On 30 September 2022, Sushil Reddy launched into a exceptional highway travel throughout the ancient Golden Quadrilateral direction, crossing 35 towns throughout 13 states whilst overlaying a mammoth distance of 8,849 km in 70 days.
This used to be but some other bankruptcy of ‘The SunPedal Experience’, a world outreach venture Sushil began in 2016 to have “conversations about blank and sustainable mobility by the use of staying power trips undertaken on 0 tail-pipe emission automobiles”.
Ranging from Delhi, the Mumbai-based engineer took the MG ZS EV, an electrical SUV, via other corners of the rustic to coach and lift consciousness in regards to the necessity of unpolluted power and sustainable mobility at colleges, universities and different establishments of studying. At those websites, Sushil presented take a look at drives for other folks to know the way the riding revel in is other in EVs “in order that they respect e-mobility”.
Apart from Sushil, there have been some buddies who travelled with him at the MG ZS EV all through other segments of the adventure. Those come with Rajendra Bhaskar, Avishma Matta, Aakarsh Shamanur, Mirik Gogri, Utkarsh Rastogi, Barbara Vermeire and Bram Biemans. Sushil, on the other hand, used to be the one consistent within the automotive all through this complete adventure.
Talking to The Higher India after his adventure, he says, “As part of The SunPedal Experience consciousness venture, my thought used to be to do an extended distance adventure on an electrical automotive in India since I had some questions relating to vary, charging, efficiency of the electrical automobiles, and so forth.”
“I believed that it generally is a just right studying revel in. Many are nonetheless sceptical in relation to adoption of more recent applied sciences like electrical automobiles, particularly questions round vary nervousness.”
“So, I reached out to the MG Motor workforce in Gurugram they usually favored the speculation of me embarking on this kind of adventure to generate better public self belief about electrical automobiles (EVs) and lure extra other folks to undertake them. The MG Motor workforce agreed to give you the MG ZS EV for the 70-day adventure. A explanation why for opting for the Golden Quadrilateral nationwide freeway community because the direction used to be as a result of this can be a symbolic community of roads connecting 4 main towns (Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai-Mumbai) in 4 other areas (North, East, South, West),” he provides.
An engineer on a venture
Rising up in Mumbai, Sushil earned his MTech (twin level) from IIT-Bombay in power science and engineering. Between 2013 and 2016, he labored in a couple of organisations basically engaged within the solar power sector.
It used to be in the summertime of 2016 when he began The SunPedal Experience venture along buddies.
Sushil and his buddies undertook their first lengthy distance adventure, embarking on a 7,424 kilometre-long power throughout India the use of a custom-built sun powered electrical bicycle with a security automobile “to lift consciousness about solar power and sustainable mobility”.
The adventure took 79 days or even earned him popularity within the Guinness Ebook of International Information for the longest adventure taken on an e-bicycle. In 2017-2018, he earned some other postgraduate level in sustainability and social innovation from HEC Paris, a industry college.
Since founding The SunPedal Experience, he has launched into numerous long-distance journeys within the United States, Iceland, France and different portions of India as neatly.
Charging your EV at the Golden Quadrilateral
Masking distances from 120 km to 340 km on a given day naturally give upward push to issues surrounding the facility to rate your automobile. How did Sushil triumph over those?
“Curiously, we charged the MG ZS EV best 12 occasions at DC fast-charging stations alongside this direction, costing us Rs 2,851. The remainder of the time, we charged the auto in a single day the use of a conveyable AC charging cable that may be plugged into any16 Amp socket (3 pin heavy accountability socket which is typically used to run lots like air conditioners, geysers, water coolers and so forth),” he says.
“Thankfully, many hosts helped us rate our automotive in a single day without spending a dime together with lodges and universities the place we had been post. As an example, IIT-Kanpur, which has a neighborhood EV charging gadget, allowed us to rate our automobile in a single day. However all the adventure used to be deliberate in keeping with the worst case state of affairs in relation to charging. The utmost distance coated in an afternoon used to be 340 km (inside the true international vary of the MG ZS EV),” he provides.
On a mean, in keeping with Sushil, DC fast-charging prices Rs 3 in step with km because the reasonable value of charging at a DC instant charger nowadays is Rs 18/- in step with kWh. AC slow-charging on a 16 Amp socket prices not up to INR 2/- in step with km relying at the electrical energy tariff of a given state. Having mentioned that, AC gradual charging can take greater than 20 hours for a complete rate.
“Now, if you happen to evaluate this with working an inner combustion engine (ICE) automobile together with petrol/diesel prices, the operating price is any place between INR 7-10 in step with km. In different phrases, the operating price of an EV is just about part that of an IC-engine automobile,” he says.
For riders short of to take long-distance trips on EVs, Sushil has the most important tip. “It’s essential to hold an extension wire to get admission to the 16 Amp plug level, which will not be to be had at a brief distance close to the parking space of the electrical automotive,” he notes.
“Additionally, there used to be an intermittent energy minimize in Bihar the place we had been staying in a single day. So, it took longer than anticipated for the auto to rate that night time. Charging time is an element to remember while you plan an EV adventure, which generally is a problem,” he provides.
