Happy Tata Nexon EV Owner Explains Battery Degradation And Range After 2 Years Of Driving [Video]

Tata Nexon EV is among the most sold electric vehicles in India. It is the model that helped Tata Motors to maintain dominance in the EV space. The electric SUV also has a history of being blamed for its ‘unrealistic’ range claims, after many people came up with complaints that they were not getting anything close to the claimed range figures. In a recent video, a happy owner of the electric SUV goes vocal about the range that he’s getting and the healthy (read ideal) charging practices he’s following to achieve the same.

The host talks about the battery degradation and real-life range that he gets on his 2-year-old Nexon EV- obviously an older model. The video starts by showing the odometer reading. It has done 21,522 km so far. He further shows the previous trip which reads 260 km. The vehicle has 17% battery left and an indicated range of 49 km. Assuming the real range left to be 45 odd km would still make the total range an impressive 305 km- close to the ARAI numbers.

The user who goes by the name ‘Geeky Ranjit’ on YouTube, attributes the impressive range and minimal battery degradation to the healthy charging practices that he follows. His charging cycle is in keeping with the comfort zones of most LFP batteries. He says that his vehicle doesn’t have battery degradation even after 2 years of extensive use and ownership. Additionally, he says that he is now getting more range than what he used to get at the time of purchase.

The Right Way To Charge Tata Nexon EV

According to Geeky Ranjit, the best way to charge an LFP battery is by avoiding what Tata Motors calls opportunity charging. It is basically the practice of plugging the vehicle in whenever there is a power source available, regardless of how much charge is left in the battery pack. Hey says this will lead to more battery degradation. Ideally with Tata cars, you should charge it to 100% each time you plug in. And try to drain out as much as possible each time before you plug in. Make it a habit to do a 15-100% charge once or twice every month.

Rajit further goes on to say that improper charging practices can make the battery health deteriorate and affect range in the long run. Even though LFP batteries are better than NMCs, ensuring healthy charging practices is critical in getting the most efficiency and longest battery life.

Continuous, incomplete charging will unsettle the BMS (Battery Management System ) calibration and the cell balancing. This could lead to getting battery issues. Ranjit is further unhappy with the fact that the Tata dealerships or service personnel aren’t inducting or educating people on these facts. Proper orientation/ educational sessions on healthy charging practices should be implemented from the manufacturer’s end.

Tata Nexon EV Range: The Back Story

In December 2020, a Nexon EV owner who had purchased his vehicle from a dealership in Safdarjung Enclave, Delhi took it to the transport department saying that the vehicle failed to deliver on the manufacturer’s range claims of 312 km per charge. Despite visiting the showroom multiple times, and being given advice that would claimingly increase the range, he was unable to achieve any progress. A senior transport department official issued a show-cause notice to Tata Motors following the same.

The notice asked the OEM to depute a representative to appear before a transport department officer at 12 noon on February 15, 2021. Failing to do this will make the department go ahead with further actions including delisting the Nexon EV from the list of vehicles eligible for EV subsidy.

As per the owner, the car allegedly failed to deliver even 200 km in range. The incident attracted huge media attention back then, as the Nexon EV was a model that was looked up to by many. Tata Motors was reportedly prompt with actions and responses.