Car: Tata Nexon EV LR (40.5 kWh)
Driver: Sudhakar Nalluri, Hyderabad
Trip: Hyderabad → Gangtok → Kolkata → Varanasi → Hyderabad
Total Distance: ~5,960 km
Duration: 13 days
When people ask, “Can you really do long road trips in an EV in India?” — this trip is the answer.
In December 2025, Sudhakar set out from Hyderabad in his Tata Nexon EV and drove all the way to Gangtok in Sikkim, then across eastern India, and finally back home. This wasn’t a short highway run. This was a multi-state, multi-terrain, real India road trip — including long highway stretches, city traffic, and hilly mountain roads.
And he did it entirely on public charging infrastructure.
The Big Picture
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Nearly 6,000 km covered
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40.5 kWh battery car (not a huge-battery EV)
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Dozens of charging sessions across Statiq, BPCL, HPCL, Jio-BP, Tata Power, Adani, ChargeZone
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Highways, cities, remote stretches, and hills
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Only one charger caused trouble in the entire trip
This alone shows how far India’s EV charging network has come
The Route
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Hyderabad → Visakhapatnam → Odisha → Kolkata → Siliguri → Gangtok
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Local driving in Gangtok & Kolkata
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Return via: Kolkata → Gaya → Varanasi → Rewa → Nagpur → Hyderabad
Some days were relaxed. Some days were 18–20 hour driving days covering 700–1000+ km.
How the Trip Was Planned (Or Rather, Not Planned)
Sudhakar did not use a trip planner.
He relied on:
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His experience
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Checking chargers manually
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On-the-fly decisions during the journey
That makes this trip even more impressive — but also explains why some days were mentally tiring and a few charging stops were reached at very low battery percentages.
Charging Was Just Part of the Journey
What’s striking in Sudhakar’s log is how normal charging became:
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Charging breaks were used for:
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Breakfast 🍳
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Lunch 🍛
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Dinner 🍽️
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Short naps 😴
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Even a temple visit 🙏
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This is exactly how EV road trips should feel:
You stop anyway. The car just charges while you live your life.
Typical charging sessions:
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45 minutes to 1.5 hours
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Mostly 30–60 kW chargers, sometimes 120 kW
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Mix of highways, city stations, fuel pumps, hotels, and resorts
Charging Log – Leg 1: Hyderabad → Gangtok (Day 1 to Day 4)
Distance covered in this leg: 2,455 km
Days: 4
Terrains: Highways + plains + hills + mountains
| Day | Location | Network | Arr % | Leave % | Energy (kWh) | Time | What he did |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vijayawada | Hyundai (Ionage) | 13% | — | 31.25 | 1h 13m | Dinner |
| 1 | Gannavaram | BPCL (Statiq) | 15% | 64% | 18.94 | 54m | Sleep |
| 1 | Rajahmundry | IOCL (ChargeZone) | 13% | 100% | 34.92 | 1h 20m | Sleep |
| 1 | Anandapuram | BPCL (Statiq) | 13% | 81% | 26.09 | 54m | Sleep |
| 2 | Narasannapet | HPCL (Statiq) | 15% | 91% | 32.24 | 1h 06m | Lunch |
| 2 | Berhampore | Hyundai (Ionage) | 16% | 92% | 31.00 | 1h 15m | Rest |
| 3 | Chatrapur | BPCL (Statiq) | 37% | 97% | 23.73 | 55m | Breakfast |
| 3 | Kochinda | BPCL (Statiq) | 6% | 93% | 32.50 | 1h 15m | Rest |
| 3 | Balasore Hwy | BPCL (Statiq) | 40% | 96% | 21.89 | 51m | Dinner |
| 3 | Burdwan | Jio-BP | 41% | 100% | 23.00 | 1h 07m | Sleep |
| 4 | Moregram | BPCL (Statiq) | 37% | 81% | 17.07 | 47m | Breakfast |
| 4 | Paradesi Dhaba | Adani | 38% | 94% | 21.13 | 45m | Lunch |
| 4 | Siliguri | HPCL (Statiq) | 15% | 94% | 30.56 | 1h 09m | Rest |
Summary — Day 1 to Day 4 (Hyderabad → Gangtok)
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Total distance: 2,455 km
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Total charging sessions: 13
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Total energy added: ~344.3 kWh
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Total charging time: ~13 hours 31 minutes
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Average session time: ~62 minutes
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Typical arrival SOC: 10–40%
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Typical charging style: Charge → Eat / Rest / Sleep → Continue
The Scariest Moment: Reaching With 1% in the Hills
On one of the stretches in eastern India, the next charger was almost 240 km away, and the terrain was hilly. Range anxiety was very real on that day.
Sudhakar reached the charger with just 1% battery remaining.
The car made it. But this is exactly the kind of situation every EV driver wants to avoid.
What Surprised Him the Most
“Except one charger, almost all chargers were working. Earlier BPCL chargers were not always reliable. But now many new chargers are placed and they are working perfectly.”
This is a big indicator of how much India’s charging infrastructure has improved in just the last couple of years, especially across eastern and central India.
What This Trip Proves
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✅ Long EV road trips across India are already practical
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✅ You don’t need a huge battery pack to explore the country
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✅ Public charging is far more usable than most people think
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⚠️ The real challenge is not the car — it is uncertainty and guesswork
The Honest Truth: This Trip Worked, But It Was Mentally Heavy
This journey succeeded because of:
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Experience
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Patience
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And a willingness to take some risks
There were:
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Very low battery arrivals
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Very long days
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A lot of mental calculation and second-guessing
It worked. But it could have been far more relaxed.
Why Planning Changes Everything
This entire journey proves that EV travel is possible.
But it also shows why planning matters:
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You can see chargers before you start
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You can align charging stops with food and rest breaks
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You avoid 1% arrival situations
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You travel with confidence instead of courage
Final Takeaway
Nearly 6,000 km across India.
In a Tata Nexon EV.
Across highways, cities, and mountains.
On public charging alone.
This is not the future.
This is India, today.
If you’ve done a memorable EV road trip, we’d love to feature your story in EVTripDiaries. Your experience might be exactly what another EV owner needs to take their first long journey.
