Mahindra XEV 9e Electric SUV Owner Does Gurgaon-Ladakh Roadtrip: Reveals Seamless Experience
A lot of people believe that taking an electric vehicle on an extremely long road trip is a very bad idea given the charging infrastructure of our country. However, recently a Mahindra XEV 9E owner has shared his experience of driving his new electric SUV for over 4,000 km. This particular road trip started in Gurgaon and then went on to cover Chandigarh, Jammu, Srinagar, Kargil, Leh, Khardung La Pass, and Thang Village. The owner has now shared the complete details of his road trip.
This particular post, in which the Mahindra XEV 9E owner has shared the images of him with his vehicle on the road trip, is on a Facebook page. In the comments section of the post, the owner has talked about each and every detail of the trip on which he took his Mahindra XEV 9E with the 79 kWh battery pack. He has highlighted that the trip was very smooth and has boosted his confidence in EVs.
Real-world range of the XEV 9E on a 4,000 km trip
Most of the people who have commented on the post had the main question about the real-world range of the XEV 9E. The owner has mentioned that this SUV, throughout the journey on the steep mountain roads, offered him a real-world range of 350 km per charge.
He added that on the flat highways, the range was extended to 400+ km with the AC on and speed around 100–110 kmph. The owner also highlighted that during the descents from mountain passes like Khardung La and others, the XEV 9E’s regenerative braking significantly improved the overall range and efficiency.
Condition of charging infrastructure
The next most asked questions were about the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. To this, the owner has stated that Srinagar and Leh are equipped with several DC fast chargers. However, Kargil has no DC fast chargers. However, at the Hotel Kargil in which he stayed, he was able to get a 16A power socket, which helped in using a portable charger overnight.
As per the XEV 9E owner, the challenging part of the trip was in Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake as there is no fast charging and even the electricity availability is limited. Generally, the electricity is only available from 5 p.m. till 11 p.m. He added that many hotels run on generators outside these hours.
The owner has advised that it is better to book the stay in Sirmaur as the electricity is available more consistently. Also, as his personal recommendation, the owner has stated that people taking their EVs to these places should carry extension cords and a metal earthing rod for charging in remote areas.
As for Dras and Sonmarg, he added that accommodation providers gave them 16A sockets for charging overnight. Replying to one of the comments, the owner highlighted that the charging time for the XEV 9E with the 3.3 kW charger is around 30 hours (0–100 percent).
Important advice
Apart from the above points, the owner has also shared a few important pieces of advice. He has stated that drivers should start from Srinagar with a full charge before heading to Leh. Then he added that uphill climbs lead to battery consumption of ~1 percent per 1–2 km. However, downhill regenerative braking increases the range. He also added that people should check with their hotels in remote areas in advance to confirm charging availability.
EVJoints App
EVJoints App, which is an application that helps EV owners to plan their journeys, was crucial in this journey. This application offers 7,000+ stations across 30+ charging networks, a trip planner that estimates range based on route elevation and terrain, recommends must-stop charging points, and shows real-time charger availability for 9 major charge point operators.