: Do EVs Work For Road Trips? How I Travelled From Delhi to Spiti In Just Rs 2000 #IndiaNEWS #Electric Vehicles Anjnay Saini from Delhi started driving cars 13 years ago and like most Delhiites driving

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Do EVs Work For Road Trips? How I Travelled From Delhi to Spiti In Just Rs 2000 #IndiaNEWS #Electric Vehicles
Anjnay Saini from Delhi started driving cars 13 years ago and like most Delhiites driving north to the beautiful destinations like Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh featured in his desire list too.
So he jumped on every opportunity to travel on the incredibly scenic routes.
His latest trip to Spiti Valley, a cold desert mountain valley located high in the Himalayas, was his personal favourite, where he drove his Tata Nexon electric SUV and covered a total distance of 1,900 km.
On June 13, he left Delhi with his three friends and drove via Sonipat, Karnal, Chandigarh and Shimla. The goal was to reach the world’s highest post office and petrol pump in Hikkim and Kaza, respectively.
True to its iconic destinations, Spiti happens to be a high altitude desert with extreme terrain and rough weather. Amidst the windswept landscape is a treacherous path so narrow that accidents are a common phenomenon.
Route taken: Delhi – Sonipat – karnal – Chandigarh – Shimla – Narkanda – Rampur bushahr – Reckong Peo – Nako – Tabo – Kaza – Hikkim (world highest post office) – Langza – Delhi.
Saini’s decision to drive in an electric car on difficult terrain where there are no proper roads, let alone have charging stations, was a bold, albeit risky one.
But with proper planning and calculated stops, he completed the journey with minor bumps.
“This has been my most challenging but exciting trip so far. During the five-day trip I learnt, adapted and planned. From electric units, range anxiety, regenerative braking to strangers’ kindness on seeing an electric car, I added new terms and experiences to my road trip dictionary,� Saini tells The Better India.
Pre-journey preparations
On the way to Kaza
Tata Nexon’s range is 312 km on a single charge and the battery takes 8. 5 hours to charge fully. So Saini swears by having mental preparedness, discipline and patience when driving an EV.
“Slow driving is a must for an EV driver, if there is no charging infrastructure. In Nexon, you can get a terrific range of 200 km, if you drive at 80 kmph. By controlling my speed I was able to get a range up to 320 km. The average range on hilly parts was 180 km. This means being okay with several vehicles overtaking you,� he notes.
In an EV, the best way to prevent fast battery drainage, the driver must accelerate less and have fewer sudden breaks. Saini’s main focus was on battery optimisation through regeneration of energy.

“I identified routes that were downhill for the regenerative braking, which helps in increasing range while saving energy. In petrol-based cars, the power tends to reduce in high terrains but in an EV it can be beneficial,� says Saini.

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