Hyderabad to Tirupati and Back: A 2,400 km Nexon EV 45 Road-Trip

We’d been planning this trip for a while — part pilgrimage for my better half, part chance to unwind and put our Nexon EV 45 through a long-distance, real-world shakedown. After a successful, fast-paced 1,450 km two-day run to Shirdi earlier, this journey was meant to be more relaxed: two long drives bookending a week of shorter days. In total it turned into a 2,400 km round trip with great memories, smooth charging, and just a few bumps that taught me useful lessons for future EV travel.

Trip rhythm and pacing

• Structure: Day 1 and Day 7 handled ~600 km each; Days 2–6 stayed around 150–250 km.
• Typical charging pattern: Stops every 200–220 km that doubled as meal or work breaks. Chargezone’s location scouting often paired chargers with good restaurants, which made the routine enjoyable.

Day-by-day charging and stops

Day 1 — Hyderabad → Kurnool → Mydukur → Tirupati approx 590km

• Stop 1: Lepakshi, Kurnool — ChargeZone (Tata Megacharger). Breakfast stop around 9:00 AM. Highly recommend the pongal and tea here; good way to top up and start the day.
• Stop 2: Mydukur — Voltron Charge Hub. Lunch stop. There’s a fantastic biryani place about 100 m from the charger — a must-try. Voltron’s attendant service again made switching plugs effortless.
• End of Day 1: A ChargeZone DC charger at a nearby hotel (non-meal stop). I used this to take care of work calls while the car charged.

Days 2–4 — Tirupati base (local temple visits)

• Charging: ChargeZone at GRT Hotels. We’d drop my wife at the hotel after temple visits, then head to the ChargeZone nearby. I’d use that time for office work while the car charged. Note: this site was not Tata co-branded, so we didn’t get the Rs. 5/kWh discount.

Days 5–6 — Kanchipuram (Kanchi)

• Travel within Kanchipuram was limited and short-range; we didn’t need to charge during local outings.

Day 6 — Mahabalipuram (Pondicherry en route)

• Stop: ZEON charger at Mango Hill (Pondicherry). This was a full charge in a pleasant hotel setting. Serviceable tea, nice ambience — and a dependable top-up when you want a full battery before coastal legs.

Day 7 Mahabalipuram → Chennai area → Vijayawada approx 600km

• Early Chennai charge: Shell charger (first unit) — failed to work with the Nexon, so I used the backup Shell charger nearby. This was the only charger-related delay on the trip.this was also the only non meal or work charging stop by design. We sat in the airconditoned car to watch an episode of our favourite show and charging completed before the show got over.
• En route toward Vijayawada:
• Nellore region: Statiq charger near Sampoorna Bhavan. Great non-vegetarian food if you want a proper meal.
• Ongole: Voltron managed charger. No full meal here — just tea and biscuits — but attendant service meant a fast stop and enough charge to reach Vijayawada comfortably.
• Vijayawada: Arrival and overnight stay. Connected slow charger
• Final leg Vijayawada → Hyderabad: I’ve driven this route many times, so I wasn’t concerned. Before the last stretch I gave the car a slow overnight wall-socket top-up (first slow charge in seven days) and started with about 70% SOC with a quick stop to top up at Avantika chargers in Suryapet, another attendant-managed charger with a great sofa in the waiting room to sleep on.

Charging network notes and preferences

• Voltron (Andhra & Telangana): Favorite for attendant-managed plugs and cash payment option. On long trips with family, this convenience shaved off hassle and saved time.
• ChargeZone: Excellent location scouting and partnerships with restaurants. Ideal when you want to combine charging with a good meal.
• ZEON: Reliable for full top-ups; good hotel-adjacent locations.
• Shell: Mostly fine, but expect occasional compatibility hiccups; always have a nearby backup charger listed in your navigation app.

Practical habits that worked well

• Meal-led charging: Planning stops around breakfast, lunch, or dinner (200–220 km spacing) kept energy levels up and avoided long, anxious waits at busy chargers. This is typically once every 3.5-4hours
• Combine charging with work: Hour-plus charging sessions are perfect for catching up on calls or email; hotel or mall chargers made this easy.

Overall trip stats

2386km done including 2 trips up the tirumala tirupathi ghat road

Excluding 300odd km of home charging spent around 5500 for charging with around 100kw done using preferential rates at chargezone and voltran thanks to Tata

Time spent on trip planning 1 hour in total using plugshare and Ira.