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2023-12-15 4:05 pm
As the sun peeked over Pune's horizon, my brother-in-law and I kicked off our epic journey. It was a dream that I'd held since I first laid eyes on this car. Watching those adventurers on "Noise Faktory" journey to Ladakh sparked something within me. But convincing my parents wasn't easy; everyone else thought I was nuts for even considering taking a city car on such an odyssey. Yet, my folks stood by me, brushing off the skeptics, and finally gave the green light to our adventure.
Rolling out from PCMC, Pune, before the world woke up at 3:15 am on December 3rd, we were revved up! Our first pit stop was Jio BP Pulse at Itkare, a stone's throw from Kolhapur. We grabbed a bite at a Vithal Kamat Kamat restaurant, infamous for its massive South Indian meals capable of putting you into a food coma (ha-ha). We juiced up for nearly 39 minutes, charging from 20% to 66% SOC, and that cost us about ₹340.
Onto our next target: Jio BP at Chikalagudda in Karnataka. We raced through the highways at lightning speeds, passing sugarcane tractors as if they were standing still at 120–140 kmph. However, to our dismay, the charger conked out due to a power failure just minutes before our arrival. Despite their efforts, the on-site generator couldn't match the charger's 60 kW electricity demand. Saddened by the turn of events, we left with only 33% battery and made a beeline for the 'world-famous-in-India' Gogte Plaza Tata Power setup. These chargers pull from the purest sources—solar and windmills! The juice-up there set us back ₹706.
Our journey marched on to the Zeon charger at Ganesh Hotel, Hubli. We pulled in with a 20% charge, a stroke of luck as the initially faulty charger sprang to life as we arrived! While munching on lunch, we struck up a conversation with a savvy traveler in a BYD E6, covering a whopping 600 km daily—a genius move! Our quick 30-minute charging cost was a steal at ₹267.
But our adventure wasn't without its hiccups. Next, we zipped off to Jio BP Charger, Kadood, near Ranebennur, topping up to a full hundred to dodge any HV battery alerts (previous experiences of HV alerts haunt me). That stop came to ₹396. From there, we sped toward Nilajgal, only to find all the charging guns were faulty upon arrival. With no other choice, we zoomed off to the Zeon charging hub at Paakashaala, arriving with a meager 7% SOC and refueling to 100%, although it ate up one hour and 45 minutes of our time, priced at ₹925.
Switching driving duties to keep fatigue at bay, our next checkpoint was Jio at Namakkal, TN. The drive was a battle - no streetlights and a constant glare from oncoming traffic.
After a recharge and a two-hour nap, we were back on the road, but still weary. Our last top-up was at Zeon at Temple City, post-Madurai, costing us a princely sum of ₹31/unit, including GST. We savored some local Tamil Nadu breakfast and, after refueling the car, were back on our way.
While waiting for the car to charge, I found myself pondering: "What makes that leap from 95 to 100 feel like an endless stretch?" Zeon, however, had an enlightening explanation that shed light on this curious perception of speed.
The most grueling stretch lay ahead—the 4-hour, 45-minute haul. The inclines and ghats at the Kerala border in Thenmala demanded our utmost focus. The steep ascent drained our battery by about 1% every half kilometer, but thankfully, we rolled into Edamulackal, Kollam, Kerala, with a humble 33% SOC.
Phew! The road was bumpy, but the memories? Priceless.
Owning the very first car that I earned myself has been a dream I've cherished for so long. Taking this precious piece of my heart to the land of my ancestors has always been a soul-stirring aspiration—a journey connecting my roots with the soil that holds our family's history.
TRIP STATS:-
CHARGING COST
ROUTE MAP
CHARGING STATIONS WHERE I TOPPED UP MY CAR
Stay tuned for Part 2...
This topic was modified 1 year ago by Nihal Zakir Hussain
