The Curvv EV owner shares his first long journey with the car, where he faced serious concerns with the public charging infrastructure.
One of our avid readers took his first long journey in the recently acquired Tata Curvv EV. The top-spec variant comes with a 55kWh battery pack with a claimed range of 585 kilometres on a single charge.
Here’s what he has to share with the prospective buyers:- Tata Curvv EV Long Distance Owner Review
The Starting Point: The trip began with a full charge, with unrealistic expectations in the mind regarding the real world range. The vehicle’s range is estimated at its maximum, but this number rarely holds up in real-world conditions.
Eco-Conscious Driving: To maximise range, a conservative driving style was adopted, maintaining a consistent speed between 60-80 km/h in eco-mode. This is a necessary tactic, but it’s not how most people want to drive on a highway.
The Impact of Traffic: City driving and traffic congestion, while crossing a city, significantly impacted the SOC. The constant start-and-stop motion, even with regenerative braking, significantly reduces the vehicle’s efficiency, causing the displayed range to drop faster than the distance travelled.
Range Anxiety Hits: After covering just 130 km, the initial confidence in the displayed range took a big hit. With the range now limited to only 140 km, the fear of getting stranded began to take over. This is the moment when a trip goes from enjoyable to stressful.
The Hunt for a Charger: In a desperate attempt to find a charger, a Google search was used. The information wasn’t that accurate.
The Reality of Non-Functional Stations: A major problem is the sheer unreliability of the charging network. Most of the chargers at fuel stations were non-functional. Out of ten stations, only two were found to be working.
The Glitchy Experience: Even at a functional station, a user-friendly experience is not guaranteed. Many chargers are temperamental, with glitches that can prevent the charging session from starting or cause it to stop unexpectedly.
The Queue at Functional Chargers: The few reliable chargers that do exist are often in high-demand locations like food courts. This leads to long queues, adding frustrating delays and further extending the travel time.
The ‘App Ecosystem’ Hassle: Each charging network often requires its proprietary app. This forces drivers to download multiple applications, create new accounts, and manage different wallets, creating a fragmented and inconvenient experience.
The Unwritten Rules of EV Travel: The entire experience highlights the unofficial requirements for long-distance EV travel in India: a pre-planned route, a calm driving style, and a hefty dose of patience to navigate the unreliable charging infrastructure. It makes a strong case that for many, long-distance EV travel is a “no-go” until the network matures.
Tata Curvv EV Long Distance Owner Review highlights the problem with the charging infrastructure in India. There’s a long road ahead, but a proper roadmap from the government is the need of the hour.
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