An Electrifying Future.....

January 19, 2021

An Electrifying Future.....

AN ELECTRIFYING FUTURE

Electric cars are the future......If someone said this to me 6 years back I would have laughed at this statement, but now electric vehicles are getting in the groove. Tesla started a revolution where now the legacy auto makers are playing catchup. With countries like Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, and other European countries planning to ban production of Petrol and diesel vehicle by beginning of next decade, EV sure looks the mobility of future.

World is going green and petrolhead are getting red hot with rage. Well no wonder there, death of gasoline cars will always be a nightmare for all enthusiasts including me. But even when humans are still new to the technology, EVs have already proved that it can be better than the most advanced IC engine vehicle in performance, offering luxurious commute and going off-road. Adding the fact of it being more energy efficient and greener surely grabs attention of all engineers and world leaders for sure.

THE PAST

A 10 years back EVs used to be expensive, used to have low range on a full charge, charging time and many other issues in its initial years. Most automakers tried their hands on the technology but were not lucky enough to find luck. So none of em bothered to invest in a new technology which takes time to get established over the IC engines which was in its prime.

Then comes Tesla, They addressed most of the issues themselves and others followed soon after as they saw a huge chunk of crowd going towards an electric mobility.Now manufactures all over the world have at least 1 EV in their line up, some even started to launch Electric variants of all their cars.

Which brings us to the question, How is the EV development of India going??

Years back it was just the REVA. A slow two seater city car which gives you a range of 80km and a topped of 80kmph. Back in those days EVs were never exciting or practical, it was never something we would even consider during our next car purchase. and it showed in its sales.

Fast forward many years and we saw some other Electric cars too, but were expensive and never made any sense. Tata came up with a Tigor EV which was not having any range and costs 50%more than regular tigor, Mahindra e-verito was the same. While Hyundai launched their Kona and MG coming with their ZS-EV which were affordable cars for europeans were not so cheap for Indians.

Then Tata motors launched the electric version of their successful product...The Nexon EV and that made a real difference.

THE PRESENT

I saw some videos by many auto journalist and Nexon EV seemed exciting. 315km of range seemed unreal, and with 129bhp of power and 250nm of torque, the figures were impressive for an electric car of 15lakhs.

I was eager to check the product out, finally I get t experience one.

If you are someone who don't want to read and quickly needs your questions answered... just read the following lines and do your thing...

Q: How is it compared to IC engine cars???

A: It feels different, something I never experienced before.

Q: Did you like it????

A: I loved it.

Q:Was it quick???

A: Yes.

Q: Will you buy one???

A: Not yet.

But the truth is I can't say the experience just like that. Its totally different from whatever I experienced yet and I would need a new standardisation to put this into a scale

I have seen many who never have driven an EV saying EVs have no soul, it is not exciting it feels like a gaming simulator and all. Obviously with certain famous stubborn auto journalists making them look boring cars which are pretty quick with no connection to driver makes me feel the same.

Quite Honestly its different,

You enter into the car and straightaway you will check if the car is actually on or not, The refinement feels magical and weird??? don't know what to say,

Turn the knob to D mode and step on the accelerator and the vehicle moves like its on launch control, on the limit of unnecessarily spinning its wheels with max grip. its not super quick or aggressive but is not sluggish, just the right response. The silence was truly fascinating. all these years we asked for a premium cabin with lowest NVH levels and ironically when we get the most silent and refined cabin, we don't like it, lol.

Step on the gas on Sports mode and the car just goes like nothing else, the speedo climbs up like tachometer and the whine of motor makes it feel futuristic. From a standstill get n the gas and you will be amazed by how the car launches. 250nm all at the tap of throttle felt like I was tearing through another dimension.

0-100 comes in 9.9 seconds is not too quick, a polo gt does it in roughly same time, but this picks up speed in a very different fashion. You can hear and feel the torque delivery from the motor and loading of the motor. So I would never say it is not engaging at all, It sure is fun, not the way we expect.

Being an unbiased driving enthusiast who loves all kind of cars, I sure enjoyed Electric powertrain.

As much as I appreciate the powertrain, let me acknowledge the designers of Tata motors at this moment for creating such a beautiful tough and robust car. The engineering put into Nexon is impressive, You feel the car as a single unit. Suspension the steering and every single component works as a single unit with a perfect harmony. Never have I experienced this level of build quality in any other car of this price point. Nexon is the most engineered car at this price point without a doubt.

Nexon is most basic form of an electric vehicle. A 30.2Kw-h 320V Li-polymer Battery placed at the floor of the car stores the energy to run 315 km from a single charge, The engine is replaced by a permanent magnet AC motor which generates 250nm torque and 129bhp of power is mated to a single speed gearbox all this controlled by a controlled unit.

there is no traction control or any other electronic aid unlike regular Nexon to keep the costs down.

What we got here is a 16 lakh Rupees price tag which is just 2 lakh Rupees expensive than a diesel automatic version of Nexon.

So it addressed all issues an EV used have in India, Nexon was financially accessible, had a good range, can be charged to full in less than 100mins via fast charger and had a warranty of 8 year/1,00,000km on battery and motor. You also gets a Fast charger installed in your home. Don't worry about getting electrocuted when the car meets a large water puddle, It doesn't, Nexon is IP67 dust and waterproofing.

As a result it is selling like hot cakes all over the country and is the highest selling EV of the country.

So why did I say I won't buy it???

Because, EV still doesn't cater my needs.

If you are a person who has a premium car and is looking for a daily driver to drive to work, for shopping and everything you come across daily, Nexon Ev is the best choice you could come across. It is simple and will return over 250km of range in real life through city conditions, Thanks to Re-Generative characteristics of motor. your avg cost per km will be less than a rupee in this case.

This car could also work to anyone who doesn't have commutes more than 100km from your home.

But being a car which was designed for the city and designed so basic, It is not the strongest on Highways, Top speed of just 120 mightn't pose a problem, But range would drop to 150-200 km at this type of application. It can handle the job but is not the best. Thats the only concern I had.

Being a guy who might take a car on long road trips I am skeptical about the Ev with these limitations. But maybe in 5 years I might go for one if there are enough charging stations on the road. So I will wait for EV technology to get better and offer me better cruising speeds and charging infrastructure to get one.

Keep that aside, Nexon EV is the best city car for you and should consider it if you are looking for an automatic city car. I would have surely bought one for my daily if I was looking for such a car.

THE FUTURE.

The Nexon EV makes the future looks promising for EVs in India. If The Electric car which being engineered the most basic way Electric cars made makes it this great, I could see even better products in the future with the rapid advancement of technologies.

Nexon Ev started of a Revolution in India. With Tesla coming in to India and Technologies becoming more accessible, If we sort out more charging infrastructure, more energy sources to power these chargers and an efficient grid setup, I do feel more and more products would roll out from different manufacturers and slowly build an Electrifying Green future.