Are Electric Cars The Answer To The Rising Fuel Prices? Full Details Of The EV's In The Indian Market

All EVs would bring you 200 to 250 or even near 300km to a full charge. They are faster and smoother in terms of acceleration and the biggest incentive is the cost per km running is a lot lower when compared to a petrol car.

Are electric cars the new thing?

Fuel prices are rising every day and adding fuel to the fire is that WFH is slowly melting away with life getting back to the usual commute for many. So what should you do? Go electric? It is not that easy but it is certainly one of the solutions which we would explore here.

How many EVs are there and the cost?

First of all there are only a handful of electric cars on sale in India and all of the well above the Rs 10 lakh mark with most above Rs 20 lakh! Hence the electric car can be termed as only for those who have a healthy budget to spend on a car. Also electric cars as a whole are a lot more expensive over their petrol/diesel engine counterparts. The Nexon EV is nearly double the price of a standard Nexon! The reason is that electric cars are still expensive and a new technology.

 

 

EV benefits?

However, what if you do buy one, what are the benefits? Firstly there is the satisfaction in getting an EV which gets you a special green number plate and of course going past fuel pumps and not stopping! Then EVs as a whole are in many terms easier to drive with no engine as such, the electric car silently drives and has a refinement which no petrol car can match. Then there is also the fact that EVs are faster and smoother in terms of acceleration. Finally the biggest incentive is no fuel costs and the cost per km running is a lot lower and next to nothing when compared to a petrol car. The amount of electricity it will consume would still be less  in money terms. Then with fewer components an EV would also have less maintenance costs.

 

Is an EV enough for every day use?

That depends but mostly a full charge should cover you for some days as mostly all EVs would bring you 200 to 250 or even near 300km to a full charge. Hence for a daily commute an EV fits the job very well. Just like your fuel economy, the range you get from an EV is sensitive to your driving habits and also to some extent external factors like stop-go traffic, which brings the range down.

What about charging?

The biggest issue and the main reason EVs are not becoming popular and what is stopping people from buying them. If you buy one, you will get a charging set-up from the car-maker which you have to install for which you should have a garage or a charger. Now, many do not have a garage and just park their cars inside neighbourhoods and that is where the issue of charging comes in. A standard plug is not enough as it would take a long time hence proper charging facilities need to be done either in your neighbourhood or office. While there are ambitious plans to set-up charging stations all over India, in truth there are few and that limits the use of an EV to within city limits at most. While car-makers do support with stations located at some dealerships, it is still less.

Are EVs safe in rain?

Yes, you would not get an electric shock while driving one! There is no need to worry about driving or even charging an EV during rains. The electrical systems are safeguarded and say in a flooded area, driving an EV will not cause it to malfunction but again just like any car, there is a limit to which you can drive your car through high levels of water.

 

 

Who should buy one?

Ideally those who want a second or third car for a n urban commute and those who have a proper charging facility at their home or office plus also those who have the budget because EVs are expensive at the moment.

 

What is the future of EVs?

As of now EV sales are very small when compared to the standard cars and it is for a reason. Unless the infrastructure comes up or the cost of EVs go down, they will never be a true replacement to an ICE car. Ideally we will see a slow growth in terms of EVs with more charging stations coming up in the near future but again at a slow pace. Currently the incentives while being welcome, are not enough for car-makers to make an affordable EV hence until all this is solved, EVs would play second fiddle to the ICE car, high fuel prices or not! Yes, Tesla is coming to India and more EVs would be launched but all are at the luxury end and a proper mass-market EV with a price-tag well below the Rs 10 lakh mark along with wide infrastructure support/ good enough range, still eludes us.