EV Charging parks - another Point of View

 

I found this video  about large EV charging parks  very interesting indeed, and a bit of a reminder to all those who keep talking about lack of infrastructure, without knowing the facts.

As simple as that.

Keep it up, young guys!!

As for the companies who have missed the EV Charging bus, you have only yourselves to blame.

Quick review of the "new" Tata Nexon EV and first time Fast Charging!

 

Finally found time to go and check out the "new" Tata Nexon EV. This is around the same time that media reports started floating around, on how import duties on smaller / cheaper CBU or Completely Built Up EVs will be on par with import duties for CKD or Completely Knocked Down cars. As a direct result, some friends I know who were going to buy EVs to replace existing ICE cars, in one case a Nexon diesel for a Nexon EV, have put back their buying timelines.

To start with, as the owner of one of the "existing" Tata Nexon EVs, I do feel that the interiors are better with the older Nexon EVs. This is the considered view of two ladies in our circle, as well as the spouse - and I am sure that the (largely male) automobile designers are aware that the final Go/NoGo in context with interiors is from the Ladies of the House. Gender realities are what they are - I would never buy a motor car as a family car, regardless of anything else, if the Lady failed the interiors.

The big thing they did not like, by the way, was that big black rectangle on the steering wheel and the controls next to it. As well as the complicated AC controls.

A bigger screen inside? Those of us who know the realities of internet security tend to use our own devices, without pairing them to automobile devices, on vehicles owned or rented or borrowed. 

In addition, a long laundry list of unkept promises for "existing cars" from Tata Motors does leave a bad taste in the mouth, as well as some amount of wariness. This list of promises not kept includes -

Dedicated workshops

Over the Air Updates

Upgraded or improved app

Better service records

Therefore, any further reviews of the "new" Tata Nexon EV will need to wait till more clarity is achieved in context with competition from abroad for similar sized EVs. Repeat customers and word of mouth are concepts which the marketing rainmakers and PR/CorpComm types appear to be unaware of OR simply do not provide any weightage to.

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Fast charged our Nexon EV for the first time, at a JioBP-Pulse charger located at the Citroen dealership across the road from a couple of Tata Motor dealerships, and it was a revelation. There was a technical person to help first-timers like me, the area around the fast charger was clean and not blocked by ICE vehicles, and the security guard on duty helped park our Nexon EV in the Citroen bay for EVs.

In the bargain, I also got a guided tour of the Citroen workshop behind the showroom, the Citroen EV and inputs on their new variants and models of EVs expected. And the wife liked the interiors as well as easier controls on the Citroen EV displayed as well as the brighter colours offered.

At 15.99 + GST, JioBP-Pulse have done what they do best - stealth. This article explains better what the realities of EV charging in India look like lately. For me, my experiences with Tata Power are what they are, so there again, who has over-promised and under-delivered appears to have missed the bus.

As a customer of an existing EV from Tata Motors, I may be excused if I think that I have been told "OK TaTa GoodBye" and thrown under the truck?

https://expwithevs.substack.com/p/2309-charging-infra

One Year up and third Free Service experience

 

Chitteswamy, our Nexon EV turns just about one in a few days, and with about 8k kms under the hood, has been a delight, barring a few solid hiccups in the beginning which probably had more to do with individual arrogances and retaliatory moves therein. All said and done, once we got used to figuring out stuff on maintenance and usage from a range of other users,  it was smooth sailing.

Lessons learnt - DO NOT use the disconnect 12v battery trick unless absolutely imperative. DO NOT be under the impression that a 200mm ground clearance will take you over anything and everything, for example, one wheel in a pothole means your ground clearance is drastically reduced. DO NOT neglect re-gen level 2 or 3 in city driving, it could save your life and someone else's also. DO NOT get too perturbed if the wing mirrors get damaged, this will keep happening in cities, and you can use good strong double sided tape to good effect. DO NOT buy replacement alloy wheels from the after-market. DO NOT try to take the SOC to close to zero as a hobby, 30% is low enough, and at 20% certainly start re-charging, preferably slow on 3.3

But real lessons learnt when hanging out with non-social media type real EV owners about the Nexon EV?

Time taken for regular service of an EV is about half or less than that for a similar ICE vehicle. Cost of consumables for an EV during service is a small number compared to a similar ICE vehicle. Always check out the overall cleanliness and sound of impact/torque wrenches in a dealer's authorised workshop before booking the service for your EV. Check out how many of the staff 2-wheelers parked at the workshop are battery bikes. For some reason, the windshield wiper sucks battery like a vacuum cleaner, so use it sparingly if running low on SOC. Sunroofs are a joke on EVs and so is the screen thing on the dashboard, best covered at night, for better night vision, though motoring media tend to spend a lot of time discussing the screen. Most real users simply use their phone separately - there is no clarity on what the car's in-built systems are reading and transmitting to whom. Dashcams fore-and-aft are essential equipment. 

Most of all, the Tata Nexon EV performs brilliantly in non-urban areas, where liquid fossil fuels are not easy to come by, and home / field / factory / workshop / office charging is easy to set up, preferably solar assisted. Think about 25 paise per kilometre running costs, because bijli is almost free.

What did people think about the new Nexon EV variant? Well it wasn't up for display at the showroom / workshop, and there were some strong views on how the front and the rear look similar now, some of us were hoping for larger headlamps. Larger, and stronger, by the way. Opinions on the backlit logo on the steering wheel, hope there is a way to switch it off, was the considered opinion for those of us who drive at night in rural areas. Darkened interior for better night-sight is a non-negotiable.

