BHPian mathewanil recently shared this with other enthusiasts:Citroen eC3: 30,000 km/2 year UpdateI remember this day very clearly from two years ago. Our eC3 was driven all the way from Chennai and reached our home at 1:00 am in the morning on the 16th of October. The car went in for the 3rd service at Vellore recently. There was a water wash, change of pollen filter, wiper fluid top-up and a general inspection. The car was scanned for any onboard software errors and given back. The total cost of the service was a mere Rs 2700. The 30000 km milestone as seen on the ” My Citroen connect” app What I have liked about the eC3 so far:1. Fuss free owner ship 2. Quiet cabin with no creaks and a good sound system 3. Great handling and a precise steering 4. Fantastic suspension 5. Good ground clearance 6. Low maintainence 7. Glitch free on-board software 8. Good overall space, seating and all-round visibility 9. An adequate boot with a spare wheel 10. Fast Charged the car about 125 times and it failed to charge only 7 times due to fast charger issues. 11. Savings of Rs 1,80,000 ( in fuel costs) for the 30000 Km that it has run, compared to the Kushaq. 12. Good service experience despite the comments by people who do not own the car. 13. A very responsive infotainment system with wireless phone connectivity 14. A consistent return of 7 to 7.5 Km/ KW 15. An unintrusive regeneration 16. Old school mechanical parking brake 17. Manual release lever for the charging gun is in the Motor (engine) bay is a good location.What I would like to see in the next Gen eC3:1.Brake light warning on regenerative breaking 2. Hill hold and decent control 3. Better stock wiper blades 4. Door mounted controls for the rear windows 5. Stock LED projector headlights 6. Grab handles for the front 7. Better sound dampening for the doors 8. A better MID with steering mounted controls 9. Cruise control I did get to try the CARA AI,( which is now available in the Basalt X top variant) a beta version and man it is good. It can answer complex questions, seamlessly help you navigate to new and saved locations. It can let you know the range and battery percentage of the car, find you the nearest charging point, track flights, set reminders and much more. I hope they roll it out to all Citroen customers in the future. It’s like ” Siri” on steroids and I’m mighty impressed. The CARA AI interface as seen on my infotainment screen using Apple CarPlay The tyres needed a rotation, wheel balancing and alignment at the 30 K km mark. The treads ( CEAT) will last another 10,000Km. My running cost has remained 2.04/km with a mix of home charging and Fast Charging. I have spent a little over Rs 60000 till date for electricity charges including Fast charging. I regularly do 250, 320 and 500Km round trips. The fast charging networks have mushroomed along most National highways in South India and owning an EV (even with a small battery) will not give you range anxiety. However, Government and IOCL ( and other Petrol stations) owned Fast chargers are usually offline, switched off or poorly maintained. I have personally saved over 700 fast charging locations (in google maps) in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, south Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Statiq, Zeon, ChargeZone, Shell, Jio, GoEC and Relux are my preferred FC networks. The Government should stop double dipping (on GST rates), one while loading the wallets and second while charging. The tax rates for fast charging should also be slashed like the recent GST rate change for other services.. My eC3 at a fast charging location Undergoing a rare washing at a detailing studio: I get these views every morning, 7 days a week Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
