Tata Harrier EV: One Week, One Charge

I’ve always been sceptical about range anxiety. You know, that lingering doubt about whether your EV will make it through the week. It’s something every electric car owner thinks about. So, when Tata handed me the keys to the Harrier EV, I decided to do something a little different: live with it for a full week on a single charge. No top-ups. No “just in case” plugs. The version I drove was the 75 kWh variant, with a claimed range of 627 kilometres. Though in the real world, it sits comfortably between 480 and 505 kilometres. Would that be enough to survive a typical Mumbai week? Here’s how it went.

Monday: The Commute Begins

The week kicked off as usual. Office runs, phone calls, and endless traffic lights. My daily commute is about 12 kilometres each way, which doesn’t sound like much until you multiply it by stop-and-go congestion. Later in the evening, I had a meeting in Bandra, adding another 25 kilometres to the day. The Harrier EV’s cabin calmness turned that chaotic drive into something almost meditative. By the time I parked at home, the range had only dipped slightly, which is reassuringly slow consumption.

Tuesday: The Rhythm of Routine

No meetings this day, and no detours either. Just the usual office loop. This was when the Harrier EV felt at its best. The throttle response was smooth, and the regenerative braking system made city crawling surprisingly efficient. Watching the projected range barely move after a full day was oddly satisfying. The kind of quiet confidence EVs should inspire.

Wednesday: Long-Haul Midweek

Midweek brought the biggest test yet: a round trip to Thane. That meant expressway stretches, quick overtakes, and sustained highway speeds; the kind that usually eat into range. Yet, the Harrier held steady. Even with the AC on full blast, it managed to stay within realistic expectations. By Wednesday night, I’d covered nearly 120 kilometres in total since Monday, and still had well over 350 kilometres left in the battery.

Thursday: The Day Off

A midweek holiday was the perfect excuse to give the Harrier EV a break. But I didn’t. My sister and I turned the day into a food crawl across Mumbai. From breakfast in Fort to lunch in Bandra and dessert in Juhu, we spent more time in the car than at the table. The Harrier’s quiet ride, panoramic sunroof, and soft suspension made it the ideal partner for a relaxed, indulgent day.

Friday: Routine Ride

Friday was the same workday as usual. But this was the day I sort of realised how blissfully useful the digital IRVM of the Harrier EV is. And sure enough, during the ride back home, I made a Reel highlighting how I absolutely love that it has an integrated dashcam feature that lets you easily retrieve footage using your phone.

Saturday & Sunday: The Lonavala Escape

By the weekend, I had a little over 300 kilometres of range left, and it was time for the real challenge: a round trip to Lonavala to chase unseasonal October rain. On the expressway, the Harrier EV felt planted and confident, its instant torque perfect for quick bursts of acceleration. Regenerative braking helped on the downhill stretches, reclaiming just enough energy to make me smile at the numbers on the screen. The rain-soaked ghats, the mist curling around the hills, and the quiet hum of the electric motor made the drive almost cinematic. When I rolled back into Mumbai on Sunday evening, I still had about 60 kilometres of range left — enough for another day’s commute, maybe even two.

Friday: Routine Ride

Friday was the same workday as usual. But this was the day I sort of realised how blissfully useful the digital IRVM of the Harrier EV is. And sure enough, during the ride back home, I made a Reel highlighting how I absolutely love that it has an integrated dashcam feature that lets you easily retrieve footage using your phone.

A Week Without Worry

Spending a week with the Harrier EV wasn’t just an experiment in stretching a charge; it was a reminder that EVs are finally becoming real-world ready. The 480–505 kilometre usable range meant I could live my life without planning every kilometre. Sure, the infrastructure still needs to grow, and trusting the battery meter takes a few days. But once you do, the Harrier EV stops being a futuristic curiosity and starts feeling like a dependable everyday SUV.