3-Day EV Road Trip in My Mahindra XEV 9e: 1800 km Pune to Ujjain and Return

1 EV, 2 Friends, 3 Days – An 1800 km EV Road Yatra

It all began with the most dangerous of inventions in Indian history: the 10-second phone call. “Ujjain chalte hai kya?” “Ha, chal.”

And boom – an epic 3-day, 1800 km road trip was born. Before my friend could even hang up, I had already added Indore, Omkareshwar, and Maheshwar into the mix. And just when he thought the plan was set, I threw in Grishneshwar as well into the party – added literally 10 minutes before departure. Planning? Overrated. Optimism? Unlimited.

Route Planning – A PhD in Google Maps & Charging Infrastructure

Armed with EVJoints, Statiq, and Google Maps as my holy trinity, I transformed into a walking-talking EV charging station directory. At one point, I was reciting charger names, location coordinates, charger speeds, and even their owner’s probable blood groups as if I was preparing for Kaun Banega Crorepati: EV Edition.

Now, while my car can swagger around with 500+ kms on a single charge, I chose to act like that relative who carries five umbrellas for a drizzle. I pegged my magic number at 400 kms per stop. Thus began my epic quest of mapping stops, backups, and backups for the backups – because if Murphy’s Law had a charging cable, it would plug itself into my car. The “extra” 100 kms I left untouched became my insurance policy against life’s little curveballs: chargers being occupied, breaking down, getting ICE-d, or, who knows, abducted by aliens under the bright blue sky. By the time I was done, I had a laundry list of 16 charging points ready, like a paranoid squirrel hoarding nuts. To level up, I roped in Charles Nadar (the EVJoints founder and my temporary crisis counselor), who cheerfully handed me another dozen options and a crash course on the app. The interface was so slick that even my thumb felt important while planning the drive.

Three routes wrestled in my head (Ahilyanagar-Sambhajinagar, Sinnar-Samruddhi & Nashik-Malegaon), but Route Option 2 – via the shiny new Samruddhi Expressway won. Why? Toll-free for EVs, silky-smooth tarmac, and a perfect playground to test out Adaptive Cruise Control. Distance-wise, it was like going from Pune to Delhi via Goa, but hey, Experiences > Kilometers.

Day 1 – Pune → Grishneshwar → Indore (via Shirpur)

Start Time: 4:30 AM
Start Point: Pune
End Time: 10:15 PM
End Point: Sayaji Indore Hotel
Highlight: Testing Adaptive Cruise Control & bribing a waiter for a bike ride back to the charger.

We began at 4:30 AM sharp(ish). Plan was simple: drive in shifts, nap while the other drove. Reality: neither of us slept a wink. Instead, we kept up a non-stop commentary praising the XEV9e like proud parents at a school play.

Breakfast and the first charge stop came at Hotel Mayur Express, where the car juiced up while we feasted on some South Indian delicacies. Post that, the Samruddhi Expressway blew our minds. I set ACC to 115 km/h, and the car did its magic – auto lane change included. Honestly, it felt less like driving and more like being chauffeured by Iron Man.

After darshan at Grishneshwar (and a mandatory wait for an hour during aarti), we drove on. Lunch was delayed till Shirpur, where we found a 120kWh DC fast charger and a restaurant… but the restaurant was 1 km away. We walked there enthusiastically, but flat-out refused to walk back post-meal. We bribed a waiter to drop us back on his EV scooty. EV road trips = jugaad + generosity.

We finally rolled into Indore at 10:15 PM, battery topped, spirits high, and stomachs ready for 56 Dukan. Chilled out at 56 Dukan for about an hour while binging on Panipuri & other fast foods before crashing for the day just before midnight.

Day 2 – Indore → Ujjain → Omkareshwar

Start Time: 9:00 AM
Start Point: Indore
End Time: 11:30 PM
End Point: MPT Temple View, Omkareshwar
Highlight: Losing the schedule to temple queues & the “Hum Upar Hai Ya Neeche?” game

The day started well – with a heavy breakfast. Mahakaleshwar Darshan queues ate up 90 minutes, Kaal Bhairav added another hour, and by 4 PM our “tight schedule” had been quashed to a million pieces.

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.

