Is going with a fully electric car a good choice?

Kaching999

Kaching999

Herald
My father is looking to buy a new car and seeing the many benefits being provided to EV owners and also the lower cost of ownership, they do seem to be an enticing option, but I am also a bit skeptical seeing the problems with many public EV chargers not functioning properly and also being unavailable in most places other than the major metropolitans.

So should they be considered or not? And if yes what can be expected from the experience and what to look out for?

Which are the ones to consider and avoid?
 
What is your current vehicle?

Monthly use-case scenario- i.e. highway runs, whether it will be used as a daily beater. daily distance driven etc.

Lastly, budget.
 
Well it's not really going to be replacing anything but will be added and mainly used as a family and personal use car by my father so daily usage is to be expected, might even be needed to cover about 240-250km, but will mostly be used in the city. As for daily distance give or take about 15-25km and the budget is under 20L on road.
 
so i have seen only majority of bad stuff of EV (but i think the new styled batteries might be able to help a bit like li-C batteries)
Kaching999 said:
My father is looking to buy a new car and seeing the many benefits being provided to EV owners and also the lower cost of ownership, they do seem to be an enticing option,
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tension na lo electricity bill sub lagbhag lvl kardega, (if you are in maharashtra to to pakka lvl kardega in long term)
(my idiot little brother wanted electric scooter he got one and then rip batteries after a while, a yr or so later, so aftersales service and battery-waale se connection ho to badiya, hamara tha to usne jaise taise change karva dee)
Kaching999 said:
So should they be considered or not? And if yes what can be expected from the experience and what to look out for?
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- for city lvl it should be enough if not best, more like any ev should be enough for city regions (point being small region), long travelling keliye nahi hai ye. bas after sales service/battery-waale logo se achhe sambhand ho to ek major plus point hai.
- they too silent. itna ki, literally kab koi EV pichhe aake khadi hojaye/thokde pata nahi chalega.
not just that even the drivers of ev have said ( even one of my friends ) kind of scared how quite they are and needs use horn more than average in NON-EV. varna lag gaye
- india and temperatures.... if burning , sudden burst in flames then there is no easy way to extinguish them, often times it has been seen that even what is considered a 'extinguished' EV from flames would light up after a while or would keep lighting back up. Aur jaisa india ka abhi temperature hai....... where i live it feelings as if it is already mid april. itna garmi (O_O)
- some EVs cant even open doors without charge, or something in accident cant open doors up (so this is something one needs to checkup in vehicle specs on how their doors work and their history of accidents)
- Resale Value, Battery Degradation: Over time, the battery in an EV can lose its ability to hold a charge, potentially reducing its range. Although warranties often cover battery life for a certain period, replacing a battery can be expensive once it's out of warranty.
- avoid tesla ofcourse.
 
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k660 said:
tension na lo electricity bill sub lagbhag lvl kardega, (if you are in maharashtra to to pakka lvl kardega in long term)
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well I am from Delhi so, it will probably be cheaper still.
k660 said:
india and temperatures
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that is also kind of a concern and the manufacturer will likely always ask one to go to the insurer first to get a claim and it is all to well known about insurance companies coming up with different excuses to reject any and all types of claims possible.
k660 said:
Resale Value, Battery Degradation: Over time, the battery in an EV can lose its ability to hold a charge, potentially reducing its range. Although warranties often cover battery life for a certain period, replacing a battery can be expensive once it's out of warranty.
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True but manufacturers like Mahindra are offering lifetime warranties on the batteries for first owners and 10 years of 200k for subsequent ones.
k660 said:
avoid tesla ofcourse
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very out of budget, and not the greatest choice even if you have the budget for it, considering the build quality issues and all.
 