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On my own personal experience, the Tata Motors service experience gets better, and while the workshop I visited in South Bengaluru was packed to the extreme, the staff were handling all sorts of customer issues reasonably well. It took me about 45 minutes to drive 11 kilometres from Bengaluru Rural towards the city, to the workshop on Hosur Road, and I couldn't help wondering why the workshops weren't located more on the outskirts than closer to the city?

I was in at about 0945 and out by about 1315, was able to see the work being done (am finicky about a few specific things like tyre rotation, tools used, torque wrench settings, self-inspection under-body and a good look at the brakes - not just the condition of the discs as well as the condition of an assortment of rubber parts covering moving parts).

It probably is filtering down to dealers that whilst the income from after-sales and service of an EV is not as much as that from an ICE vehicle, the time on the workshop floor is also half, or even less. Going forward, I do think EVs can be accepted in two time-streams, morning and after lunch.

Came back happy from a car service like used to be in the good old days. Dedicated EV workshops would help, and a quick dipstick survey with the people present revealed that an hour's drive to reach a dedicated EV workshop would be acceptable - but then there was also a gent present who had driven 1.5 hours and just about 19 kilometres already to reach this workshop!

I think we were also able to convince about half or more of the ICE car owners to go in for EVs next time around.

Soon, our EV is going to start putting in some serious out-station mileage, and reportage here is promised...

Moment of Truth - for Chitte Swamy our Nexon EV

 

A year into ownership and operation of our Nexon EV, with about 7500 pleasant kilometres under our odometer, the core answer to any question is - yes, we enjoy driving and riding in this battery vehicle a lot. "Chitte Swamy" (roof is white and technology is inside and below) , frankly, what kilometres for how many units of slow-charging home electricity does not matter, there is hardly any change in the home monthly electricity bill.

Simple as that.

So why MOMENT OF TRUTH?

A year on, almost, and we have to renew the app that comes with the Nexon EV. Renewal is not free and is a fortnight or so away,

The app needs to be improved, sure, and brought up-to-date on many parameters.


The name is Chitte Swamy

Ratan Tata appeal to look below our cars

 

Ratan Tata's tweet addresses the issue of Engine Sound Generators on our BEVs. And not just for strays, but also for humans, please?

https://twitter.com/MalikV2827/status/1676142080715026432

Thank you for this, and this is even more important for our EVs, which do not make even a whisper before rolling. I have been asking

@Tatamotorsev

@TataMotors_Cars

for engine sound generators on EVs for over a year now-even as optional extra at cost. Grateful assist

Tata Nexon EV first out-of-town trip short report

 

Our Nexon EV went on a short trip, Bengaluru - Mysuru - Bengaluru, on the new Expressway. It was about 150kms each way, door to door, and done comfortably on the Nexon EV Prime with about 30% SOC balance outbound with 4 passengers and full luggage and about 37% SOC on return with 2 passengers and light luggage.

Whilst in Mysuru, we had the benefit of a Slow Charge, so did not attempt any of the Fast Chargers. We did about 100 kms within Mysuru too. Driving in Mysuru is pretty much like driving in Bengaluru, construction is underway at many locations, but without the traffic jams.

I could not understand the toll cost system as was charged differently outbound and inbound. The Expressway itself is full of surprises - 3 lanes become 2 without much notice, traffic of all sorts is all over the place, and signage for exit is difficult to spot. On the other hand, road camber and design is good, our Nexon EV Prime which has Apollo Amperion tyres in front and MRF Wanderer tyres in back, was well behaved at speeds in the 80kmph to 100kmph range - and Cruise Control was done away with very early on during the trip.

I find Cruise Control risky on the Nexon Prime EV mainly because response time for braking when using Cruise Control is slightly longer than when driving as normal with ReGen on to your personal preference. The speed control, in notches of 2kms, on the steering wheel, is very helpful - but it might have been helpful if there was access to the brakes also from the steering wheel. I say "might" because am not sure of the risks involved.

On cruise control it takes a bit of time to take the foot from the floor to the brake pedal. On our roads, any sort, there is always a surprise coming our way. Which needs immediate reaction. Driving on normal accelerator + regen gives me those vital micro seconds. Just taking your foot off the accelerator kind of prepares the car, the body and the mind to start taking braking action. And on our fast roads, people drive like they are doing slalom ski races, the results are visible every now and then with badly bashed up vehicles on the side.

Didn't see too many EVs on this trip on the Expressway. Is it because of lack of fast chargers or is it because EVs are being used largely for local running by people? Probably the latter, because we saw lots and lots of green plate EVs in Mysuru, more than we see in other cities. 


There is one stretch on the NICE Highway, where the tyres provide a high-pitched melody for about a kilometre, at speeds around 60-70kmph. Anybody else noticed this?


All in all, this is the beginning of more 150 kms + type of trips for our Nexon EV Prime. Next attempt, likely Bengaluru - Chennai. Every which way, a slow charger should be available at the other end, and you may want to carry your own strong extension box with MCB built in. Going to install plastic hooks on the wires to hang them properly.

ps: It rained slightly whilst slow charging, and not an issue at all.

5000kms report

 

5000 kilometres in 8 months, reduced running due to COVID and some other issues, but totally happy with our Nexon EV. With talk about a Punch EV and a larger Tata Motors EV in the offing, as well as points raised about dedicated workshops still not responded to, we keep our next EV purchase in pending file for now.

Meanwhile, have been a passenger in some EV cabs, and if driver reports are to be taken into account - that market is secured. Main reason, apparently, is the ease of driving without fatigue.

That is something we have noticed also. However, in our wishlist, we still want an external engine sound generator. Is somebody from Tata Motors listening?