My mother has always wanted to do a road trip from Delhi to Mumbai. Perhaps it’s because both cities have been home to her for almost 50 years, and she’s shuttled between them more times than either of us can remember. She must have flown between the two cities over a thousand times and even done the journey by train in her youth. But by road? In a car? Never. Why would you, when there’s a two-hour flight? But then again, why not? I think it’s the romance of the road, the joy of still being independent and doing something on your own time and without a schedule, that really appealed to her.
For me, road trips are part of the job. The first time I did the Mumbai-Delhi run was way back in 1986, when I drove my rally prepped Gypsy from Mumbai to take part in the Himalayan Rally. Since then, for one reason or another, I’ve done this route many times – in all sorts of cars and in all sorts of time frames. I remember doing Mumbai-Delhi non stop in 1991 in a Tata Sierra in 26 hours. This time, we were going to take five days.
But this run was different. In fact, very special and unique. I was doing it with my 91-year-old mother, Zena, who, by the way, is also a great-grandmother to five beautiful children. For her, this was going to be quite adventurous, and to make it even more adventurous, we were going to do this classic overland corridor in an EV, which, by the way, was also a first for me.
My Mum is at a fragile age, so we needed something super safe and comfortable, easy to get in and out of, with very comfortable seats and, above all, a very good range. The Volvo EX30 ticked all those boxes. The rear seat isn’t particularly spacious, but with just the two of us short passengers up front (you can see where I got my 5ft 6in height from), the front chairs were more than enough. The EX30’s 318-litre boot isn’t cavernous, but it easily swallowed our small bags – I’ve learned to travel light from my Mum. The 69kWh battery with a claimed 480km range meant we could plan sensible legs and not obsess over range anxiety.
Other than giving my Mum an experience she is unlikely to have again, I was also curious to see what the EV charging infrastructure is really like along this corridor. We would be taking it easy, no long hours behind the wheel, with many stops and overnight stays at Jaipur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad and Daman before finally rolling into Mumbai. On paper, given the Volvo’s range and the relatively short distances each day, it looked easy enough. Reality, as always, was a bit more nuanced.
Day 1 - Gurgaon to Jaipur: Easing into it
No better day than International Women’s Day to kick off a road trip that’s been on my mother’s bucket list for decades. The symbolism wasn’t lost on either of us: a 91-year-old great-grandmother finally doing the drive she’d always wanted, in a cutting-edge electric Volvo, on some of the newest highways in the country.
The flag off was from Swede Auto, the Volvo dealer in Gurugram, which gave us a genuinely warm welcome. We were both very touched that Jyoti Malhotra, head of Volvo Car India, came himself on a Sunday afternoon to see us off. It set the tone – this wasn’t just another media drive, but something a bit more personal for everyone involved.
Day one was deliberately the easiest leg, a gentle way to break Mum into the journey. We didn’t even start with a full charge, rolling out with 90 percent SOC. Leaving on a Sunday meant there wasn’t much traffic getting out of Delhi, and once we hit the new Delhi-Jaipur highway, part of the Delhi-Mumbai corridor, it was just brilliant – wide, smooth and relatively empty. The temptation to push the EX30 was always there; with 272hp, rear-wheel drive and that instant EV shove, it’s a very quick little SUV. But I held back for two reasons. First, I didn’t want to subject my mother to cheek-pressing acceleration. Second, range is very sensitive to speed – even a 10kph increase in average speed can see the predicted range plummet.
On this short, 267km hop, range was never going to be an issue, so even when we stopped midway for a short break, we didn’t bother charging. Instead, I used the time to acclimatise myself to the EX30’s interface. It’s just one big, vertically oriented tablet in the centre, with no instrument cluster in front of you. It’s very Tesla-like, with almost all the controls buried in the 12.3-inch touchscreen, and I took the better part of the Delhi-Jaipur run learning where everything lived.
Once you get used to it, it’s actually quite intuitive. The way the screen is positioned means you still have peripheral vision of the road when you glance slightly left, and the display itself is crisp and responsive. The embedded Google Maps was a huge boon for this road trip; you don’t have to bother with Apple CarPlay, and the navigation is brilliantly integrated with the car’s operating system. A fantastic feature I grew to rely on more and more was the predicted SOC at destination – at a glance, it tells you in real time how much charge you’ll have left when you arrive, which does wonders for range anxiety.
Jaipur greeted us with peak evening traffic, which was mildly annoying, but it’s exactly in these conditions that an EV takes the tiredness out of driving. The way you can creep forward smoothly and silently, the instant torque when gaps appear, and the absence of any vibrations or gear shifts all combine to make heavy traffic much less stressful.
Talking about feeling tired, that’s one thing I never really felt on this trip. The Volvo’s seats, its supple ride, and that quiet, refined EV manner set the template for the next four days.
