BHPian abhisheksahas recently shared this with other enthusiasts: Kona EV 40K / 3-year anniversary drive (Bangalore – Chennai) Hello everybody, I would like to use this post to share my recent drive from Bangalore to Chennai and how I finally figured out a way to do the entire trip without any charger planning. I started my drive on a Saturday morning at around 9:45 AM from Bangalore with 100% charge and the cabin pre-cooled. For the very first time, I avoided the usual route through Hosur-Krishnagiri and took this new expressway that’s still under construction but partially operational. Starting from HAL, and getting through ORR was uneventful. It’s an expressway connecting Bangalore to Chennai, but merges back with the traditional route near Pallikonda/Vellore. This new route was an absolute pleasure to drive on; the roads are smooth, well-paved roads with far less traffic than the usual NH routes. Now, a couple of things about the route: while most of the expressway was wide and comfortable, there is a bypass section that slows you down. The roads are a bit narrow, forcing single lane driving and a ghat section to navigate. The roads there are good but definitely tighter; the scenery definitely helps. A major drawback would be that if you break down in this section, roadside assistance might not be easy to get. Additionally, once you hit the expressway and later the bypass through the single-lane roads, there are very few places to stop for refreshments or breaks. The ghat section was actually a bonus in terms of energy efficiency! Coming down the ghat gave me a nice boost – I saw about a 3-5% recuperated charge added to the battery, which temporarily bumped my overall driving efficiency for the first 170 Kms to an impressive 12.1 Km per KWh, but for the overall trip, I averaged about 11 Km per KWh, covering ~ 320 Kms in less than 7 hours.- which included two stops of ~ 20 mins each Speaking of stops, I took two refreshment breaks, each lasting around 20-25 minutes. Note that I didn’t use any DC fast charging during the whole trip – this was purely an efficient, no-fuss drive with just those snack stops. No battery saving measures and no hypermiling either. Stayed at a comfortable and steady speed by setting the cruise to 90-95 Kmph. My first stop was at Vishnu Bhavan near Hoskote, where I had a Rava Idli with some coffee. The second break was at A2B where we had some coffee and refreshments . There is a DC fast charger at A2B, one that I have never come across before, its good to know that it exists, but the entry and exits to the charger definitely looks tricky, especially if you have a large car. Once I got closer to Chennai, the temperature rose to 34C, so I had to crank the AC from a comfy 23C to about 20C just to beat the heat. The temperatures along with the traffic to enter the city impacted the overall efficiency of the trip. But despite all this, I pulled into my home in Chennai in less than 7 hours ( including the breaks) with nearly quarter of the charge left – something I’ve never managed on my regular route before. Here’s a quick summary of what made this trip stand out: – The new expressway significantly helped improve the driving range – It helped that my driving distance reduce by about 20-25 Kms – According to Google Maps, the journey time of the new route v/s the route showed a difference of nearly 1 hour – The Hyundai Kona’s efficiency was remarkable throughout, especially with the regenerative boost from the ghat descent. – We did not have to plan for fast charging – Arriving home with almost a quarter of the battery left is a new personal best and really takes the edge off range anxiety for future trips. – Before this, the best I have achieved has been approx 9.0 – 10 KM/KWh, and with approx 10% range remaining. All in all, I’d say this new expressway is a game-changer for anyone planning to drive EVs between Bangalore and Chennai. If you’re still hesitant about long EV trips, give this route a try. Coming up next, Part 2 – The drive from Chennai to Bangalore along the same route. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
