Switching to an EV in 2025? Don’t Decide Before Reading This

Apart from the usual car test drives one does, Electric Vehicle  need special attention since there are a whole lot of things that are taken for granted in the Internal Combustion Engine(ICE) vehicles.

Majority usage 80-90+% in the city? What is the distance covered per day (to and from) 100km max? OR this is a second car for runabouts.10-20% highway usage in the range of 200km one or two way per day?.

(Popular weekend destinations have fast chargers en-route and most hotels and resorts accommodate charging requests at their premises.Charging is possible at work(if used for commuting) or home? 

Don’t Overbuy: High-Range EVs Aren’t Always Practical for Personal Use

If all the above points are applicable and works then mostly 99% you are an Electric Vehicle’s ready candidate. However, don’t buy a high range Electric Vehicle with extra high battery capacity, especially if you are a personal user unless you really intend to use it. 99% of the cases do not utilize the extra range and capacity of long range EV’s

. Real world 200-350 km ranged Electric vehicle is usable even today by using the ever expanding fast charging network. Fleet owners who run business on Electric vehicle can’t afford to wait for their vehicle to be charged during the business hours, hence they either need a 10-15 minute fast charging ones or the long ranged ones good for a day. They also earn money from the consumers/businesses they serve and it works out for them but not for personal users

Test drives

Get over this surreal feeling that EV’s provide, that quiet and silent drive in the first 10-15 minutes so that you can come down to earth and focus on the real Electric Vehicle aspects that matter in a day to day running.

I know what it feels like and it is better than flying, because that’s what it is, they are silent by nature! It is not like a Merc, Toyota or a Honda where they had to go to great lengths to perfect the noise isolation in the cabin despite the car being a noisy Diesel.

EVs are filled with electronics, so some details of what to look for from the manufacturer is key

EV’s have two critical components and they are obviously Motor and Battery and expensive in terms of cost and hence these should be having the longest warranty terms. For example, BYD 5L kms/8 year, Tata and MG do 1.6L kms/ 8 years. Now there are other components like Contactor, BMS, Energy Management System, Charging sockets, Charger, Battery Cooling mechanisms, fans etc.

Understand your battery chemistry

NMC and LFP batteries are two popular chemistries and they have their own advantages and disadvantages. LFP usually is of lower energy density than NMC batteries but with BYD cells they are able to provide the same/almost same range as NMC ones since they reduced the battery protection casing material by re-architecting the cells and made it a lot safer than the NMC cells currently in use. 

Charging options

This is an EV deal breaker for many. Understand what is the DC charging type for your vehicle, the most popular one worldwide is CCS-2 Combined Charging System now and in India too this is the popular choice. Many old Electric car (my Verito) have a DC001 or GB/T connector which is a Chinese standard.

Understand what are the AC charging options (there is a regular 15A charge option(3.3 KW max) and a 7KW 32A single phase special connection and some really

high end ones demand a 3 phase 22KW AC charger so that their 70+kwh batteries can juice up overnight) bigger the battery more time is needed to charge unless one can setup a fast AC charger at home. 

Conclusion 

EVs consume a lot of current(in Amperes) for the charging hence don’t cheap out on sockets and cables if used for outside travel. Let the Electric vehicle’s provider come home and assess your electrical situation and install the home charger. If you are preparing an extension cable roll for travels, do so with the highest thickness needed to handle the max current, for example my Verito needs a 4sq mm 3 core cable for lengths up to 25m.

In the name of Electric Vehicle fix all those faulty electrical sockets, grounding and false phase and neutral wiring at home please. Don’t buy any Cona products, whereas GM, Havells and Anchor seem to hold the stated currents and have offered better experience by not burning out IMHO. If preparing an extension cable, have an MCB attached next to the charge socket as a switch to prevent vehicle from unintended short circuit and other mishaps. 

Read also – Tata Harrier E-V vs Mahindra XUV 9EV: Which Electric SUV Gives You More for Your Money?https://evindians.com/tata-harrier-ev-vs-mahindra-xuv-9ev-comparison-2025/