In the meantime, help for Sushil got here from on-line communities like Plugshare, a “excellent neighborhood founded useful resource” to find EV charging stations internationally.
“Anyone can get admission to the Plugshare web site or app to devise for charging an EV. A fascinating characteristic is that you’ll additionally depart a public evaluate of an EV charger on Plugshare in order that other folks can make a decision accordingly. Additionally, whilst making plans this EV adventure, I had posted about my plan in a neighborhood Telegram Workforce — PlugInIndia — the place EV house owners and fans talk about and proportion their reviews among themselves. As a useful resource, there are excellent neighborhood on-line teams of EV house owners who lend a hand each and every different nowadays,” explains Sushil.
Alternatively, in an in depth weblog the place Sushil recounts each and every step of the adventure, he does spotlight one key problem in travelling lengthy distances on EVs.
“Community established order at EV charging stations and managing more than one apps and virtual wallets of EV charging station corporations generally is a problem. However there are answers nowadays to do away with this problem just like the QR code scanning ‘Fee-Via’ procedure by way of Fortum Fee and Force and YoCharge,” he notes.
Any other key studying on charging infrastructure used to be how lodges also are cashing in at the EV revolution in India.
In his weblog, Sushil famous, “We had been hosted by way of the Wedlock Vegetables Lodge in Dhanbad the place lets additionally rate the auto the use of a 16 Amp gradual charger on the lodge parking. It’s just right to look lodges corresponding to Wedlock Vegetables to reinforce sustainability outreach tasks — main by way of instance, there used to be rain water harvesting and a sun powered cafe on the lodge.”
Using an EV at the Golden Quadrilateral
The MG ZS EV gives a variety of about 300 to 350 km (with a battery capability of fifty.3 kWh) on a unmarried rate with out compromising at the riding taste at commonplace speeds, claims Sushil.
“Decrease speeds will typically ship the next vary because of lesser air drag and rolling resistance. Regeneration performs a key function in town riding because of common braking. Rapid acceleration may be very helpful for overtaking on highways. We even touched speeds as much as 150 kmph, nevertheless it’s now not really helpful because the vary may just greatly cut back.”
“The typical velocity on highways used to be about 75 kmph (typically no compromise at the riding velocity). We touched 150 kmph at the Yamuna Limited-access highway on the right way to Agra, however just for a short lived stretch,” he says.
All the way through this adventure, Sushil encountered one specifically difficult phase from Lucknow to Varanasi.
“There’s no DC Rapid Charger at the direct direction. It used to be a decent adventure and we needed to decrease our velocity to 60 kmph and likewise transfer off the air con to make it to Varanasi with 1% battery ultimate. The important thing takeaway from these days used to be that riding kinds have an effect on the variety in an EV. Additionally, switching off the AC can ship an extra 20-30 km of vary,” he says.
Some of the greatest learnings all through this adventure used to be the will for complex making plans for charging (time and accessibility), which permits EVs to hide lengthy distances.
“Additionally, it’s more uncomplicated to get admission to electrical energy than petrol or diesel. One can’t have a tank filled with petrol/diesel at house, in contrast to electrical energy, to gas the automobile,” he provides.
Teaching younger minds
Throughout the process this adventure, Sushil and his buddies encountered numerous instructional establishments the place they talked to scholars about the advantages of electrical mobility.
On Day 10 in their 70-day adventure, as an example, he made his solution to the LOKA College within the small the town of Obra, Uttar Pradesh, which goals to empower youngsters from villages and “cause them to self assured and self-reliant by the use of choice talent founded schooling”.
To show scholars on the college how EVs paintings, they gave them a chance to check power the MG ZS EV. Equivalent workout routines had been additionally organised in VIBGYOR Workforce of Faculties throughout Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, but even so different colleges.
Sushil additionally made it some degree to discuss with all of the main IITs (Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Bombay), the place scholars and researchers are engaged in main tasks associated with electrical mobility.
Alternatively, his visits weren’t relegated to elite establishments of upper schooling. They visited a complete host of faculties in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Maharashtra, the place they spoke in their revel in of riding EVs throughout lengthy distances, organised Q&A periods or even allowed scholars to check power their EV on their respective campuses.
Investment and reinforce
Regardless of greatly lowering the price of such lengthy trips on EVs as in comparison to petrol or diesel-powered automobiles, there are different main prices to imagine, specifically meals and lodging. Investment and reinforce for this adventure got here from numerous avid gamers together with main companies, universities and different non-public people.
“Main price used to be meals and lodging over the duration of 70 days. There have been some sponsors who supported the adventure to hide those bills — Fortum Fee and Force (our charging spouse), River Comics, Amara Raja Workforce, Texas Tools India. MG Motor supplied the MG ZS EV electrical automotive for 70 days. Many universities and other folks helped us accommodate in a single day, in addition to with the charging of the electrical automotive,” he says.
“This adventure wouldn’t had been conceivable with out their reinforce,” he provides.
(Edited by way of Divya Sethu)