[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by Stribog

Do you have a travelogue of the same?

Hey buddy. It's still in the assembly line. When I started to pen down, the lock down commenced. And after getting to read the different hardships people were going through, I sort of lost interest and thought it as irrelevant and inopportune to write a travelogue. Hoping to complete it some time

[northstar*]

Covid-19 has flipped my automotive life entirely.

Late Feb 2020, I was busy thinking of selling off my Scross and getting myself a pre-owned Scross 1.6, a Jetta or something similar.

Came COVID, but I am lucky enough to say that my financials are least affected. Now my heart is all about getting a new Seltos/Creta diesel or maybe even a Jeep Compass.

But the question in my head is where I am going to drive this car. My average running of 2k kms a month has now come down to 2k in the last four months. With work from home being the new normal, I don’t think this is going to improve before this year-end. Now I am not at all able to justify my purchase decision, debating to go ahead or not.

Sitting on the fence, undecided.

[RS90]

Recent articles published in Times of India pertaining to the effects of Covid situation on the Auto Industry:

Auto sales increase due to need for personal mobility-
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/77312692.cms

Quantitative increase in number of cars-
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/77339200.cms

[evil_grin]

Even though I have been working from home, I have been taking my cars and bike out for a ride every morning. I'll go crazy if I don't get out of the house every day. And I love the reduced traffic.

The biggest impact to automotive life has been to long drives. We're not able to do them anymore. Only short and medium drives now.

[Raghu M]

Originally Posted by srini1785

You may have to leave the car in ON condition with hand brakes engaged while you leave it in rat infested long term parking but this is needed for the circuit to remain closed which a precondition for the rat's electrocution. As an added convenience you can mark out the phase lines for the sake of the rat's eyesight. Even if rats are colour blind there is a 50% chance that they bite the correct wire. Even with such a hit ratio, believe me, they will fall like ninepins. So ready to take the plunge and change your automotive life post COVID19? .

I think EVs will slowly take over in the next decade or so. I have one questions, wouldn't the EV also drain it's charge if left untouched for a few weeks? Rats, rodents have a chance to play spoilsport then right? How long before an EV loses it's charge if left unused? Apologies if I am missing something obvious.

[truezealous]

• Less or can say no running of car as one cannot go out except for essential! No weekend shopping, restaurants, holiday driving.
• Less than a year old battery got discharged due to no running (I was stuck abroad for three months). Turning on/idling car once a week to keep it in good shape .
• Expenses on fuel grounded!
• No monsoon drive this year! Another first due to this pandemic!

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by Raghu M

I have one questions, wouldn't the EV also drain it's charge if left untouched for a few weeks? Rats, rodents have a chance to play spoilsport then right? How long before an EV loses it's charge if left unused? Apologies if I am missing something obvious.

Eventually yes. It depends on the current drawn at no load. No system is fool proof.

Btw, take my post with a bit of salt since it was written in jest.

[RedShiftEuropa]

One of the reasons I moved to India was to explore and discover India (geography and people) that I grew up in. So, every weekend, I am continuing to take a day trip exploring new places (not crossing state borders. I stay within Telangana). I am driving solo, and I keep a safe 2 meter distance minimum - plus I wear a mask - when someone approaches me when I hike in some wilderness/remote trails. My first priority is the safety of others, obviously. It's great. Loving it. I always take a big pack of masks and one or two packs of cloth masks as well, to give away to folks that I think need masks. I explore mostly very rural areas, so there are really very few people that I socially interact with. When this madness is over (vaccine + other mitigatory events), I will resume more of my social interactions with people when I travel.

[osp]

Hi. I used to love going out on these early morning / late night drives across town during the normal / before Covid era, but now, even post lockdown, any drive is mainly limited to picking up groceries or liquor. And sometimes may be a quick run on the main roads, without getting into any of the interior roads. All these weekends with the fantastic weather, which in the usual course would be beckoning you to get on the road, are just going to waste!

[BeantownThinker]

My automotive life is almost non-existent now.

Pre-COVID : Monthly running of approx 1200kms
Post-COVID : Have driven about 50 kms in the last 4 months

Pre-COVID : Weekly once full tank of fuel fill up
Post-COVID : Have filled fuel just ONCE in the last 4 months
This has led to savings of Rs. 11,000 per month

Pre-COVID : Was contemplating changing my tyres at 60,000kms
Post-COVID : Have managed to put this off for the last 4 months

[osp]

Covid changed not only car life but also its effect on the character of highways, even now, is quite pronounced!

Ventured out for a spin because this was an extended Friday and because we were simply too tired sitting at home and not stepping out of the city. Even a quick trip down NH75 felt like a release.

Quick observations:

• more cars on the highway than in the city
• some eateries were overflowing with cars/ people, while others were shut
• spotted a few KSRTC buses which had halted for breaks at eateries
• a fair amount of rash/ aggressive driving on highways (compared with my experience at other times: this is a stretch where people usually drive sensibly)
• toll booths have fairly sizeable queues

Most amazingly, local 2 wheelers were driving on the highways like they do on intracity roads, possibly because of lesser numbers of long distance travellers on the roads these days, than usual.

We drove up to Kamat Upachar Kunigal, and back. The food was quite warm and seemed to have been immediately prepared; and there were a good number of customers (private cars as well as a KSRTC bus) but of course lesser than the usual numbers.

(the car in the pic is not mine; mine got hidden behind it)

[Zen2001]

This is from a stretch of Ganeshkhind Rd, from Pune University to Aundh. Hard to imagine that driving here during pre covid times usually would be a nightmare, looking at this picture. This is one of the rare occasions to see such a best expanse of empty road and the sky above, all in one glance, without any traffic ahead!

[sumeethaldankar]

Last real drive was on Mar 11. Post that took the car out just twice posing maybe 10 kms. I had done a full tank in Mar. The fuel gauge budged just one notch down from full this month since I diligently drive the car back and forth for 10 mins every Saturday in the society compound. At this rate I would not be needing a refueling till the end of the year . Can't wait to have a life again back the way it was.