Tata Nexon EV became India's best-selling electric vehicle outselling rivals like the MG ZS EV and the Hyundai Kona EV. It is currently the most affordable electric SUV that you can buy in India and if you stay in a metro city, you will be able to spot one easily on the roads. In this article, we talk about an owner of the Tata Nexon EV who uses solar power to charge his SUV and hence uses the car for free! How he uses the solar charging Nexon EV? Well, he explains it here.
Before we move forward, you may want to turn on the subtitles in the video above. Alternatively, you can continue to read our article here. So how does solar charging Nexon EV works? This doctor from Kerala got the delivery of his first, a Nexon EV a few months ago. As per the video, he installed solar panels at his home about 10 months ago and got the delivery of the Nexon EV soon after that. Since then, he has been using the solar panels to charge the Nexon EV and is literally using the vehicle for free.
While the cost of installation of solar panels is quite high, he is not paying anything to charge the car. The panels provide ample power for his home and charge the car at the same time.
The video has also done a calculation of the running cost. The video says that a petrol car from the same segment will require about Rs 6 lakh in 8 years. The cost includes fuel cost only. But an electric vehicle will require only Rs 1 lakh for the same time period, which is a massive difference.
How he drives the car for free?
The doctor drives the car for about 250 km ever week. To charge the vehicle completely, about 30 units of electricity is used. On a full charge, the Nexon EV returns about 250 km, which means he charges the vehicle weekly. Customers who use the car more will need to recharge the car frequently. This solar charging Nexon EV is a zero-emission operation in every sense.
Is an EV more practical?
Due to the various schemes to promote EV in India, the road tax comes to be quite cheap compared to non-EV vehicles. In Kerala, the road tax for EV is only 5%, which is much lower than petrol and diesel counterparts. However, the cost of the vehicle remains on the higher side. Also, if you're planning to do a long road trip then it can be a problem. India's charging infrastructure is still at a novice stage and it will take years before EVs become as practical as the petrol and diesel vehicles. They are perfect for city use and regular commute and are much cheaper to use too.
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