The pandemic had caused cities to come to a standstill, drastically improving the air quality, especially in major cities like Delhi, which saw a drop in the PM levels by half within the first 4-5 days of the lockdown. But the improvement was short-lived, and soon the city was suffering from the usual high pollution levels.
While a citywide lockdown isn't a sustainable solution, a gradual shift to cleaner transportation modes is our best bet at mitigating the risk of climate change. India is currently seeing a rise in the demand for electric vehicles, and if you too want to be a part of the rEVolution but don't know whether it'll be the best option for you, you have come to the right place. We'll take you through the four things you need to consider while buying an Electric Vehicle in India to help you make a smooth transition to electric mobility.
1.Budget
When we hear about electric vehicles, the first thing that comes to our minds is a very futuristic car that would pretty much empty our pockets on purchase. So it comes as a shock (pun intended) to a lot of potential buyers when they come to know that the total cost of ownership of an electric vehicle is significantly lower than their traditional combustion counterparts.
The higher upfront cost of an EV is balanced by the cheap price of electricity used to charge the car and low vehicle maintenance cost due to very few moving parts. Moreover, as petrol and diesel prices keep on rising, electric vehicles would save you that much more money while helping you to make a positive impact on the environment.
A table comparing the total costs of owning the Tata Nexon and the Tata Nexon EV is given to illustrate the point and help you decide for yourself.
* Values only for vehicles bought in Delhi
** Estimates according to vehicle specifications by Tata Motors
2.Daily Commute Range
When it comes to EVs, users suffer from what is known as range anxiety, which means they fear running out of charge in their vehicle stranded on their way. While this has a significant impact on customer psychology, it is no different from running out of fuel in your current car.
A typical EV available in India has an average range of 160-200km (for four-wheelers) and 60-70km (for two-wheelers) on a single charge, which satisfies most people's daily travel needs. Even if one travels 40-50km daily, the vehicle would need to be charged once daily for two-wheelers and only once or twice a week for cars.
So choosing a vehicle while keeping your daily commuting requirements in mind will go a long way in ensuring that you have the best experience of owning an EV.
3.Parking Location
Almost 80% of charging happens either at your residence or workplace. Public charging stations are used during long-distance trips or in case of an emergency. So if you have access to a dedicated parking spot at either your home or office, you can comfortably consider buying an EV. Once this preliminary requirement is fulfilled, a private charging point with a metered electricity connection can easily be installed by us to provide a hassle-free charging experience.
If the availability of a parking spot is a problem, you may want to consider two-wheelers with portable or swappable batteries, wherein you can swap depleted batteries with fully charged ones in just 5 minutes.
4.Long-Distance Trips
One of the only limitations of owning an EV is you can't just go on an impromptu road trip with your friends and family. EV users have to plan out their route carefully whenever they want to go on a trip longer than the range provided by their car. You will have to charge at restaurants or hotels along the way while you stop for 1-2 hours.
One can also use the VEcharge app’s route planning feature to map out an optimized route with EV charging points on your way so that you don't have to worry about running out of charge and can enjoy your trip to the fullest.
We hope this will help you make a better decision regarding going electric as a small change in your daily transport can go a long way to make our environment better. So do your bit and join us in being a part of the rEVolution!