The problem could’ve been with the battery, the charger, or even our specific charging point. To eliminate possibilities, we charged at a family friend’s house with our charger.
BHPian iceguy101 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
This is a case of how my relationship with my Tata Nexon EV turned sour.
I have previously used this forum to discuss issues with the car and the EV charging infrastructure in general, but this is the final nail in the coffin.]
I was never fully convinced with the prospect of having an EV, but with fuel costs reaching the roof, we thought of it as a practical decision. The math added up and it was a great deal of savings.
However, I always struggled with 4 things:
- One, the range on offer.
- Two, the public charging infrastructure.
- Three, the company provided charger.
- Four, the service by Tata.
Let’s start with the range. The company-claimed 312 km/charge was merely a pipe dream. Most people get 200-220 km. My specific car barely touched 170-180 in the first couple months of ownership. The company said it might be due to driving with a heavy foot, which I may have believed. The problem with that logic is, my father also drives this car, and used to get the same range, and he is the most sedate driver I know. Even then, it was manageable.
Lately, we’ve been getting 120 km range at max, which is nothing short of abhorrent. Luckily, we have a 2-car garage so we always had a backup.
But it still didn’t solve all our problems. We are a family of 5, with 4 people having an active lifestyle that involves going out multiple times a day. Sometimes it is difficult to manage even with 2 cars and a bike, but most times it works.
Now we have arrived at what has completely wiped off my faith in Tata and their EVs.
In the last couple months, we’ve sent the car to the service centre at least 4 times due to range and charging related issues. Every time the car would charge till 60%, the charger would start blinking red and the car would still show as charging and would display a faux charging percentage that would drop as soon as you start driving.
The problem could’ve been with the battery, the charger, or even our specific charging point. To eliminate possibilities, we charged at a family friend’s house with our charger, and then their charger. Same problem persisted. It was becoming more apparent that the problem is with the car. For the 5th time, we sent the car to the service centre and this time insisted for a thorough diagnosis. After a few days, they confirmed there is a problem with the battery. My question is, how was this not diagnosed earlier? The more frustrating part is, they kept my car for more than a week, almost 10 days, and did not give any updates as to what’s happening and when we’ll get the car back.
In the meantime, we had to manage with 1 car between the 5 of us, which meant that I had to often resort to driving my bike in 43-degree heat in the hottest May we’ve had in ages. All of this with close to no communicating from Tata. Finally, when we got the car back, suddenly the “charger” was the problem and it was replaced. This happened yesterday morning. And tonight, when I plugged the “new” charger in, it would blink the red light from the very moment I switched it on.
In short, I am done with this car and the abysmal service from Tata. At this point, even if they offer to replace the car or even give me a Harrier in exchange, I’d run away from it. I want nothing to do with Tata Motors. I’m just going to cut my losses, and replace the car with a Hyundai or a Kia.
I wish the best for all Indian manufacturers, but I can see Tata’s downfall being just as quick as their rise, if they don’t step up the way they deal with customer grievances.
The sad part is, the car is brilliant to drive. I’m going to miss that instant torque and smooth power delivery. A true driver’s car. But no amount of performance is enough to trade for my peace of mind.
Keyword: Charging & range issues on my Nexon EV: Frustrated with Tata service