Charging Infrastructure Watch - Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar in Electric Car
By Kamlesh Mallick & Raphae Halim
Welcome to Charging Infrastructure Watch. This will be a weekly series, where we will talk about electric vehicle charging infrastructure coming up between important cities and towns. These videos and companion articles will act like a reference for electric car owners all over India. In this article, we talk about traveling between Mumbai and Mahabaleshwar.
Looking for EV travel guides on other routes?
Check out our EV Travelogue page.
Welcome to Charging Infrastructure Watch. This will be a weekly series, where we will talk about electric vehicle charging infrastructure coming up between important cities and towns. These videos and companion articles will act like a reference for electric car owners all over India. In this article, we talk about traveling between Mumbai and Mahabaleshwar.
Looking for EV travel guides on other routes?
Check out our EV Travelogue page.
SPONSORED
PluginIndia collected a service fee from Zeon Charging to make this guide possible.
This is not an endorsement. We always strive to be objective and will list all EV charging networks in India.
Video Guide
PluginIndia collected a service fee from Zeon Charging to make this guide possible.
This is not an endorsement. We always strive to be objective and will list all EV charging networks in India.
Video Guide
Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar on an electric car
In this week’s episode, we will talk about driving your electric car between Mumbai on the west coast and the hill station of Mahabaleshwar which is a popular weekend getaway for Mumbaikars.
This guide is applicable for EV owners in Pune as well.
There are two big uphill or ghat drives that you will encounter when you drive from Mumbai.
In this week’s episode, we will talk about driving your electric car between Mumbai on the west coast and the hill station of Mahabaleshwar which is a popular weekend getaway for Mumbaikars.
This guide is applicable for EV owners in Pune as well.
There are two big uphill or ghat drives that you will encounter when you drive from Mumbai.
- The first one is the ghat you will encounter while reaching Lonavala. The second one is a biggie. This is the ghat at the bottom of the Mahabaleshwar hill.
- Ghats generally drain electric car batteries fast, so be light on the pedal and try to drive efficiently. But there is no need to worry, we have multiple Charge Point Operators who are operating fast chargers on this route.
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List of Fast Charging Stations on the Route
Charging Stations |
Location |
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Mumbai City |
|
At Navi Mumbai |
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Lonavala |
|
Pune |
|
Panchgani |
|
Mahabaleshwar |
Charging at Tata Power , Mahabaleshwar
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Charging at Lonavala
|
The EV Drive
Let’s talk about your electric car drive between Mumbai and Mahabaleshwar. This guide is for Tata Nexon EV or the Tigor EV. If you have an MG or Kona or any other electric car with larger batteries, you can work around this guide - skip a stop and carry on. Also this guide is created by consulting with real Nexon EV owners who have done this trip.
So it's a reliable guide! Let's start!
So it's a reliable guide! Let's start!
- This starting part of the guide is similar to our Mumbai-Pune guide video.
Start your drive from Mumbai at 100% and start driving towards Navi Mumbai. Hit the Mumbai-Pune expressway and once you cross the Khalapur toll plaza, you will encounter the ghats and it is a constant uphill drive for 12-15 km. The uphill ghat does take a toll on the battery charge, but your electric car should drive effortlessly. Take the exit at Lonavala and arrive at The Fern Hotel, where there is a 50 kW charger. There is a Statiq 25 kW charger near the Lonavala Wax Museum as a backup.- We estimate that you will reach Lonavala at 40% SOC if you have 100% charge from Mumbai in a Tata Nexon EV.
- We recommend you charge upto 95% here at Lonavala and not 100% as the last 5% will charge at very slow speed and waste 30 min of your time.
- Use the Magenta app and start charging at the Fern hotel. If you are at the Lonavala Wax Museum, use the Statiq app to start charging.
- The charging should take 45 min to charge upto 95%.
- There are restaurants like - Peacock The Un-Restaurant to eat while your car charges. There is also the beautiful Valvan lake and dam near the charging station for an invigorating walk near the lake.
