[kgt.v8]

Originally Posted by LeoMachine

So I received multiple follow ups from dealership here to check on my interest to book. I had registered my interest online before the launch and was also provided test drive.

I am in the same boat as you. I got call from my dealership to confirm my variant as I did not book on 14th. Pack3 is going beyond budget, Pack1 Select or Pack2 fulfill my requirements and do not cross ₹25 lakh mark (excluding forced charger price). I am still sitting on the fence until some actual range test reviews are out and a Pack2 is seen in real life.

[samhtm]

The worry regarding the initial niggles are so true. Im not quite sure if they can be sorted with a software update alone.

I have visited two showrooms in Andhra Pradesh, and on both occasions encountered problems. First instance, Neon motors Visakhapatnam, the BE 6 was fine but the Xev 9e had problems with the AC unit. Hot air was blowing through the AC in the 15 minute test drive that I did. I took the issue to the showroom guys but they had no clue. The executive incharge said some settings were tweaked. But couldn't sort it out.

Second instance, M&N Motors Kakinada, they had the BE 6 for the test drive and the Xev 9e at display. But when I arrived both the vehicles were inaccessible. Apparently, the BE 6 had some issues with the battery and the showroom engineer was checking something with the front bonnet lifted up. Xev 9e, the display unit was in some update mode, so they locked it. And When I asked if i could just examine the interiors, I was told that opening the doors will cancel the update. It was 4pm in the evening, why would anyone update a display unit during business hours.

PS: I have done my booking for the Xev 9e already but the experience has been worrisome at the moment.

[beemer5499]

Originally Posted by samhtm

The worry regarding the initial niggles are so true. Im not quite sure if they can be sorted with a software update alone.

I have visited two showrooms in Andhra Pradesh, and on both occasions encountered problems. First instance, Neon motors Visakhapatnam, the BE 6 was fine but the Xev 9e had problems with the AC unit. Hot air was blowing through the AC in the 15 minute test drive that I did. I took the issue to the showroom guys but they had no clue. The executive incharge said some settings were tweaked. But couldn't sort it out.

Second instance, M&N Motors Kakinada, they had the BE 6 for the test drive and the Xev 9e at display. But when I arrived both the vehicles were inaccessible. Apparently, the BE 6 had some issues with the battery and the showroom engineer was checking something with the front bonnet lifted up. Xev 9e, the display unit was in some update mode, so they locked it. And When I asked if i could just examine the interiors, I was told that opening the doors will cancel the update. It was 4pm in the evening, why would anyone update a display unit during business hours.

PS: I have done my booking for the Xev 9e already but the experience has been worrisome at the moment.

In my 2 test drives, I did not encounter any niggles with the test drive cars.

Also, while the car is getting updated OTA, one cannot open the doors of the car. The display update was actually a software update happening. Think of it as you wanting to use your phone while the software is updating. The updates probably happen during work hours as those are performed by Mahindra executives who probably work 9-5 as well.

[samhtm]

Originally Posted by beemer5499

In my 2 test drives, I did not encounter any niggles with the test drive cars.

Also, while the car is getting updated OTA, one cannot open the doors of the car. The display update was actually a software update happening. Think of it as you wanting to use your phone while the software is updating. The updates probably happen during work hours as those are performed by Mahindra executives who probably work 9-5 as well.

Ofcourse my issue isn't with the software update but they needn't update the display unit during peak hours, a little early in the day, say 8am or during closing hours would be better in my opinion. Especially when the test drive vehicle is also not available.

As far as the niggles go, i brushed off the AC incident but watching the test drive vehicle not running at all was concerning. 2 out of the two times i visited there were visible issues, what are the odds? I have visited the showrooms atleast 10times for the Thar roxx booking but never seen a single issue.

[GearShiftGuru]

