A year ago, this blog didn’t exist. There was no analysis, no maps, no articles.
Many people have asked me questions about what got me here and what I am going to do next. So, I am going to do an indirect AMA, scratch that, FAQ, about ExpWithEVs.
This post isn’t about electric vehicles but more about me and the blog itself, so you can skip it if you are exclusively looking for EV content. But now that you are already here, here’s the data from all my charging sessions - AC and DC both, along with the money and time spent. I’ve spent ~INR 8.12 / unit at home and an average of INR 20.21 / unit for DC Fast Charging. Total fuel cost is INR ~49,000 for a running of ~30,000 kms, costing INR ~1.63 / km.
How did the blog start and where are we now?
I bought my Moonlight - MG ZS EV 2022, in late April 2022 after 5-6 months of excruciating wait. (Yep, there were those days too!) As mentioned in my last post, I had to visit Gulbarga just a couple of days after I got the car. After doing some PlugShare planning, I decided that I could do this by road. Gulbarga didn’t have a fast charger and luckily Dr. Manju at Chirayu hospital allowed me to charge at his slow charger. The trip wouldn’t have happened without his help.
I was one of the first ones in my immediate circle to own an EV. Everyone around me was very curious to understand how easy or difficult it is to do a roadtrip in an EV. Instead of making it a long WhatsApp message, I decided to just type it all out. That’s how this blog started.
This is where we are now.
Why write and not make YouTube videos?
Skillset, finances and time constraints are the biggest challenges. Though I have started posting small clips on my YouTube channel. It is a work in progress and I am still learning the chops.
I believe that writing is a denser medium than videos. It allows me to communicate more information which can later be referenced to easily. I am also learning to write clearly. It is an easier and more enjoyable skill to learn.
While I do that, you can watch this playlist of me visiting charging stations across India.
Who funds your travels and road trips?
I don’t take any funding from anyone. All the trips are self sponsored or sponsored by my company for work trips.
Why do you not take money like others and create more content?
I may not be able to put forth my honest opinion about what I feel about a particular product or a service. Being independent allows me to be bias free.
So what is the business model here?
There is no business model because this isn’t a business. I keep sharing links to my UPI ID - expwithevs@ibl or a Buy Me A Coffee page of me or my friends who helped me with the blog. If a trip report or an analysis was of some value to you or if you enjoyed reading it, then you can always give what you like. The money earned from this will go towards creating and experimenting with more content.
This is a passion project and will remain so till I can financially support it and be excited about it.
How big is your team?
All articles, so far, have been written by me. I do not have a team. All research work is also done by me. I rely on a few friends to help me edit, make graphics for the blogs, coding, teach me the basics of video and sound editing, etc. This is different when I collaborate with someone, say TeslaClubIndia. Then we work as a team.
How has ExpWithEVs grown over the past year?
Most of my articles are trip reports or analytical reports. I’ll continue writing these as and when I can make the time. I started a podcast before putting out short clips on YouTube. The podcast project is currently shelved for the foreseeable future. However, if you want to listen to me discuss anything related to EVs, I co host a podcast with TeslaClubIndia. Here’s the link. The last one was a kicker. Give it a listen (1h).
Short burst YouTube videos will continue for a few months. They require less work to edit than podcasts. I am active on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Of the three, I use Twitter almost daily.
The telegram bot space is also captivating and I am proud of what I could accomplish. I’ll continue working on that.
I am a big proponent of open source and contributing back. I think that putting all the collected data in easy to access spreadsheets is the best way to go about it. Happy to hear more ideas!
I have been wholeheartedly supported by and accepted into communities. Whichever new city I am in, I often meet with EV users from the community. So feel free to reach out! Twitter is the best way to do so.
Ask a question if you want to!
Who am I and what is my day job?
My name is Priyans. I am the cofounder of a company called ActiveBuildings. We make indoor air quality sensors and tell our clients on how to fix their air quality. We believe that every building is unique and has different needs. We are here to help with it. We’ve been in this business since 2017. We work with multiple conglomerates and MNCs in India. If you are in the HVAC / FM business, then drop me a note!
We also have our social services brand called Sarva. We make low cost air purifiers that are easy and reliable with low recurring costs. We work with CSR groups of large corporations and get them installed across various public benefit places like primary healthcare centers and public schools.
Outside of work, I help Siddharth (yes, the map guy) manage accounts and financial compliances for his not-for-profit - Veditum India Foundation. It is a research and media organization based out of Kolkata, India - registered as a Section 8 company. We work at the intersection of environmental, cultural and social challenges. Our current work is centered on Indian rivers, and life around these rivers. Our aim is to create publicly accessible records - ecological, anthropogenic, hydrological, social, and even more contextual layers - of these spaces and of people’s stories. If you like our work, you can go on the website and donate any amount you like. Please note, we can accept donations only from Indian citizens with a valid PAN card. Tax benefits apply.
I love playing board games and drinking craft beers. I listen to a lot of podcasts. I prefer listening to audiobooks than reading. Higher audio consumption goes well with long drives. Suggestions welcome - beer or podcasts or audiobooks!
What are some plans with the blog in the coming year?
One 3000 km road trip coming up this monsoon. This will be the biggest ever road trip I’ve done. Open to ideas on how to document it differently.
I am planning to collect a lot more car driving data.
Working on some exciting updates for the telegram bot. Your ideas are appreciated!
Analytical articles will continue. I will research different markets, business ideas and product verticals in the EV space.
Podcasts will continue with TeslaClubIndia.
Subscribe to find out what happens.
This piece can be re-published (CC BY-NC-SA) with a line mentioning ‘This was originally published on ExpWithEVs Substack’ and a link back to this page. In case of re-publishing, please alert priyansevs@gmail.com
Text and data - Priyans Murarka
Map and editing - Siddharth Agarwal