Long EV road trips in India still come with a lot of questions. Where do you charge? How reliable are the chargers? How long does it really take? How much does it cost? And most importantly, is range anxiety still a real problem?
To answer these questions with real-world data, Bharanikanth S Tirumala recently completed a round trip from Hyderabad to Srikalahasti and back in his Windsor EV Pro and documented the journey in great detail.
This was not a short drive. The total journey covered around 1,260 km over two days, across highways and multiple towns, using a mix of Tata Power, HP E-Charge, Voltran, Bolt.Earth and other charging networks, planned using EVJoints and PlugShare.
What makes this story valuable is not just the distance, but the honesty. It includes charger failures, slow chargers, expensive chargers, hotel charging, planning strategies and real lessons that any EV owner in India can learn from.
The Car and Trip Overview
EV Details
- Car Model: MG Windsor EV Pro
- Battery Capacity: 52 kWh
- Real-world range (as observed by the user): ~320 km
Trip Details
- Trip Type: Round trip
- Source City: Hyderabad
- Destination: Srikalahasti
- Total Trip Duration: 2 days
- Total Distance Covered: ~1,260 km
How the Trip Was Planned
Bharanikanth did not rely on luck. The trip was planned with:
- Multiple charging stops
- Backup chargers in mind
- A preference for fast chargers wherever possible
Apps used for planning and execution:
- Trip planners: EVJoints and PlugShare
- CPO apps used: Tata EV, Jio-BP, HP E-Charge, Voltran, Bolt.Earth
- Navigation and discovery: Google Maps, EVJoints, PlugShare
He mentions that range anxiety was present, but manageable because the trip was planned with alternatives and buffer.
Day 1: Hyderabad to Srikalahasti
Route Taken
- Hyderabad → Kurnool → Mydukuru → Venkatagiri → Srikalahasti
Day 1 Summary
- Date: 25-01-2025
- Total Distance Covered: ~640 km
- Total Journey Time (including charging and breaks): ~13 hours
- Number of Charging Stops: 3
Charging Stop 1 (Day 1)
- Start SOC: 100%
- End SOC: 15%
- Charging Station: Nandyala Tata Power at IOCL
- Charger Speed: 30 kW
- Units Charged: 20.74 kWh
- Time Spent: 45 minutes
- Cost: ₹500
- What he did: Chilled in the car
Charging Stop 2 (Day 1)
- Start SOC: 12%
- End SOC: 94%
- Charging Station: Voltran Mydukuru Charging Hub
- Charger Speed: 60 kW
- Units Charged: 40.21 kWh
- Time Spent: 1 hour
- Cost: ₹996
- What he did: Lunch break at a nearby restaurant
Charging Stop 3 (Day 1)
- Start SOC: 18%
- End SOC: 55%
- Charging Station: Bolt.Earth public charger at MGM Grant
- Charger Speed: 7.2 kW (AC)
- Units Charged: ~15.5 kWh
- Time Spent: 3 hours 25 minutes
- Cost: Free
- What he did: Checked into the hotel and rested
This overnight AC charge at the hotel played a key role in making Day 2 more relaxed.
Day 2: Srikalahasti to Hyderabad
Route Taken
- Srikalahasti → Kodur → Mydukuru → Kadapa → Kurnool → Hyderabad
Day 2 Summary
- Total Distance Covered: ~620 km
- Total Journey Time: ~14 hours
- Number of Charging Stops: 3
Charging Stop 1 (Day 2)
- Start SOC: 35%
- End SOC: 70%
- Charging Station: Tata Power
- Charger Speed: 30 kW
- Units Charged: 20.13 kWh
- Time Spent: 48 minutes
- Cost: ₹483
- What he did: Coffee break
Charging Stop 2 (Day 2)
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.
- Start SOC: 27%
- End SOC: 85%
- Charging Station: HP E-Charge, Ramisetty Filling Station, Mydukuru
- Charger Speed: 60 kW
- Units Charged: 27.03 kWh
- Time Spent: 30 minutes
- Cost: ₹446.5
- What he did: Lunch
Charging Stop 3 (Day 2)
- Start SOC: 27%
- End SOC: 75%
- Charging Station: Food Pyramid, Jio-BP Pulse
- Charger Speed: 60 kW DC
- Units Charged: 33.31 kWh
- Time Spent: 35 minutes
- Cost: ₹1021.5
- What he did: Dinner
Overall Charging Summary (Both Days)
Total Energy Added Across All Stops
- Day 1: ~76.45 kWh
- Day 2: ~80.47 kWh
- Total for the trip: ~157 kWh
Total Charging Stops
- Day 1: 3
- Day 2: 3
- Total: 6 charging stops
Total Charging Cost (approx)
- ₹500 + ₹996 + ₹0 + ₹483 + ₹446.5 + ₹1021.5
- Total ≈ ₹3,447
Average Charging Cost per Unit
- Roughly between ₹16 to ₹30 per kWh, depending on network and location
Overall Trip Efficiency and Reality Check
- Total Distance: ~1,260 km
- Total Energy Added: ~157 kWh
- Real-world efficiency observed: ~8 km per kWh (approx, including all driving conditions)
For a 52 kWh EV doing long highway runs with multiple fast charges, this is completely realistic and healthy performance.
What Worked Well
- Planning with alternate chargers removed most of the stress.
- Fast chargers from Tata, HP and Voltran made the highway legs comfortable.
- Hotel AC charging helped reduce pressure on Day 2.
- Using EVJoints and PlugShare together made charger discovery and planning easier.
What Did Not Go So Well
- A ChargeZone fast charger failed due to heating issues.
- Tata EZ Charge delivered only 20 kW instead of higher speeds.
- Jio-BP Pulse was noticeably expensive compared to other networks.
This highlights a very real truth of EV highway driving in India today. Not all chargers behave the same way, even if they are rated for higher speeds.
Range Anxiety: Was It There?
Yes, a little. But it was controlled and manageable because:
- The route was planned in advance.
- Backup chargers were identified.
- Charging was not left to the last 5 or 10 percent.
The Most Important Lessons from This Trip
In Bharanikanth’s own experience:
- The best highway charging strategy is to charge up to 80 to 85 percent, not beyond.
- Pushing the car beyond 90 percent wastes time and does not give proportional range.
- Understanding your own car’s real-world range and driving style matters more than brochure numbers.
- Always keep alternate chargers in mind.
- Expect some chargers to be slow, faulty, or expensive and plan buffers accordingly.
Final Thoughts: What This Trip Proves
This 1,260 km round trip clearly proves something important:
Long-distance EV travel in India is not just possible. It is already practical, repeatable, and predictable if you plan it properly.
Yes, the ecosystem is still maturing. Yes, some chargers fail. Yes, speeds and pricing vary wildly. But with the right planning tools, the right expectations, and a calm approach, EV road trips are no longer an adventure. They are just journeys.
Stories like this are exactly what build confidence for new EV buyers and first-time highway trippers.
