For those who have second thoughts about driving an electric vehicle over a prolonged time, its reliability and its comparison with an ICE car in terms of running costs, the experience of this Tata Nexon EV owner is worth paying attention to. Recently, a certain Tata Nexon EV owner, Dr Madan, crossed the milestone of 1.38 lakh kms in his vehicle, which is one of the new records of any Nexon EV owner across the country. Dr Madan has shared some insights about his ownership, which can encourage more people to opt for electric vehicles.
Dr Madan recently completed driving 1.38 lakh kms in his Tata Nexon EV in two years. However, a few months ago, he shared his overall ownership experience after driving his Nexon EV for 85,000 km. In one of the YouTube videos uploaded by PluginIndia Electric Vehicles, the Nexon EV owner explains how he saved Rs 7.17 lakh by not paying for fuel and maintenance costs, which do come along in an IC engine-powered Nexon over an electric Nexon.
Savings on fuel is priority
Saving fuel and maintenance costs is the priority of a person when he opts for an electric vehicle over a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine. Dr Madan proved this fact by saving over Rs 7 lakh after driving 85,000 km. Considering that he has now covered 1.38 lakh km, he must have saved around Rs 12-12.5 lakh by avoiding fuel and maintenance costs associated with an IC engine vehicle. With this estimated saving, it looks like he has almost ‘recovered’ the cost of his Nexon EV, which now has a starting price of Rs 14.49 lakh after the recent price deduction.
Dr Madan explains that in his usual driving cycle, 20 per cent of his driving is confined to the urban roads of his city and 80 per cent of his driving is over highways. This statement should put an end to all the questions related to driving an electric vehicle over long highways. In just two years, Dr Madan has covered 1.38 lakh km, which is a testimony to the long-term usage of an electric vehicle, especially over highways, which is a common doubt usually raised by prospective buyers of an EV.
Dr Madan says that he is so impressed with the smooth, silent and hassle-free driving experience of his Tata Nexon EV, that he has stopped driving his Audi Q3, which used to be his primary vehicle for daily usage.
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Are electric vehicles better?
Last year, another Tata Nexon EV owner shared the cost analysis of his vehicle online. Kerala-based owner Manu M shared a comprehensive breakdown of the total cost of ownership of his 2020 Tata Nexon EV after covering 84,995 km. In the post, he shared the bifurcation of the amount spent on charging, with a separate picture added to the post describing the service costs of the vehicle.
Manu M spent around Rs 1,01,686 for charging his Tata Nexon EV, which includes both home charging and fast charging at public stations. He says that including the slow and fast charging and stabilizer losses, his car consumed 10,983 units of electricity till now, however, after excluding the stabilizer costs, the figure goes up to 11,673 units. Considering the electricity cost of Rs 8.71 and a range rate of 7.28 km per kWh, Manu M claims that the Tata Nexon EV is giving him a charging cost of Rs 1.2 per km and an ownership cost of Rs 1.58 per km, excluding the service costs.
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