- Reviews
- Sanman, owner of a Nexon EV says
"Very good charger. Sometimes non-ev vehicles are parked in the space blocking access to the charger. Just speak to the management of the hotel and they'll help you out." - Aditya K, owner of a MG ZS EV says
"50kW ABB unit! Superb."
- Sanman, owner of a Nexon EV says
- Once you finish charging, hit the expressway and you should reach the Tata Power Fast charger @ Tathawade in 45 mins.
- We estimate that you will reach this location at 70% SOC
- We recommend you top up charge upto 95% again here at Lonavala and not 100% to save time. This should take only 20 mins
- Use the Tata Power app and start the charging session
- Reviews
- Alpeena Vedak, Tata Nexon EV owner
"Working fine... 45% charge in 30 mins. Helpful staff." - Ashay Khorgade, MG Motor ZS EV
"Charged in one go. Local security guard is very helpful and a nice person to have a chat with"
- Alpeena Vedak, Tata Nexon EV owner
- Reviews
- We estimate that you will reach this location at 70% SOC
- Once you finish charging, hit NH 48 and drive towards Wai. It is 103 km of driving where you will encounter some tunnels and one small ghat on the way. You finally arrive at the base of the giant Mahabaleshwar ghat. Start climbing the Ghat. After 8.5 km driving uphill, you will find the Tata Charger located at a hotel called ‘Zostel’ at Panchgani. You should get there with around 30% SOC remaining. You can continue your drive to Mahabaleshwar which is 22 km of constant uphill driving! Or you can top up here for 20 mins if you want to enjoy your evening in Mahabaleshwar without worrying about charging. Most owners we spoke to drive straight to Mahabaleshwar. But for this guide let's talk about the Zostel Tata Power charger at Panchgani.
- The charger is situated at a small hotel called - Zostel
If this charger is not available or working for some reason, there are 2 more Tata Power fast chargers in Mahabaleshwar. So there is no need to worry. - Use the Tata Power app and start the charging session.
- Reviews
- Hardik Gogri, Tata Nexon EV owner
"Started post minor adjustments. The attendant there was helpful. Initiate charging on app and then plug the gun" - Black Hawk, Tata Nexon EV owner
"Had a bad experience on Dec 29, 2021. Vehicles parked at charging locations, so couldn't charge.and No one available at reception. People have no awareness to not park at EV parking and zostel hotel didn't make them aware."- Essentially Black Hawk got ICEd by some ICEhole. The act of ICEing is to park in a space intended for electric cars, without making use of, or having any need for, the charger. In other words, a car with an internal combustion engine using a parking space reserved for electric cars. This is terrible and people need to have more awareness to help EV owners. In this case the onus was on the hotel people to ensure the EV parking remained free. Next time this happens, try to educate the hotel management on this, so future EV owners won’t have this experience.
- Essentially Black Hawk got ICEd by some ICEhole. The act of ICEing is to park in a space intended for electric cars, without making use of, or having any need for, the charger. In other words, a car with an internal combustion engine using a parking space reserved for electric cars. This is terrible and people need to have more awareness to help EV owners. In this case the onus was on the hotel people to ensure the EV parking remained free. Next time this happens, try to educate the hotel management on this, so future EV owners won’t have this experience.
- Hardik Gogri, Tata Nexon EV owner
- The charger is situated at a small hotel called - Zostel
- Once you finish topping up, enjoy the final 22 km of ghat driving and enjoy the beautiful air at Mahabaleshwar and enjoy your stay at this beautiful hill station.
Most of you will stay at a hotel in Mahabaleshwar.- Whenever you stay in a hotel overnight, ask them if they have a 15 amp socket. Many of them will oblige and provide you free charging. This will save you time and money on your return trip. Destination charging is a hidden convenience only electric car owners can get. We advise you to make the most out of it.
