Bangalore – Hyderabad – Bidar – (Nanded) – Bangalore
Through our EVTripDiaries series, we share real stories from EV owners who have gone the distance not with massive batteries or premium EVs, but with smart planning. Because in EV travel, planning your route right is often the real secret behind a successful long trip.
This is the story of a 1,516 km real-world journey in a Windsor EV Pro from Bangalore to Hyderabad, onward to Bidar (with a side trip to Nanded), and back. This is not a lab test or a marketing drive. This is a real family road trip with real chargers, real failures, real workarounds, and very real confidence built along the way.
If you are a new EV owner or considering the Windsor EV Pro, the biggest question is simple:
Can it really handle long highway trips in India?
After finishing this journey, I can confidently say yes, with the right mindset and planning.
Trip Summary at a Glance
- Car: Windsor EV Pro
- Total Distance: 1,516 km
- Route: Bangalore → Hyderabad → Bidar → Hyderabad → Bangalore
- Driving Style: Eco mode, light regen, mostly 80 to 90 km/h
- Overnight AC Charging: 2 nights
- DC Fast Charging Stops: Multiple highway sessions
- Best Efficiency Observed: 7.99 km/kWh
- Overall Trip Efficiency: ~7.8 km/kWh
- Practical Highway Range Observed: ~400 to 425 km
- Total Energy Used (approx): ~148 kWh
- Total Charging Cost for the Full Trip (DC + AC): ~₹3,927 (≈ ₹4,000, including two overnight AC charges)
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The Starting Point
The trip started at 3,150 km on the odometer and ended at 4,666 km. This was my first proper long highway trip in an EV.
Before this, I had only tried one DC charger in Bangalore just to understand how it works. So there was excitement, but also nervousness.
We left Bangalore at 6:00 AM, fully charged to 100% SoC, heading towards Hyderabad, about 585 km away.
I was driving, and I was asking my wife to install and get comfortable with EVJoints at the same time. Very quickly we realised:
You cannot safely drive and hunt for chargers at the same time.
Android Auto integration would really help here.
Reality Check: The First Charger Failure
Our first planned stop was a Tata charger around the 169 km mark, located at a petrol pump.
What actually happened:
- The location shown was wrong. It showed McDonald’s, but there was no charger there. Maybe old data.
- We had to take a long U-turn.
- The charger would not work.
- The petrol pump staff were completely clueless.
This is when it becomes very clear:
EV trips are not about one plan. They are about Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C.
The First Successful DC Charge and the Learning Curve
We proceeded to a Voltran charger that we found on EVJoints and were pleasantly surprised to find actual staff there.
They were helpful, but this being my first real DC charging stop on a highway trip, it still needed patience. As almost anticipated, the car needed a software reset by disconnecting the negative terminal of the EV for about 5 to 10 minutes.
After that:
- Charging worked fine
- We charged to 100%
- Total stop time was about 45 minutes
And a funny observation: the KFC here at Anantapur seemed to be surviving almost entirely because of EV charging traffic at the time we went.
At this stop, we met another Windsor, a Nexon EV, and a BE 9E. We exchanged journeys, tips, and experiences. It was genuinely nice.
The Second Voltran Stop and a Different Kind of Fix
At the second Voltran charger, the staff did not touch the car at all. This time, they simply reset the charger itself, and the session started immediately.
This was a good learning moment. Sometimes the problem is the car. Sometimes it is just the charger.
It was a small place, but we got some post-lunch snacks, vada, chutney, tasty rasam, and South Indian filter coffee for the chauffeur, me.
Charging Strategy: Two Short Stops Beat One Long Stop
Originally, the plan was to do one long stop.
But we changed strategy because:
- Watching the battery drop near 20% builds anxiety
- Two shorter stops feel mentally far easier
- Total time spent is almost the same anyway
This turned out to be a great strategy for the whole trip.
The Drive Experience
We had a boot full of luggage, but it all adjusted nicely because of the space, even with the spare wheel eating some depth.
The car felt:
- Very planted
- Very smooth
- Extremely comfortable
Thanks to the ventilated seats, I did not feel tired at all, even after hundreds of kilometres.
Interestingly, the Windsor feels even better on highways than in the city.
End of Day 1: Hyderabad and Overnight AC Charging
We stayed at an Airbnb near Mamidpally where the host provided a 16A socket.
Slow overnight AC charging keeps the battery happy and balanced. You sleep, the car charges, and both are ready in the morning.
The roads in and around Hyderabad were super beautiful, and honestly, that Outer Ring Road is something else.
On one of the overnight AC charging sessions, the car stopped at 99% instead of 100%. This is not a usual behaviour and generally happens more on DC charging, but I noted it as a one-off quirk during this trip.
Scan the barcode and download the EVJoints app to find 6,000 EV charging stations across various networks.
