The Tata Nexon EV, one of the best-selling electric SUVs in India, is priced between Rs 12.49 Lakh and Rs 17.19 Lakh, ex-showroom. It comes with two battery pack options: 30 kWh and 45 kWh, offering a claimed range of 325 km and 489 km respectively. However, real-world conditions affect an EV’s range. Therefore, to test it, I (Lakshya Rana) took a 45 kWh variant of Nexon EV out for a spin and conducted a real-world range test.
The car was fully charged using a 7.3 kWh AC charger before the test. Since it was winter, the AC remained off to optimize energy consumption. I drove in Eco mode for maximum efficiency. The car was loaded with four passengers, with a total weight of around 270-280 kg.
The route covered different types of roads:
— 200 km on a national highway (average cruising speed 90-110 km/h).
— 60 km on a state highway (average cruising speed 40-60 km/h).
— Rest in rural areas (average cruising speed 20-30 km/h).
At the start, the instrument cluster showed a projected 384 km range (as seen in photo 1). At the end of the test, the remaining projected range dropped to 75 km with 19% battery left (seen in photo 2). The car covered 293.7 km in total using 81% battery with an average energy consumption of 126 Wh/km.
If we account for the remaining 19% battery as per the given performance, the estimated real-world range would be around 360-380 km on a full charge. This is lower than the claimed 489 km range, but still practical for everyday use.
A large portion of the drive (200 km) was on the national highway at high speeds (90-110 km/h). If it had been driven at lower speeds, the range could have been higher as the higher speed drains the battery faster.
On state highways (40-60 km/h) and rural roads (20-30 km/h), energy consumption was more efficient as some amount of power was recovered through the car’s regenerative braking. This suggests that city driving would provide a better range.
The car was carrying four passengers, which added extra weight, and slightly affected efficiency. A lighter load could have improved the range by reducing energy consumption.
It performed well in real-world driving conditions. While the claimed 489 km range was not achieved, a real-world range of 360-380 km is sufficient for most users. In city conditions, the range is expected to be higher due to lower speeds and better energy recovery.
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