New Delhi: Everyone is talking about electric cars and there is a lot of interest about it. However, in the midst of all this, we wanted to see how an electric car lives and uses it every day. Is range anxiety really that bad and does having an electric car change the way you look at automobiles in general?
For this, we went for the only electric car that has impressed us the most in terms of range so far – the Jaguar I-Pace. We’ve driven the I-Pace in Mumbai and Delhi before, with the car showing the highest range of any EV we’ve tested so far. So, how will that EV perform in real-world testing in a few days? The plan was to spend as many days as possible without any charges. The claimed WLTP range of the I-Pace is 480 km and the plan was to go close to that. We decided to take the expressway for a quick 150 km road trip and then drive through the city at no charge.
On the first day we had the car, it showed 387km range with 95 percent battery. The key to driving an EV is to change the driving style. I-Pace is fast, make it very fast. The dual electric motor makes 400bhp and 696Nm. Like any electric car, all that power is instant and you have to be careful not to break the speed limit. Fast mode is obviously too fast and isn’t even best used in Eco mode, a simple press of the accelerator and you’re breaking the speed limit. What I liked about using it every day was the ease of driving an electric car. It’s easy to overtake slow traffic and it’s shocking how fast the I-Pace is in the real world. This is why EVs operate in city traffic. What’s more, there’s a dedicated sound that the I-Pace makes, while of course you can use regenerative braking to charge, while also adjusting how much you want. I used it a lot and it adds to the experience while pushing your range.
What’s more, despite its sheer size, I forgot how big this EV is. The I-Pace is a heavy car but with sharp handling and quick steering it doesn’t feel like it. Also, the ground clearance which can be increased is a relief to our roads and hence I thought of taking it for road trips anyway. Sometimes EVs have ground clearance problems due to a low-hanging battery pack—not with it!
In the city, the I-Pace impressed us, but it had something to do with thinking about spending the next few days keeping some serious distance. City traffic is where the I-Pace or even any electric car excels with minimal effort and full acceleration in an instant. So, for that quick overtake, the I-Pace proved to be surprisingly capable to such an extent that I felt like I was driving a small hatchback and not a big SUV.
Range had barely dropped, but with the Yamuna Expressway approaching, we kept cruising at big triple-digit speeds with the air-con cranked to the max. We weren’t trying to save the limit and were driving normally – that’s the whole idea! A cruise also showed that the cabin of the I-Pace is a comfortable place to stay with all the toys expected from a multi-million-plus luxury car. That said, on a hot day, the unglazed glass roof makes the cabin very hot.
Anyway, the Delhi-Agra route among others will be an ‘e-corridor’ to which various charging stations will be connected. That said, the charging infrastructure is currently poor and in EVs with short ranges, you have to charge, and at the moment, it’s a hassle. With the I-Pace, there was no need as it didn’t charge fast enough even when driving on the highway, with the air-con maxing out on a hot day. Generally, EVs charge higher in the city and less on the highway – unlike petrol/diesel cars but there was no limit on consuming the I-Pace.
We were convinced not to charge the I-Pace and rightly so because the range still shows 130 odd kms – enough for a quick drive the next day too! We tried a few charging stations nearby where I lived but some didn’t have the appropriate connectors for the I-Pace! So we actually had the I-Pace for a few days but didn’t need to charge!
This also shows that while electric vehicles like the I-Pace are capable of covering a distance of 370 km with ease, the infrastructure is not yet ready. For a road trip, that too for a long distance, something like the I-Pace works like you can charge it when you arrive but the charging infrastructure needs improvement along the way.
Car Loan Information:
Calculate Car Loan EMI
,