Click & download the EVJoints app to find 6,000 charging stations.
Bangalore to Hyderabad: Day 1 Numbers
- Efficiency: 7.99 km/kWh
- Effective Real-World Range: ~424 km
- Energy Used: ~73 kWh
Hyderabad to Bidar: Charging as Insurance, Not Necessity
On the way to Bidar, we had already marked a Tata charger near a restaurant called Planet 9 using the EVJoints app.
We did not really need to charge, but since we were unsure about chargers beyond Bidar, we topped up to 100%.
Ironically:
- The charger was offline
- Customer care fixed it remotely in about 5 minutes
- After that, it worked seamlessly
- And it worked perfectly even on the return journey
Bidar, Gurdwara Stay, and Thoughts About Nanded
We reached Gurdwara Nanak Jhira Sahib in Bidar and stayed overnight at the Sarai. Reaching here in the Windsor for darshan felt really special.
Towards Nanded:
- Charger density is still very sparse
- The alternative route meant a long detour
- So we took a regular cab for the Bidar to Nanded visit
Once in Nanded, we did see a few EVs and even checked at an MG showroom. I genuinely hope that in the future, I can help connect some charging infra providers with the Gurdwara management committee here, because this is exactly the kind of place that deserves reliable charging.
The Charging Sessions: What Actually Happened on the Ground
Across the full trip, charging fell into three categories.
- Staffed Highway Chargers (Voltran)
- Most reliable experience
- Staff knew the quirks of different EVs
- Problems were solved quickly
- Much less stressful than unstaffed locations
- Unstaffed Fuel Station Chargers
- More likely to be non-functional or poorly maintained
- No help on site
- If something goes wrong, you are on your own
- Destination AC Charging
- The most peaceful and reliable form of charging
- Slow, gentle, and perfect for overnight stays
- Completely removes morning range anxiety
Typical DC Charging Session Data
- Session Duration: 30 to 50 minutes
- Energy Added per Stop: ~25 to 35 kWh
- Cost per Session: ₹560 to ₹760
- Reliability Reality: Roughly 1 in 4 chargers needs some form of intervention
The Return Journey: When EV Travel Becomes Boring in a Good Way
The return leg from Hyderabad to Bangalore, about 575 km, was completely uneventful.
- Chargers at Beechupalli and Anantapur worked perfectly
- No resets
- No troubleshooting
- No stress
We did stop at a ChargZone location, but did not charge there, because we had already decided to stick to the Voltran stops for this leg.
By now, confidence had fully replaced anxiety.
Return Leg Numbers
- Efficiency: 7.69 km/kWh
- Effective Range: ~407 km
- Energy Used: ~75 kWh
- Reached Bangalore with: ~45% SoC remaining
How EVJoints Helped in Real Usage
What worked very well:
- Seeing predicted battery percentage at each charger
- Elevation awareness
- Filtering by connector type and power
- Discovering staffed chargers like Voltran
Where real life differed from the plan:
- Some chargers were offline
- Some needed resets
- Some locations were inaccurate
But that is exactly why having multiple options visible on one map matters more than having one “perfect” charger.
Important UX Feedback
EV apps are used:
- In bright sunlight
- On highways
- Under time pressure
- Sometimes by older drivers
Bigger fonts, fewer taps, and clearer next-step decisions would make a big difference. Compared to many others, EVJoints already felt better in this respect.
What This Trip Taught Me
- Always plan at least two backup chargers
- Prefer staffed chargers on highways
- Assume one in four chargers may misbehave
- Two short charging stops are better than one long stop
- Overnight AC charging is extremely powerful
- Do not mix driving and charger hunting
- After one or two long trips, range anxiety almost disappears
Final Verdict on the Windsor EV Pro
Before this, I owned a Maruti Ritz Diesel, a tall boy car that I loved and used for many Delhi to Amritsar trips. Even today, I tend to reject cars that feel low, cramped, or awkward to get in and out of.
The Windsor:
- Has excellent headroom and space
- Is extremely comfortable
- Feels eager even in normal mode
- And is butter smooth on highways, even more than in the city
Doing Bangalore to Hyderabad and back almost single-handedly in this car was far more relaxing than in my old ICE car.
A Simple Analogy
Driving the Windsor EV Pro is like managing a smartphone battery.
Keep usage steady and it lasts long. Push it constantly and it drains faster. Find reliable chargers and life becomes simple.
A Note to the EV Community
Please review chargers, leave ratings, and update information.
Right now, EV users are helping each other while charging networks and infrastructure catch up.
The Real Conclusion
Long-distance EV travel in India is already practical. Not perfect. Not frictionless. But absolutely doable and comfortable with the right planning mindset.
This 1,516 km trip proves that clearly.
