I use different chargers depending on how fast I want to reach, what kind of food.
BHPian shyampsunder recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
I frequently drive from Bangalore to Coimbatore and Chennai, the charging infra has seen a ~5x growth in roughly 1.5 years since I have purchased the car. I am discounting BPCL and other government chargers because I don’t consider them reliable enough to waste my time and money on them.
I am going to list out the chargers that I keep in my mind while doing this trip. I use different chargers depending on how fast I want to reach, what kind of food I want and whether I feel like taking a break. So will modify the template slightly and reduce some redundant info.
- Vehicle – MG ZS EV
- Battery Capacity – 50 KWh
- Range on Highway – 300 kms (driving between 90-100 kmph)
Bangalore – Coimbatore (NH44)
Charger Details:
- Charging Point Provider (CPO) – Zeon
- Charger Capacity – 50 kW & 24 kW
- Number of Guns – 2
- Charger Location – Hotel Surya Complex, – Location Link
- Amenities – This is one of the best highway rest stops that I have been to in India, It has a lounge to take a nap, children’s play area, restrooms for guests as well as a full fledged hotel. I recommend this as stop for even ICE owners, never knew about this place in a decade of driving between these two cities.
- Restaurants: Plenty of options, all highly rated: Saravana Bhavan, McDonalds, KFC, Burger King and Baskin Robbins
It’s only around 70 KMs from Bangalore and I reach this place with 75%+ in SoC so it’s not an optimal stop but if we are hungry, we simply plugin to the 24 kW charger and have our meal. The car is usually at 100% much before we are done with our meal.
Bangalore – Coimbatore (NH44)
Charger Details:
- Charging Point Provider (CPO) – Zeon
- Charger Capacity – 50 kW
- Number of Guns – 1
- Charger Location – Aasai Aasai Anandha Bhavan, Omalur – Location Link
- Amenities – Good restaurant and clean restrooms. This place also has a bus charging facility.
It’s around 200 KMs from Bangalore and I reach this place with 40% in SoC. We usually take 35-40 mins to complete our meal and the car is at 90%+ which is generally enough to reach Coimbatore without further stops.
Bangalore – Coimbatore (NH44)
Charger Details:
- Charging Point Provider (CPO) – Tata Power
- Charger Capacity – 25 kW
- Number of Guns – 1
- Charger Location – True Sai Motors, Salem – Location Link
- Amenities – Tata Motors dealership located next to Hotel Grand Estancia
Now this is a slow 25 kW charger which is very rarely used by folks but it’s something I have used multiple times and that is because of the presence of Hotel Grand Estancia next door which offers great hygienic food, super clean restrooms. I use this only on relaxed drives where we are in no rush. Charger also supports booking so there is no worries about arriving to a blocked charger. We only charge till we are having our meal which usually takes 45 minutes and we leave even if we don’t have sufficient charge to make it to Coimbatore because there are plenty of chargers on the way to do a quick 10 minute top up. Also best to use the Tata Power RFID to start charging on this one.
Bangalore – Coimbatore (NH44)
Charger Details:
- Charging Point Provider (CPO) – Zeon
- Charger Capacity – 50 kW & 60 kW
- Number of Guns – 3
- Charger Location – Saravana Bhavan, Sankari – Location Link
- Amenities – Good restaurant + hotel for lodging.
This is a default spot to charge for many EVs traveling on this route. With 3 guns, the probability of being stuck waiting for others to finish charging is low.
Bangalore – Coimbatore (NH44)
Charger Details:
- Charging Point Provider (CPO) – Zeon
- Charger Capacity – 120 kW & 60 kW
- Number of Guns – 4
- Charger Location – Texvalley Mall – Location Link
- Amenities – Pretty cool charging setup with McDonald’s nearby
If I need a 10 minute top up I either stop here or at Jio-BP.
There are plenty of other options on this route as well with significant number of chargers near Avinashi if you are running low on charge.
In my opinion, this is one of the best highways in the country to drive an EV on.
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