As for Mum, the Delhi-Jaipur leg was a breeze. She’s used to doing the Mumbai-Mahabaleshwar run, which is a touch shorter but significantly more stressful thanks to bad roads and a ghat section. This fast, smooth four-lane ride felt positively relaxing in comparison. We pulled into the Radisson in Jaipur with 17 percent SOC and 90km of range still in hand, comfortably removed from any range anxiety and straight into the arms of a 160kW Xobolt DC fast charger waiting in the hotel parking.
On an EV road trip, if you can, always pick a hotel with a proper charging facility; it just makes life so much easier. You sleep, the car charges, and in the morning, you’re effectively “fuelled up” at your doorstep.
Day 2 - Jaipur to Udaipur: Range and ADAS
It’s a long 415km run to Udaipur, the longest leg of the trip, and we should have started early, but we didn’t. After a leisurely breakfast, we took in a bit of sightseeing.
On the way out of Jaipur, we did the mandatory slow pass in front of the Hawa Mahal, Mum peering out at the iconic façade from her well-padded passenger seat. She’d settled into the EX30’s front chair nicely now, with her travel pillow wedged behind her neck and the seat reclined just so. Importantly, the adjustable seatbelt anchor comes down low enough that the belt doesn’t cut into her neck – a small detail, but crucial when your co traveller is 91.
Our first proper halt was at the Statiq charging station on the Kishangarh highway, which has two 60kW guns and, conveniently, a mall alongside. This is exactly what you should do on an EV road trip – combine charging with a break you’d normally take anyway. We pulled in with 72 percent SOC and, over a 30-minute Burger King lunch, topped the EX30’s 69kWh battery to 95 percent for Rs 439. Charging time equals lunch break – perfect. Well, almost.
In classic EV infra fashion, the Statiq charger randomly stopped after 16 minutes, at 83 percent SOC. The session had to be restarted, the unit rebooted, and the car plugged back in for another 12 minutes to finish the job. This is the problem with many public charging stations today: they can be unreliable and keep you on edge for no good reason. To be fair, I was also pleasantly surprised by how many chargers there are along this route; it’s amazing how quickly they’ve mushroomed. The good news is that many of them are coming up at food courts, which is exactly where they should be. The only annoying bit is the multiplicity of apps – every CPO wants you to download its own app, register, add money, and so on.
Back on the road, the Jaipur-Udaipur highway allowed us to maintain a decent cruise on smooth, wide tarmac. Mum was quite impressed with the EX30’s ADAS, especially the lane-keep assist, which gently steers the car around bends, subtly correcting your line. I couldn’t resist a “look, Ma, no hands” demonstration, and she was decidedly unimpressed, slipping into what I can only call back-seat or should I say front-seat driving. She promptly pointed out the driver attention warning – the little coffee cup icon that pops up in the middle of the central screen when the car thinks you’re not paying enough attention – something she could read clearly because the screen is central. That, in turn, made me appreciate her eyesight more than the system’s vigilance.
The rest of the run passed smoothly, but we did roll into Udaipur with just 6 percent SOC and 33km of indicated range left, proof that if you push, this stretch is tough to do without at least one top-up. Another overnight charge to 100 percent, and both car and occupants were fully refreshed for the next leg.
Day 3 - Udaipur to Ahmedabad: Twisty bits and family hits
On paper, day three looked like a doddle: Udaipur to Ahmedabad is just 247km, comfortably within the Volvo EX30’s realistic range. Which was just as well, because our now- standard routine of syncing meal breaks with charging stops didn’t quite go to plan.
We pulled into a busy food mall, expecting to plug in while we grabbed a bite, only to discover that all the chargers were kaput. Dead screens, error messages, the works. A stark reminder that while the charging network is growing fast, reliability is still a long way from where it needs to be. Fortunately, the EX30 had enough range in hand, and, to be honest, the only real thing killing that range was my heavy right foot.
I indulged it properly on the one decent twisty section of the entire Delhi-Mumbai drive, near Sirohi – a beautiful stretch of dual carriageway that gently meanders through low hills. The EX30 absolutely revelled in it, feeling secure and planted through the fast, flowing bends. The steering has a nice, consistent weight, body control is tidy, and the rear-drive layout gives it a balance you don’t expect from a stubby, city-friendly SUV. It’s not a hot hatch, but it’s a lot more fun than its practical brief suggests.
My wife, Naheed, riding our long-term Hyundai Alcazar, which came as the support car for this trip, hopped into the back of the EX30 for a short stint through this section. Normally, she’d have put the brakes on my enthusiasm pretty quickly, but she couldn’t this time because my mother sat through my shenanigans completely unflustered. Not a chirp, no nervous intake of breath, nothing. I’ll take that as a compliment – either to my smooth driving or to the EX30’s excellent high-speed composure. Or both!
