Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining popularity in India, and Tata Motors stands out as one of the leading electric vehicle manufacturers in the country. The Nexon EV, Tata’s first electric vehicle, currently holds the title of the best-selling SUV in its segment. Following the success of the Nexon EV, Tata introduced a more affordable electric vehicle to the market—the Tigor EV. Similar to the Nexon EV, the Tigor EV has also gained popularity among buyers in the EV community. Despite improvements in charging infrastructure for EVs, many owners still experience range anxiety and encounter issues with charging points, particularly in remote locations. To address this problem, we present a video in which a Tigor EV owner demonstrates how to charge the car using a petrol generator.
The video has been uploaded by Sinto Antony on his YouTube channel. It showcases the vlogger and his friend embarking on a road trip in their Tigor EV. Their destination was Wagamon, a beautiful hill station in Kerala. They commenced their journey in the Tigor EV and after covering a distance of 90 km, they halted at a charging station to recharge the car. Once the car reached 84 percent charge, they continued their expedition. However, during the second phase of their trip, which involved driving uphill, they noticed a more rapid decrease in the battery percentage compared to earlier.
Upon reaching their destination, the car had approximately 26 percent charge remaining. In Wagamon, the absence of proper EV charging stations posed a challenge. The vlogger explicitly states that he intentionally chose this location for an experiment he had been planning for quite some time. His objective was to determine the feasibility of charging an electric car using a petrol generator. It remains unclear whether the vlogger brought the generator along or if it was arranged from the place they were staying at.
One of the main issues many face while plugging in an electric car to a generator is the earthing. They were using a 3Kw gasoline generator to recharge batteries in the EV. They use a metal rod and fix it to the ground. Then a piece of wire from the switchboard which is connecting the neutral and earth is connected to the metal rod. Once the wires were connected properly, they plug the three pins of the home charger of Nexon EV to the switchboard. The generator is then started and after that, they turn the switch on. The charger of the Tigor EV then shows that there is no error in the charging setup and was properly charging the car. If the earth wire is not properly connected, then it would show error when the charger is connected.
The vlogger proceeds to showcase the instrument cluster on the Tigor EV, confirming that the car batteries were charging effectively. When they initiated the charging process, the car had 26 percent battery remaining. After approximately an hour of charging using the generator, the battery charge level increased to around 36 percent. Although the charging rate was relatively slow, it successfully fulfilled its purpose. If you happen to be staying at a hotel, you can approach the hotel staff and utilize the portable charger that comes with the car for convenient charging.
