Battery, range, charging time: What customers must check in electric cars

As infrastructure improves, more Indians are willing to travel green

A global shift toward electric vehicles (EV) will have "far-reaching" impacts on investment, production, international trade and employment, said the International Monetary Fund this week as part of its update to global economic growth forecasts.

 

As battery prices are projected to reduce and the charging network improves, more Indians are buying EVs. Nationwide sales of such vehicles grew 19 per cent in the first half of 2024-25, rising to 836,621 units from 702,013 in the same period a year ago, Business Standard reported earlier this year.

 

Tata Motors sells the most number of electric cars in India and Hyundai Motors India and Mahindra Electric Mobility were placed second and third earlier this year.

 

“Typically in the auto industry, you divide the customer into three segments: The first-time buyer, the replacement car buyer and an additional car buyer. Currently EV fits into the third category," said Satinder Singh Bajwa, chief commercial officer at JSW MG Motor India.

 

Car manufacturers have announced special deals or discounts in the festival season. Tata Motors’ ‘festival of cars’ deal offers Punch electric car at Rs 9.99 lakh and Nexon at Rs 12.49 lakh, prices that give a saving of up to Rs 3 lakh. The festival offer gives six-month charging for free at Tata Power charging stations. Vivek Srivatsa, chief commercial officer at Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, said: “Our singular purpose at TATA.ev is to mainstream EVs, by breaking barriers and making EVs more accessible to regular car buyers. With these special, limited period prices, we are breaking the high acquisition cost barrier for EVs.”  

 

What do customers want? “The customer is not willing to pay beyond a 10-15 per cent premium for an EV over a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) but currently he is expected to pay almost a 35-40 per cent premium,” said Rajeev Singh, partner and consumer industry leader at Deloitte Asia Pacific.

 

“Ideally, if manufacturers can somehow get products in the Rs 10-14 lakh category, which is comparable to the bestselling ICE category, then that would unleash absorption in a big way. Our survey also reveals that customers don’t want an EV which will give them 500 kms. People are asking for a simple EV which gives them a range of 300 kms and will last 2-3 days.”

 

Singh suggested thumb rules for people purchasing an electric car: "Decide what your purpose of purchase is, and how many kilometres you are going to travel. Is it your daily commute car, a weekend car, a family car, an extended family car, is it something which is driver driven or is it something self driven. Having answered those questions, you would know what kind of car you want to buy.”

 

The battery can make up nearly 50 per cent of an electric car’s price, making it a significant investment. Replacing a 30-40 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery typically costs around Rs 4-5 lakh. While battery costs are expected to fall to about 30 per cent of a car’s price in the next four or five, customers should still budget Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh for replacement.

 

What should customers know about an EV battery? “When buying an EV, consider the battery’s range, warranty, and charging infrastructure. Choose a range that covers your daily and occasional long-distance travel to avoid range anxiety,” said Ankit Sharma, co-founder and director of Vidyuta Materials, which makes chemicals for lithium-ion cells. (Range anxiety is the worry EV owners feel about their battery's charge being enough for a journey.)  

 

“A solid battery warranty (typically of 8-10 years) helps with potential replacement costs, especially for used EVs. Charging access is crucial; installing a Level 2 home charger allows faster overnight charging, while DC fast chargers – typically found at public spots like petrol stations due to their high cost – are ideal for longer trips,” said Sharma. Common mistakes include choosing a model with insufficient range, overlooking home charging costs, and failing to check a used battery’s condition.

 

The government in September released revised guidelines for installation and operation of EV charging stations through a new revenue-sharing model between it and private players. The scheme also addresses range anxiety of EV buyers by promoting installation of electric vehicle public charging stations. A total of 74,300 chargers will be installed, Business Standard reported.

 

“We've seen substantial growth in EV charging infrastructure, with more public charging stations and fast chargers being deployed. Looking ahead, advancements like ultra-fast chargers, smart charging technologies integrated with renewable energy, and wireless charging will improve efficiency,” said Akshit Bansal, founder and chief executive officer of Statiq, which runs an EV charging station network.