We reached Ahmedabad in around 3 hours and 43 minutes, which is fairly brisk for the distance, and still had a healthy 33 percent SOC and 178km of indicated range left. The real bonus, though, was the family time. We were staying with my cousins, Sweetie and Arvind Somany, who hosted us with the kind of warmth that only family can. Mum took her first – and much-needed – afternoon nap of the trip, something she’d been missing and something I realised is crucial for her. The trick with travelling with a 91-year-old, I now know, is to plan your days so you reach your destination just after lunch, allowing time for proper rest.
The EX30, meanwhile, was quietly hooked up to my cousin’s 11kW home charger, which showed about five to six hours to reach 100 percent SOC. It’s here that EVs are at their best: silently sipping electrons in the background while you get on with life.
Day 4 - Ahmedabad to Daman: Memories and a bumpy expressway
Day four began not with the car, but with nostalgia. Family time in Ahmedabad was a huge bonus, and it was great to catch up with my cousins Prashant, Arvind and Sweetie, all of whom were delighted to see their maasi after so many years. The highlight was a visit to our cousins’ ancestral home, Shanti Kunj (now Baronet House) in Shahibagh, which was sold in the 1990s and is today owned by the Sanjay MS Raval Skill Centre.
I have so many fond memories of spending summer holidays there as a kid, in this palatial property surrounded by peacocks and greenery. Walking through the long corridors after over 30 years was a massive throwback – but also a shock. I was aghast at the sheer amount of development and the number of apartments that had closed in around the property, which had shrunk to less than a quarter of what it once was.
We finally left Ahmedabad around 11am for the 350km run to Daman. Missing the main rush hour meant getting out of the city was straightforward, and we quickly joined the Mumbai highway. The stretch to Vadodara is super smooth but only two lanes, which makes the endless truck- overtaking-truck ballet mildly infuriating – one doing 22kph, the other heroically managing 23kph.
About 106km out of Ahmedabad, we stopped for a quick bite and a charge at a Tata Power fast charger. The unit was working perfectly, delivering a solid 60kW initially, before the EX30’s battery management system sensibly started tapering the rate as the SOC climbed towards 100 percent to preserve battery health. The location, however, was less than ideal – stuck at one end of a food court in what looked like a construction site with debris and steel rods around it. The location made you feel that EV owners are second-class citizens, as if someone had bolted a charger to the farthest corner of the property to make a point.
Later, we joined the newly built six-lane NE4 expressway, which, on paper, is exactly where an EV like the EX30 should shine. In reality, I was shocked at how bumpy and uneven the surface was. The terrible undulations made it hard to enjoy the 120kph speed limit; more than once, I had to back off for fear of inadvertently launching the little Volvo into low Earth orbit. It’s a shame, because the car itself is perfectly happy at those speeds – stable, quiet and sure-footed. A bigger shame is the quality of what is touted as the best national highway in the country.
Daman, when we finally rolled in, was a pleasant surprise. We got a grand reception at the Deltin Hotel, and I was absolutely gobsmacked by the sheer scale of the property for a place like this. Mum didn’t get her afternoon nap on this leg but managed to sneak in a bit of rest before dinner by the poolside. Another day done, and now just the home run left.
Day 5 - Daman to Mumbai: The home run and a big tick
By day five, we’d covered around 1,200km, and my 91-year-old mother looked as fresh as the day we started. That, more than anything, says a lot about both her spirit and the way the EX30 cossets its occupants. Short stints, comfortable seats, a calm cabin and the absence of engine noise all add up.
The final leg, Daman to Mumbai, was the shortest at just 190km, but also the busiest in terms of traffic. A heavy traffic flow meant we couldn’t maintain the average speeds we’d enjoyed earlier, and Google Maps told us it would take about 4.5 hours to reach home. That was before we factored in the inevitable coffee halt at a highway McDonald’s. It was reassuring to see a high-speed charger in the parking lot, but with plenty of range in hand, we didn’t need to plug in. It’s one of those things that comes instinctively to an EV driver – you still look for a charging gun, even when you don’t need it.
We hit our first proper traffic jam of the entire trip just 45km before home. In fairness, it wasn’t too bad, especially when you hear the horror stories of hours-long jams on the infamous last stretch into Mumbai on the Western Express Highway. Timing is everything, and rolling into the city around 1pm meant the peak traffic had already ebbed.
You know you’re close to home when the landmarks start to feel familiar – the Mahindra factory in Kandivali, Oberoi Mall in Goregaon. Passing the turn off for Mumbai airport felt particularly strange. Normally, when we come back from Delhi, that’s the road we emerge from, dragging suitcases off a flight and straight into the city’s chaos. This time, we were doing the same journey at ground level, in slow motion, with every kilometre accounted for. It underlined just how habitual flying has become, and how a simple decision to drive instead can turn a routine commute into a memorable chapter.
It really began to sink in when we climbed onto the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and then flowed onto the new coastal road. Suddenly, we were just another car heading home, surrounded by office commuters and school runs, and you’d never guess that our little white Volvo had driven 1,600km all the way from Delhi. But it had. And in the passenger seat sat someone very special, who now had a big tick against a long-standing bucket-list wish
You did it, Mum!