Had an amazing experience checking out the Mahindra XEV 9e at Hare Krishna Mahindra with my family. The first thing that caught our attention was the stunning red avatar, which looked absolutely gorgeous in person. I couldn’t believe that Mahindra had crafted such a stunning and well-designed vehicle. We spent some time exploring the exterior, interior, boot space and frunk and I must say, the overall fit and finish were impressive. The seats were very comfortable and everything felt well put together.
Since we're planning to move from diesel vehicle to an EV, I had been waiting for an SUV with a real-world range of 450-500 km, so I was quite excited to check this one out. The showroom was packed and it was clear that the XEV 9e and BE.6 were grabbing a lot of attention.
When I asked the Sales Executive about a test drive, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they had four XEV 9e test drive vehicles available. After a short 15-minute wait, we got to test a 79kWh White XEV. The ride quality was simply amazing and super quiet, smooth and effortless compared to my Innova Crysta 2.8 ZX. The ADAS system was responsive, the moon-roof was a visual treat and the sound system was on another level, it felt like sitting in a studio. My family loved the rear seat comfort and thigh support and the AC was efficient even with total 5 passengers.
We were so impressed that we finalized our booking on the spot. Since range was my biggest concern, I requested a long test drive on a weekday and the sales executive was happy to arrange it.
This time, we got a Forest Green XEV. We reset all the trip meters before starting and the battery was at 95%. The sales executive walked us through all the features on the touchscreen and everything worked flawlessly. Once we were done checking out the tech, we set the AC to 24°C, switched to Range Mode and hit the road.
First, we drove about 7-8 km through city traffic, with regen level set to 2. After covering 2 km, the battery dropped from 95% to 94%, so I started calculations from 94%. The regen worked beautifully, making city driving smooth and efficient.
Then, we hit the highway. There was some moving traffic, but I could maintain a steady speed of 60-70 km/h. The ADAS system kept the car in lane and the blindspot indicators worked perfectly. We drove a total of 23.3 km, with the battery dropping from 95% to 91%. For accurate calculations, I took 21.3 km from 94% to 91%, which means the XEV covered 21.3 km in about 4% battery. That translates to a real-world range of over 520 km, with an efficiency of 11.7 km/kWh. I know it is a very short distance to prove the range but atleast it was satisfying.
This test gave me huge confidence that we made the right choice. Mahindra has absolutely nailed it with the XEV 9e. Hats off to them for delivering such an impressive futuristic EV.

[samhtm]

Originally Posted by GearShiftGuru

Had an amazing experience checking out the Mahindra XEV 9e at Hare Krishna Mahindra with my family. The first thing that caught our attention was the stunning red avatar, which looked absolutely gorgeous in person. I couldn’t believe that Mahindra had crafted such a stunning and well-designed vehicle. We spent some time exploring the exterior, interior, boot space and frunk and I must say, the overall fit and finish were impressive. The seats were very comfortable and everything felt well put together.
Since we're planning to move from diesel vehicle to an EV, I had been waiting for an SUV with a real-world range of 450-500 km, so I was quite excited to check this one out. The showroom was packed and it was clear that the XEV 9e and BE.6 were grabbing a lot of attention.
When I asked the Sales Executive about a test drive, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they had four XEV 9e test drive vehicles available. After a short 15-minute wait, we got to test a 79kWh White XEV. The ride quality was simply amazing and super quiet, smooth and effortless compared to my Innova Crysta 2.8 ZX. The ADAS system was responsive, the moon-roof was a visual treat and the sound system was on another level, it felt like sitting in a studio. My family loved the rear seat comfort and thigh support and the AC was efficient even with total 5 passengers.
We were so impressed that we finalized our booking on the spot. Since range was my biggest concern, I requested a long test drive on a weekday and the sales executive was happy to arrange it.
This time, we got a Forest Green XEV. We reset all the trip meters before starting and the battery was at 95%. The sales executive walked us through all the features on the touchscreen and everything worked flawlessly. Once we were done checking out the tech, we set the AC to 24°C, switched to Range Mode and hit the road.
First, we drove about 7-8 km through city traffic, with regen level set to 2. After covering 2 km, the battery dropped from 95% to 94%, so I started calculations from 94%. The regen worked beautifully, making city driving smooth and efficient.
Then, we hit the highway. There was some moving traffic, but I could maintain a steady speed of 60-70 km/h. The ADAS system kept the car in lane and the blindspot indicators worked perfectly. We drove a total of 23.3 km, with the battery dropping from 95% to 91%. For accurate calculations, I took 21.3 km from 94% to 91%, which means the XEV covered 21.3 km in about 4% battery. That translates to a real-world range of over 520 km, with an efficiency of 11.7 km/kWh. I know it is a very short distance to prove the range but atleast it was satisfying.
This test gave me huge confidence that we made the right choice. Mahindra has absolutely nailed it with the XEV 9e. Hats off to them for delivering such an impressive futuristic EV.

The Instrument cluster shows only 296km range for 90% battery remaining? That translates to total of only 330km range. Also, 11km/Kwh doesn't make sense, xev 9e has a 78kwh battery, which means a total of 850km range for that efficiency.

[driver641]

Today, Mahindra EV charger team visited our place for installing the charger's DB.
Few days back they had visited and checked the feasibility for installation and based on my current max demand, they recommended me to upgrade my EB line's max load by +5kW, which I did.

