5 Things We Learnt By Draining The Tata Nexon EV Max’ Battery

Yep, we drove the Nexon EV Max until we couldn’t drive it anymore. What anxiety?

When we first sampled the Nexon EV Max, I remember the chatter in the office. Everyone unanimously agreed that it is THE Nexon EV to buy given its price, added features and more importantly, improved range. We headed towards our usual playgrounds — the hills of Lavasa, followed by the twisties at Lonavala and Amby Valley. Here’s what we learnt over our near 300km journey. 

#1 ECO IS ENOUGH! 

The drive mode selector glows mellow green and so does the part-digital display in the instrument cluster. The top left corner of the screen reads a reassuring ‘306km’ as we head out from the office with 100 per cent charge. This is with the air-conditioning running and set to a comfortable 23°C. (The displayed range was at 335km without the AC on, which shows the significant impact of climate control on range).

We’ve picked gaps in traffic with the Nexon EV Max and cruised calmly on the expressway too. We’ve also pushed it through some long sweeping corners and uphill hairpins alike. At no point, does the power feel inadequate. Unless you’re chasing adrenaline highs (which the Nexon is happy to give you in ‘Sport’ mode) you can leave the car in ‘Eco’ mode for EVERYTHING. 

#2 ONE PEDAL DRIVING…ALMOST

To give the car a fair shot at maximising range, we set the regeneration to the strongest of the four settings (level 3). In this mode, the vehicle actively induces braking everytime you lift your foot off of the accelerator. Great to feed some range back in the system, but it does take a little getting used to.  

Once you do, it’s predictable enough that you’d use the brake pedal only when you want to come to a dead halt. We found ourselves lifting off of the accelerator a few metres before a speed breaker/rough road patch and the Nexon would decelerate just enough. 

While Tata’s claim of true one-pedal driving isn’t entirely accurate (the vehicle never comes to a dead stop without using the brakes), it isn’t entirely false either.

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#3 FOCUS ON THE BATTERY PERCENTAGE, NOT THE RANGE

I wonder if ‘range anxiety’ would really be a thing if a distance-to-empty (DTE) read-out wasn’t available. Initially, we spent a lot of time anxiously glancing at the range figure. Eventually, we realised that the battery percentage is the number that matters. The Nexon EV Max’ onboard computers take a while to compute the distance to empty. Especially, when there’s a lot of regeneration involved. 

Driving downhill, we saw the range surprisingly plummet by ~15km. In some time, the range climbed back up by 18km. Moral of the story, when driving conditions change significantly, give the DTE indicator some time before you believe it. 

Through our test, the Nexon EV Max delivered approximately three kilometres for every per cent of charge (note: Eco Mode, Regen: L3). With this in mind, planning is easier and the anxiety is at bay too. 

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#4 NEVER UNDRIVABLE

When the charge is at 25 per cent, you can no longer select Sport Mode. At 10 per cent, the Nexon EV Max will enter ‘limp home’ mode and a cute turtle icon on the instrument cluster will remind you of the same. It’s a shame that this indicator is way too small for you to pay any actual attention to it. 

Now, the Nexon no longer displays range. The indicator reads ‘RECHARGE’ in bold, and air-conditioning is now cut off. Speed is now capped at 50kmph (even though the speedo indicates up to 55kmph). You could very easily overtake traffic within the city even at this point. 

At five per cent, the Nexon EV Max’s cabin sounds like a hospital’s emergency room. There’s a continuous beep that feeds your anxiety and panic like nothing else. It’s there for good reason, we’re sure. But Tata could look at a calmer way of delivering this message. A flashing message on the instrument cluster? Now, you’re limited to 40kmph. Surprisingly, still perfectly drivable within city limits. 

Note: the ‘gradeability’, i.e., its ability to tackle inclines is limited below 25 per cent charge. It still is usable for in-city flyovers.

#5 300KM: TRIED AND TESTED!

We ended the day having covered 293.3km and one per cent of charge to spare. By our estimate, it could’ve done another three to four kilometres easily. It did get sufficiently close to its 306km estimation at the start of the day. Sure, if you drive in City or Sport mode often, you’re looking at a range of anywhere between 220-260km. Even if your office commute was a gruelling 50km/day, the Nexon EV Max could last a whole work week without requiring a top up. 

Finally, we’re certain there’s more in the EV Max’ kitty. Switching the air-conditioning off for example, would’ve comfortably taken it past the 300km mark. 

BONUS: CHARGING IT UP!

The night before the drive, we plugged in the Nexon EV Max at the office’s 15A socket. From 26 per cent to a full charge was dispatched within 11 hours with the onboard portable charger. 

After the battery was nearly dead, we topped it up to 10 per cent at the office and then drove it to a fast-charger nearby. It then went on to consume 38.38kWh (note: battery pack is 40.5kWh) in 111 minutes. Fast-charging cost us approximately Rs 360. 

All said and done, it’s really hard to not like the Nexon EV Max. On top of our wishlist is Tata ironing out the final two bits in terms of quality and quality control. Issues on our test car included:

• A loose sunroof beading which resulted in an annoying whooshing sound on the highway. 

• The charger flap refused to open unless the lever was pulled up while the flap was yanked. 

• The air-conditioning had a mind of its own, oscillating between Mumbai to Manali whenever it felt like. 

Mind you, NONE of these felt like dealbreakers, but it does matter when you’re spending over Rs 20 lakh for a vehicle. 

With larger battery packs and faster chargers, range anxiety will be a thing of the past. For now, the Nexon EV Max delivers in spades where it actually matters — in the real world.

Read More on : Nexon EV Max Automatic