Time & Costs
Route |
Distance |
Time |
Costs |
Drive Mumbai To Lonavala Charging Point - Statiq or Magenta |
110 km |
2 hour 30 min |
- |
Charging at Lonavala Statiq or Magenta Charging station |
- |
45 mins |
Rs 400 |
Drive to Tata Power Fast charger @ Tathawade, Pune |
45 km |
40 mins |
- |
Charging at Tata Power Fast charger @ Tathawade, Pune |
- |
20 mins |
Rs 144 |
Drive to Tata Power Fast charger @ Panchgani, Pune |
112 km |
2 hours 21 mins |
- |
Quick Top Up at Tata Power Fast charger @ Panchgani, Pune (Optional) |
- |
20 mins (optional) |
Rs 144 |
Drive to Mahabaleshwar |
21.9 km |
40 mins |
- |
Time
If you use a petrol car, you would spend 5 hours 33 mins driving and take two breaks of 20 mins each = 6 hours 22 mins to reach Mahabaleshwar. If you use a Tata Nexon EV or Tigor EV, you would spend 6 hours 16 mins driving and take 1 hour 25 mins for charging the car and yourself = 7 hours 41 mins. If you use an MG or Kona or any other electric car with larger batteries, your overall time will be much less as those cars support 50 kW charging.
The additional time in an Nexon EV or Tigor EV car is around 1 hour compared to an ICE car, which is not bad at all for the EV fun you have and the money savings you make!
Costs
Talking about savings, If you use a petrol car, the petrol costs would be around Rs 2,200. If you use an electric car, the charging costs would be around Rs 544. Massive savings of Rs 1,656
Mobile Apps
The only mobile apps you will need for this journey are Tata Power, ChargeGrid, Statiq. We also recommend having the PlugShare app handy.
So guys, there you have it! Mumbai-Mahabaleshwar or Pune-Mahabaleshwar highway is electrified! I remember our 21 electric car rally back in January 2016, where things were not as stright forward as now. We had to setup 15 amp sockets at restaurants and resorts. Now things have become so easier!
Before we leave, a note from our sponsors
Zeon Charging is building the infrastructure needed to enable the EV Revolution in India. We are installing electric vehicle chargers at convenient locations throughout the nation which would enable EV owners to travel long distances without worrying about running out of charge. Download the app now!
www.zeoncharging.com
Have you done an EV trip from Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar? Do share your experience in the comments below.
Read about other EV trips
Electric Vehicle Travelogues
Our Video Shoot Gear
If you use a petrol car, you would spend 5 hours 33 mins driving and take two breaks of 20 mins each = 6 hours 22 mins to reach Mahabaleshwar. If you use a Tata Nexon EV or Tigor EV, you would spend 6 hours 16 mins driving and take 1 hour 25 mins for charging the car and yourself = 7 hours 41 mins. If you use an MG or Kona or any other electric car with larger batteries, your overall time will be much less as those cars support 50 kW charging.
The additional time in an Nexon EV or Tigor EV car is around 1 hour compared to an ICE car, which is not bad at all for the EV fun you have and the money savings you make!
Costs
Talking about savings, If you use a petrol car, the petrol costs would be around Rs 2,200. If you use an electric car, the charging costs would be around Rs 544. Massive savings of Rs 1,656
Mobile Apps
The only mobile apps you will need for this journey are Tata Power, ChargeGrid, Statiq. We also recommend having the PlugShare app handy.
So guys, there you have it! Mumbai-Mahabaleshwar or Pune-Mahabaleshwar highway is electrified! I remember our 21 electric car rally back in January 2016, where things were not as stright forward as now. We had to setup 15 amp sockets at restaurants and resorts. Now things have become so easier!
Before we leave, a note from our sponsors
Zeon Charging is building the infrastructure needed to enable the EV Revolution in India. We are installing electric vehicle chargers at convenient locations throughout the nation which would enable EV owners to travel long distances without worrying about running out of charge. Download the app now!
www.zeoncharging.com
Have you done an EV trip from Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar? Do share your experience in the comments below.
Read about other EV trips
Electric Vehicle Travelogues
Our Video Shoot Gear
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