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k660 said:
so i have seen only majority of bad stuff of EV (but i think the new styled batteries might be able to help a bit like li-C batteries)

tension na lo electricity bill sub lagbhag lvl kardega, (if you are in maharashtra to to pakka lvl kardega in long term)
(my idiot little brother wanted electric scooter he got one and then rip batteries after a while, a yr or so later, so aftersales service and battery-waale se connection ho to badiya, hamara tha to usne jaise taise change karva dee)

- for city lvl it should be enough if not best, more like any ev should be enough for city regions (point being small region), long travelling keliye nahi hai ye. bas after sales service/battery-waale logo se achhe sambhand ho to ek major plus point hai.
- they too silent. itna ki, literally kab koi EV pichhe aake khadi hojaye/thokde pata nahi chalega.
not just that even the drivers of ev have said ( even one of my friends ) kind of scared how quite they are and needs use horn more than average in NON-EV. varna lag gaye
- india and temperatures.... if burning , sudden burst in flames then there is no easy way to extinguish them, often times it has been seen that even what is considered a 'extinguished' EV from flames would light up after a while or would keep lighting back up. Aur jaisa india ka abhi temperature hai....... where i live it feelings as if it is already mid april. itna garmi (O_O)
- some EVs cant even open doors without charge, or something in accident cant open doors up (so this is something one needs to checkup in vehicle specs on how their doors work and their history of accidents)
- Resale Value, Battery Degradation: Over time, the battery in an EV can lose its ability to hold a charge, potentially reducing its range. Although warranties often cover battery life for a certain period, replacing a battery can be expensive once it's out of warranty.
- avoid tesla ofcourse.
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In addition to this, for sudden longer trips, range anxiety may hit, because under 20L, you'll have very limited decent long-range capabilities.

Cost savings are definitely attractive, but I don't think the country is at a mature stage for EV adoption - mostly due to infrastructure, unlike the West. Definitely not as a main/primary vehicle.
 
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As a daily-duty secondary car, it would still make sense, though, as long as you don't mind the potentially shorter lifespan. I would recommend the Tiago EV. Decent city range, great build quality, and safety rating. It's a great daily workhorse EV.
 
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PunkX 75 said:
Cost savings are definitely attractive, but I don't think the country is at a mature stage for EV adoption - mostly due to infrastructure, unlike the West.
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Yes, it makes sense for those who have their own house with large enough area for rooftop solar installation. Most of India gets awesome sunlight. The initial investment for solar in that case will be worth it for most cases.
 
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PunkX 75 said:
As a daily-duty secondary car, it would still make sense, though, as long as you don't mind the potentially shorter lifespan. I would recommend the Tiago EV. Decent city range, great build quality, and safety rating. It's a great daily workhorse EV.
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What about the base model BE6 or the Nexon ev, a taller vehicle would be preferred.
 
Kaching999 said:
What about the base model BE6 or the Nexon ev, a taller vehicle would be preferred.
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Those are also viable options, Just avoided suggesting them to avoid any electrical complications due to way more tech in them. The Tiago is straightforward and no-frills + you save some money towards buying a 5090 :clown:
 
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I was also considering buying an EV for myself. Cars I considered: Tata Curvv EV and BYD Seal premium.
One of my friend owns an EV, spoke to him for opinion. He said you can have a EV for city drives and short trips but wouldn't recommend taking it for longer trips. There's still a lot of unpredictability and he said the range anxiety is real. He has other ICE cars and he said that's why he was okay with that. He also said that the car depreciates faster so the if the plan is to change cars after a few years, don't expect a good resale value.

For Mahindra cars, my personal opinion: Never buy first generation products at least on the first year. Because that's when they'll fix a lot of issues.
Review on the two cars: Tata Curvv EV was good but the showroom car had a steering misalignment. I think QC is something Tata has to improve a lot on. BYD seal was an absolute bliss to drive and I really liked the car. But think I'm not ready for EV yet.
 