Below is a summary of my experience today:
- Mahindra is becoming more systematic, my sales guy was saying, every process is in email, and true to that, I also got email notifications when the charger installation site survey got completed.
- Mahindra had assigned their Mahindra Powerol team for the charger installations. This is the same team that had done installations for XUV 400 and hence they were experienced and knowledgeable. The team also had done the charger installations in the showroom and were already experienced in the XEV's charger setup.
- The charger installation is not as simple as it was for my Ather scooter. The team ensured that the diameter of the incoming power line, those of the cable coming out of the EB meter to my mains were all right sized. In my place the incoming cable was Aluminium 25 and the cable to my main was Copper 10. The installer said Copper 5 is the minumum needed and luckily the supply cable to our house were all well spec'd.
- The 11kW charger is 3 phase charger and hence the existing cables share 16A each and is relatively easier on the power line. They mentioned the 7kW charger is a single phase, and since all the current flows through one cable, single phase chargers need the incoming cables to be of large dia, and in many cases it might need rework from the EB itself. Long story short, if you have a 3 phase line it's better to go with the 11kW charger.
- Today, they only installed the Distribution Box - the actual charger will come with the car and they will install it at the time of delivery. The DB installation is what takes more time so they had visited much ahead to ensure there are no delays.
- The quality of the distribution box components were good - it had Surge protection, MCB and RCB. All switchgear were of good quality (from L&T I think). The DB also had a hybrid 16A and 5A socket. They suggested to use the DB even when say using the portable 5A charger because of the protective switchgear. Also, since the DB is directly connected to the mains, the rest of the home circuit and the EV's circuit are distinct.
- Interestingly the the power socket alone was of an unknown brand (Vinay) and the installer explained why they have gone with that. It's common for switches to overheat and melt and personally I have seen this with my Geyser switches at home even if they are from a good brand. Mahindra has tested this switch for 500+ iterations and hence have gone for this particular model as it's heavy duty.
- The installer was very knowledgeable and also found a missing ground to my existing DB and added it. He also gave tips on the importance of a good ground and mentioned that the EV charger won't work if the ground is not working. He also gave ground maintenance tips that I was not aware of - he said the ground should be moist and we can occasionally add rock salt to retain the moisture. He also explained how to keep an eye on surge protector and check if it needs replacement.
- Mahindra have explicitly instructed the installers to not use insulation tapes, but use sleeves that can be heated and fused together. Overall the setup was very professional. I am not sure if other manufacturers also have these standard practices, but Mahindra had put in process to ensure the setup is done right. The installer had to take pictures at multiple steps to ensure the standard is met, They also checked the voltage across phase-to-phase, phase-to-neutral, and ground were all good and uploaded those pictures. They also ensure there are no loose contacts as that's the number #1 enemy for electrical issues.
- The cabling was also done as neat as possible, they used spirit levels and clamps to ensure the cabling is neat. Usually they use a black pipe, but requested them to use a PVC pipe so that I can paint it. They suggested that's not the best practice, but still for my sake went with using PVC piping.

I know it's a long story just for the DB installation, but overall experience was good, and also I think there is some sense in why they insist using their own chargers for longer life - because they can ensure they do the right setup.

[thebrownman]

Originally Posted by samhtm

The Instrument cluster shows only 296km range for 90% battery remaining? That translates to total of only 330km range. Also, 11km/Kwh doesn't make sense, xev 9e has a 78kwh battery, which means a total of 850km range for that efficiency.

There is however another range figure in the lower middle showing 626 kms.

I’m wondering if this is just bad placement of the word “Range” on the left hand side indicating the battery range and the kms range indicated in the bottom middle. The 296 kms is perhaps the Odo reading?

As for the 11.7 kms/kwh figure, it could be just for the trip where the OP was driving. For example in my Seltos I am able to extract a FE of 11-12 kmpl with my sedate driving style whereas my driving is unable to get anything better than a 9. I’m assuming the range my car calculates is some kind of weighted average and that could be the situation here as well.

[SLK]

Originally Posted by driver641

Today, Mahindra EV charger team visited our place for installing the charger's DB.

That is super quick and neat. And thanks for all the info.

I'm a bit paranoid about the charger installation. I live in a high-rise! have opted for a 7kw charger, because of that and I need 100+m of cable! and 11kw may have also raised eyebrows?! I do have 20kw sanctioned load, so probably a 3 phase connection too.
1) the installation is very complex due to the height!
2) with 7kw single phase, will I be overloading a single phase?
3) 100m of cable, how will it work and how much would it cost!!
4) what will happen to power backup! I don't want the car to charge at Rs. 30/ unit and also put extra load on that backup power.

