First report: The electric Curvv enters our fleet and is immediately whisked off on an intercity run.
It was only fitting that the first intercity run in our long-term Curvv EV was to the Tata Motors plant in Pimpri for a special occasion – Tata Motors’ EV Day, celebrating the milestone of 2,00,000 Tata EVs sold! No other Indian manufacturer has achieved this feat, a testament to Tata’s pioneering role in the country’s electric mobility revolution.
Launched in August last year, the Curvv EV is the latest addition to Tata’s electric line-up. Essentially a ‘coupe-fied’ version of the Nexon, it packs a larger battery, more power and faster charging. While we’ve yet to test its DC fast charging speeds, our first top-up was on our office’s 22kW AC charger. The Curvv EV supports AC charging at 7.2kW, which is sufficiently fast when the car is parked at work.
The charging port is conveniently located in the nose, so it’s easy to access from any side.
However, accessing the charging port wasn’t as simple as expected, and it had a glitch. The flush-fitting charging flap, designed to slide open via a haptic touch control on the dashboard, refused to budge. No amount of pressing or coaxing worked, and in the end, I had to physically pry it open by hand – hardly ideal when you’re plugging in regularly. This fault was reported to Tata Motors, and after a quick workshop visit, it was rectified.
That said, the location of the charging port – neatly integrated into the Curvv’s nose – is a definite advantage. In our office parking, where the designated EV slot is right next to a wall, side-mounted charging ports can be a hassle, often requiring an awkward squeeze to plug in. More often than not, you end up brushing against the wall and dirtying your clothes. With the port up front, there’s none of that frustration – just a clean, open space to manoeuvre the charging gun into the socket with ease.
Gliding up to Tata Motors’ plant on the outskirts of Pune took under three hours, thanks to the Atal Setu, which has changed our lives. Getting in and out of Mumbai is unbelievably easy and even pleasant. I started off with a full charge and an indicated 338km range and drove fairly hard, revelling in the Curvv EV’s high-speed stability and settled ride. But I kept an eye on my speed – not just to conserve range, but because of the swarm of speed cameras that now dot the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. A single violation can cost you Rs 2,000, and with some sections frustratingly capped at 60kph, avoiding a fine feels almost impossible.
Throttle pedal has a large initial dead zone, making it difficult to modulate in stop-go traffic.
The 10km climb up the Lonavala Ghat is brutal on an EV’s battery, draining range at an alarming rate. That’s why I wasn’t too concerned when I reached Pimpri with a 46 percent charge and just 140km of range left, despite having 150km to cover on the return journey. The downhill run would help me recoup some charge, and by the time I usually hit the toll plaza at the base of the ghat, my range is often higher than it was 10km earlier. So, I skipped recharging at the Tata Motors factory, eager to find out if the Curvv EV could truly pass the acid test of completing a Mumbai-Pune round trip on a single charge. Turns out, it just about could.
I was much gentler on the accelerator on the return trip, toggling between Eco and City modes. In both these modes, you hit an initial dead zone when you press the accelerator pedal, so you miss that instant response EVs are known for. The Curvv EV is much more responsive in Sport mode, but I didn’t want to risk indulging in it with the battery more than half empty.
On the drop down from Lonavala to the toll plaza, the electric motor’s regen wasn’t particularly effective, and despite using the strongest L3 regen mode, I couldn’t recoup as much charge as expected and only managed to claw back 2-3km of added range.
The Mumbai-Pune round trip proved difficult, with the descent not recouping sufficient charge.
It’s likely that the Curvv EV’s brake regeneration is deliberately not too strong because with the car being front-wheel drive, all the regen happens on the front wheels, and the regen strength has been limited to prevent excessive front-end dive.
It meant that as I entered the Atal Setu, the SOC dipped below 10 percent, triggering power-saving mode and capping my speed to around 50kph. I moved to the slow lane and had the ignominy of Wagon Rs and Altos overtaking me! I’ve never driven so slowly on the Atal Setu before.
I reached the office (and not home, which was another 7km away) with just 6 percent and a huge relief, finally plugging the car into our wall-box charger.
Curvv’s aircon cools the cabin effectively, with the express cool working particularly quickly.
Living with the Curvv EV has otherwise been painless, and it’s turning out to be an excellent city car. The big standout feature for me is the air-conditioning system. The fixed-scroll aircon compressor is silent, and during an unusually sizzling March, it cooled the cabin brilliantly.
For the next few months, the Curvv EV will be my daily driver, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it fares in the long run.
Also see:
Tata Curvv EV real-world range tested, explained
Mahindra BE 6e vs Tata Curvv EV: price, range, specs