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  • Cost saving - if you running around 20000km per year it will save you money in long run. Your usage will increase because it is cheaper than public transport so you will use the car more.
  • Benefits - You will get more power than petrol diesel cars with instant pickup without lag. No engine sound means quieter and comfortable drives.
  • Charging - You don't need 7 or 11kw home charger, a 15 ampere switch present in home with 3 kw charger will be enough to charge 20 to 30 kw overnight. creata ev giving people mileage of 9km per kw so if daily use is 200km you will be fine. If have own house then getting solar will be cheaper than the grid supply.
  • Maintenance - your main maintenance cost will be insurance and tire.
  • Fast chargers - for drives longer than 400 you will have plenty of fast chager n highway yu can chec with apps of third party chargers for the locations. maruti is going to build a strong charging infrastucture with launching eVitara.
  • Resale of EV- You cannot predict future. imagine one day some minister wake up and make the rule against petrol diesel cars to be scrapped after 2030 then where will be the resale of petrol and diesel.
  • Avoid TATA, mahindra an chinese you can go with hyundai creta ev and maruti eVitara.
You can check the owner review

Hyundai Kona Electric @ 1,85,000 km update | Cost of ownership

Hyundai Kona Electric @ 1,85,000 km update | Cost of ownership
www.team-bhp.com
This person has changed battery in waranty at 65000 and after runnimg 120000km on new battery is degraded only 8% so 92& health is remaining.

Hyundai Kona : Official Review

Hyundai Kona : Official Review
www.team-bhp.com

2025 Hyundai Creta Electric Review

2025 Hyundai Creta Electric Review
www.team-bhp.com

Maruti e-Vitara @ Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025

Maruti e-Vitara @ Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025
www.team-bhp.com
 
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Kaching999 said:
Did you consider the Verna and if yes then what made you pick the Virtus over the Verna?
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I did but family (and me) preferred the looks of the virtus. Parents were against EVs for safety /whatnot hence why the EV plan was dropped .
We initially went to VW for the taigun but The family saw The Virtus and liked it a lot ( got the 1.0L AT Highline)
this will be used mostly for daily commute/errands so its not a big deal. The 2nd gear is a little jumpy/jerky and it shifts down fairly quickly, Im coming from a diesel manual (chevy Cruze hand me down from dad) and this is my first AT, also I get 7.x-8.x in city traffic and 11.x -13.x (based on the System readings) on avg rarely more on highways other than that no real issues so far.
 
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The Chevy Cruze / Optra really spoil you. They are both amazing cars (power and torque) and shifting from them to these puny little things is going to take a lot of adjustment, but I am sure your left leg with thank you for the well deserved rest! The mileage is a little disappointing though - my Optra used to give me consistently 12+ in really bad traffic drives, and 18+ on the highways. (Magnum), and I think my current car too (again 2 litre engine, 180bhp, and 380nm) gives me 15kpl (diesel) in city.

Loved the drive of the Virtus though, but for me the Verna seemed more loaded. But these were impressions on short drives in friends' cars.
 
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People have listed some very good points in this thread. I'll add some of mine as well:
- If it is a second vehicle, and mostly for city use, then an EV is fine.
- If you have your own home, and have solar, then EV is a no brainer.
- If you're planning to get an EV, download plugshare for longer trips.
- Infrastructure on major highways is pretty decent nowadays. But trip planning is still essential.
- Avoid Oil PSU charging stations, they suck. Others are good enough.
- Don't buy a first gen EV product, at least until 1 year after launch. Give them time to sort out any problems. Don't be the beta tester.
- Current gen (LFP) batteries are extremely safe (blade batteries are LFP, and can even withstand punctures!). They can also go through lots of charging cycles without major degradation.
- EV market is set to explode in the near future. Lots of born electric models (like the BE6/XEV9e) are slated for entry. If you can wait for 1-2 years, please do.
- Range anxiety shouldn't be a problem with these new models, since they come with batteries that can go for 400-600km on a single charge. These distances are long enough where you'd take at least 1 break during the journey, which should be enough to charge the car as well.
- Modern born electric car batteries can fast charge from 20-80% in 30-40 mins.
 
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