A cheerful MG Windsor EV owner recounts his transition to electric vehicle (EV) ownership and how it led to two long trips within 10 months, including one all the way to Nepal, tackling challenges and gaining insights alongside his wife and his trusted car
Story: Salman Bargir Photography: Sanjay Raikar
Rochak Dua has a knack of making smart choices and informed decisions, and that is how he happened to buy the MG Windsor EV and then make the most of it. After completing his education he shifted to Pune in 2012. His automobile journey and penchant for travel began in 2013. He and his friend rented a self-drive car, and after spending just two days in the confines of his residential complex he got a fair idea of how to drive. Going forward, he experienced various cars via self-drive rentals during trips across the country. In the long run, this helped him understand specifically what his requirement was.
When the time came in 2024 to make his present purchase, he was well-versed in the nuances and understood the three factors that mattered to him the most: great space and comfortable seating for all occupants, a larger glass area for an airy feel, and, lastly yet most importantly, an EV with a good range. After considering multiple EVs he could not find anything that would satisfy his needs. But then the news came that MG was launching a new EV. Rochak conducted thorough research about the international version and immediately pre-booked the car. He requested for a pre-Diwali delivery and was ready to compromise on the colour, but MG fulfilled the promise, and, on the 23rd of October, the Windsor EV came home.
The first trip was from Pune to Amritsar to ring in the new year. He grabbed the opportunity to experience cruise control for the first time in his life and learned how to operate it, guided promptly by his MG service centre executive. Although convenient, he realised that the constant acceleration for maintaining very high speeds depleted the charge faster and, therefore, chose to stay within self-regulated reasonable speed limits. He did not come across any refuelling stations, let alone charging stations, on the Amritsar-Jamnagar Expressway and, therefore, planned his halts in major cities accordingly.
Rochak always tries to plan his trips meticulously and breaks them up into segments. During the couple of months that he had spent with the Windsor EV, he studied it thoroughly and adapted himself to its characteristics and features to steer clear of any trouble imaginable during those long trips. With the help of multiple apps, meal and rest breaks were scheduled together with the charging halts. Back-ups were planned in case one or even two simultaneous charging facilities within
50 kilometres of each other were found to be dysfunctional.
At the time of his trip from Pune to Gangtok during the Darjeeling-Nepal leg, Rochak had charged the Windsor EV’s battery to full capacity, expecting as usual to enjoy the complete 320 km range on offer. Over the next five days, he practically drove “free of charge”. Not literally, of course, but thanks to the Windsor EV’s effective regenerative braking and Rochak’s adaptive driving style on those downhill stretches, by the end of those five days the car required no charging. Local taxi owners had quoted Rs 5,000 a day, meaning he effectively saved Rs 25,000—and the fact that the vehicle recharged itself saved him the time and effort required to charge it, which was the icing on the cake.
With a low service cost of just Rs 3,500 for all three services, coupled with the overall monetary savings, the Windsor EV has given Rochak peace of mind and comfortable daily commutes amid ever-growing traffic. Needless to say, his wonderful experience ensures his intent to cherish it for life.
He wishes more people understand the benefits and opportunity at hand and tries to convince the ones around him to make a pragmatic decision like him. Already busy planning his future trips to the snow belt of the country, he is looking forward to testing the car’s prowess in Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir. He is confident the Windsor EV will prove its mettle in that challenging terrain as well. We wish him and his companions the very best.
Also Read: MG Windsor EV Pro First Drive Review – Raising the Bar
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