Hungry and tired, we gave up on speed-running temples and decided to stay at Omkareshwar overnight. A quick detour into Phoenix Citadel Mall, Indore gave the car some much-needed electrons while we treated ourselves to a fresh Keventers cold coffee.

The Bheru Ghat drive at night was comedy gold. Dense foliage, pitch darkness, and my friend clueless about whether we were going uphill or downhill due to the faint gradient and weird ghat sections with as many straights as a State Highway. He kept asking & I kept increasing his confusion by retorting every two minutes – “Hum upar hai ya neeche?” He had no clue and I didn’t bother telling him, for a straight 10 kilometers. We laughed like two schoolboys until we finally reached Omkareshwar at 11:30 PM.

Day 3 – Omkareshwar → Maheshwar → Pune

Start Time: 8:00 AM
Start Point: Omkareshwar
End Time: 7:30 AM next day
End Point: Pune
Highlight: Saree shopping, torrential rain, and a traffic jam that lasted longer than most Bollywood movies.

Darshan done, breakfast demolished, and off we went to Maheshwar. Ahilyabai Holkar’s palace and fort were stunning, and of course, I couldn’t escape without buying the world famous Maheshwari sarees for mom and wife. (Top tip for husbands: never return from Maheshwar empty-handed.)

The return drive was smooth… until Manchar, where torrential rain + traffic jam = 3 hours for moving 2 km. Trucks were driving everywhere – left, right, wrong side – you name it. Our final recharge at Mayur Express was like a last energy bar in a video game.

We finally reached Pune at 7:30 AM, after three days, countless laughs, endless queues, and about as much food as one could possibly fit into an EV trip.

Charging Stop Logbook (Because EV = Excel + Darshan)

Trip Stats at a Glance

• Total Distance: 1,800 km
• Duration: 3 Days
• Charging Stops: 5 (DC Fast Charging)
• Total Charging Time: ~5 hrs 43 mins
• Total Energy Consumed: ~159 kWh*
• Average Efficiency: ~7 km/kWh*
• Charging Cost: ~₹5,170 (adjusted after deducting value of 79% battery left at trip end)
• Average Cost per km: ~₹2.9/km (after adjustment)

*Estimated from SoC logs and typical XEV 9e usable battery (≈70 kWh).

Lessons from 1800 KMs in an EV

1. Range Anxiety is Real, but Manageable – The first 200 kms of a charge are for driving, the next 200 are for staring at the SOC %, and the last 100 are for deep breathing exercises.

1. Backups are Your Best Friends – One charger on the map means “hope,” two means “probable,” and three means “now you’re talking.” Always have backups for your backups.
2. EV Planning > Wedding Planning – Between mapping chargers, checking connector types, and plotting food stops, I planned this trip better with EVJoints Trip Planner than some people plan their marriages.
3. Time is Elastic at Charging Stops – “Just 30 minutes to 80%” always magically turns into an hour once you factor in queues, coffee breaks, and small-town uncles asking, “Kitna deti hai?”
4. You Become an EV Ambassador – Be ready to give crash courses on battery life, charging speeds, and subsidies to curious strangers. Bonus points if they mistake you for a company rep.
5. Driving Becomes Zen-Like – Smooth torque, no engine noise, and long stretches without gear shifts. Until a charging app glitches – then it’s instant rage yoga.
6. Food & Charging Go Hand-in-Hand – McDonald’s, CCDs, and highway dhabas are no longer just eateries, they’re sacred charging shrines. The fries taste better when your battery fills up too.
7. You’ll Return Smarter (and Slightly Smugger) – By the end, you know more about charging infrastructure, road networks, and power grids than you ever cared to. And yes, you secretly enjoy telling people: “Oh, I did 1800 kms in an EV.” (Electric Flex Pro Max)

So there you have it – 1 EV, 2 friends, 3 days, 1800 kms, 3 Jyotirlingas, 1 fort, countless food stops, and 5 charging pitstops.

If there was one lesson from this trip? In an EV road trip, Darshan queues drain more energy than the battery ever will. ⚡😅

Would I do it again? Absolutely.
Would I plan it better next time? Probably not. After all, what’s an epic road trip without temple queues, unplanned rain delays, and bribing a waiter for a ride back to your charger? 😅