[wooka]

Having exchanged a few emails with MnM, and perhaps repeating what's already mentioned by others, here is some of what I have.

1. 16A current is passed through 3 phases for the 11KW charger. So 2.5 mm copper will do very well. Neutral and Earth may need up sizing (10 mm) - best if an expert comments (since MnM didn't offer insights here over email.The primary phase must be stable else the whole charger will give up. The other phases are add ons of roughly 3.5 KW on top of the base phase. Weak and unstable phases will be dropped dynamically. Technically, it can come down to a slow single phase charger as required.

2. The 7KW charger is indeed single phase. Thus, the cabling requirements are 4-6mm copper. Best if this is well thought out. At my place, we have 5KW capacity per phase. A phase selector becomes a must IMO. 32A current expected here. Also best if a dedicated conduit is used for this, I've been told.

3. They will force the charger on you. Good luck trying. It's beyond me why this is happening besides their partner profit padding.

4. They can disable security for in-house use. Therein, no need to unlock to use.

5. The charger is IP66, by Powerol, and has a 2 year warranty. Their farce about retaining warranty and their charger being superior is far beyond me.

If anything, being so tight lipped about onboard and off board protections and features is now clawing away at their image and degree of trust, I feel. For instance, what is the service interval? Will waiting result in darker interior colors like the Scorpio N that just dropped?

[driver641]

Originally Posted by SLK

1) the installation is very complex due to the height!
2) with 7kw single phase, will I be overloading a single phase?
3) 100m of cable, how will it work and how much would it cost!!
4) what will happen to power backup! I don't want the car to charge at Rs. 30/ unit and also put extra load on that backup power.

The installation in apartments should be done from where your EB meter box is, which is usually on the ground floor. So the cabling length will depend upon the distance from the EB meter box to the parking. For the small distance I had they did not charge for cable. But they used 6 square cable which is expensive and they had to record the length they cut for each customer.

Not sure how they deal with the power backup line. In my case, I use a UPS within my house, so it's outside of the EV charging circuit.

[idoctor]

Originally Posted by thebrownman

There is however another range figure in the lower middle showing 626 kms.

I’m wondering if this is just bad placement of the word “Range” on the left hand side indicating the battery range and the kms range indicated in the bottom middle. The 296 kms is perhaps the Odo reading?

As for the 11.7 kms/kwh figure, it could be just for the trip where the OP was driving. For example in my Seltos I am able to extract a FE of 11-12 kmpl with my sedate driving style whereas my driving is unable to get anything better than a 9. I’m assuming the range my car calculates is some kind of weighted average and that could be the situation here as well.

626 - Odometer reading

Word "Range" - Denoting that it is being driven in Range mode (Other 2 being Everyday and Race)

296 - Range left but do not believe this number as it varies according to the past driving styles. This being a test drive vehicle, people do usually drive it spiritedly.

Actual range - 23 kms divided by 4% = 5.75 meaning around 575 kms range with 100% battery

Although I'm not sure how it's calculating the efficiency as 11.7 km/kWh as that would translate to a 900 km+ range which is absolutely not possible.

[GearShiftGuru]

Originally Posted by samhtm

The Instrument cluster shows only 296km range for 90% battery remaining? That translates to total of only 330km range. Also, 11km/Kwh doesn't make sense, xev 9e has a 78kwh battery, which means a total of 850km range for that efficiency.

The 296 km range displayed was based on the driving patterns of previous test drivers. According to the sales executive, most of them had used RACE mode, focusing primarily on 0-100 km/h acceleration tests.

When I started my test drive, the displayed range was 264 km, which increased to 296 km by the end. With an efficiency of 11 km/kWh, the estimated range comes out to 682 km.

This gave me confidence that even when driven at a steady 80-90 km/h on highways, the vehicle can comfortably achieve 500+ km on a single charge.

[masterkjn]

What would be a cost effective way to protect the piano black cladding and bumpers since they would attract a lot of dirt and scratches and start to look bad really fast? Also can we use a pressure water gun for electric cars near the charging port? Would it not risk a short circuit?

[GearShiftGuru]

Originally Posted by masterkjn

What would be a cost effective way to protect the piano black cladding and bumpers since they would attract a lot of dirt and scratches and start to look bad really fast? Also can we use a pressure water gun for electric cars near the charging port? Would it not risk a short circuit?

Will the Ceramic coating be helpful? Experts can guide