audible alarm, geofenced—right from the convenience of your mobile phone
(-) Trip analysis: Feels good to be told you did well everytime - most people I know easily score 8 / 10 , but beyond that, they should provide a drill through of key stats such as SoC drop/speed analysis overlaid on GMap route. This will help the driver to achieve better scores, by being conscious of past performance on specific segments.
(+) Diagnostic health at one's fingertips is a huge +
(+) Ability to set a charge limit - for those wary that the time from 90-100 takes the longest
(-) Tribe feature: Supposed to connect you to a community of similar users is flawed. The first time I tried this feature, it added me to Tiago.ev tribe, where presumably all owners are Tiago owners.

ev.tatamotors.com experience

Now that I am onboarded onto the EV portal, my take on its features and functionality. Do note that for buyers/owners in their 40s/50s, many would prefer going to the portal simply because of the bigger form factor on a home computer (and considerably less strain on the eyes!)
(+) Works well for someone who hasn't purchased an EV yet, but is looking for options
(-) Once you are onboarded as an owner, the experience is pathetic, mainly because its hard to find relevant information that's trustworthy and actionable. For instance, out of curiosity, I tried to buy 3-year extended warranty + 3 year OEM warranty. The application asked me to fill out distance done till date, then displayed a "System Error."
(-) The included Bot is not much help. When asked a specific question that it can't understand, it makes you go through the process of authenticating yourself, and then unhelpfully tells you to call customer service.
(-) The accessory purchase function is unnecessarily complicated (first requires a sign-in, then requires choosing the vehicle, then finally requires you to ship the accessory to a dealer—and not all dealer points are onboarded). It is much easier to look at the accessory name, and order on amazon, or just message the dealer and have them deal with the complexity.
(-) Connected Car feature redirects user to the IRA app on Play Store/Apple store - First of all, the IRA app is for ICE buyers, Second of all, why even mislead anyone into thinking one can read off the most recent statistics of your vehicle here ? This is a golden opportunity to lock in customer interest through a bigger form factor device, and Tata have just flushed it down the toilet. Tata should really look into how the big name wearables companies show data to the user across devices, and redesign this part. (I am referring to Google's fitbit, Garmin smartwatch and connect app, Samsung smartwatch, Apple smartwatch, etc)The Tata UX team should buy one of these devices and then see how dashboards work across mobile and browser or PC/Mac apps , and how each device complements the user experience. It's experiences like these that make people stick to these respective ecosystems.