Recently I drove the Kia Carens Clavis EV (electrical vehicle) on the outskirts of Bangalore and even took it up to the top of Nandi Hills. A few months back, I had done the same thing in both the diesel and petrol powered versions of the Clavis. And driving the petrol, diesel and electric versions on the same route, just reiterated my belief, that battery powered vehicles are more suitable for hilly regions.

For those of you that are not familiar with Nandi Hills (a popular hill retreat about 60 kms from Bangalore), let me tell you that it has a history of hosting a hill climb due to which its revered ground for many of us motorsport enthusiasts. For quite a few years- a competitive hill climb known as the “Race to the Clouds” (as a tribute to the world famous Pikes Peak Hill Climb) was run for both cars and motorcycles on the winding roads and slopes of Nandi Hills.

The road to the top (at a height of about 1500 feet) is smooth tarmac, but what makes this hill climb really fun and challenging, are the 40 hairpin bends that test the skill of the driver or rider, while demanding the best performance from the machine too. Each of these bends is numbered and almost all are wide enough to necessitate technical expertise and ability to pick the fastest racing line. The Nandi Hills Hill Climb is where the boys were separated from the men, and the best tuners tried to extract every ounce of horsepower from the engines of their cars or bikes.

What also made this hill-climb fascinating is that in the monsoons, the Nandi Hills is almost perpetually covered with mist or fog, so the damp roads and reduced visibility, raised the difficulty level for the driver or rider.

Due to the risks, the increasing number of visitors, and also opposition from certain quarters including government authorities, the Nandi Hills Hill Climb has had a chequered history and has not been held in recent years. I believe at one point the name was also changed from “Race to the Clouds” to “Race to Thunder Head”, why I honestly do not know.

But what I know and can confirm, is that it remains a great route for a drive. Especially for an enthusiastic driver who likes to take on a challenging road. And after driving it in 3 differently powered Kia Caren’s, what I can also confidently state is that, going up or down hills, is far easier in an electrically powered vehicle like the Kia Carens Clavis EV, than in a fossil powered one. Let me explain why.

But before that let me also tell you a bit about the Carens Clavis EV. A bit because you will find many reviews describing it. While I want to focus more on the drivability aspects of EVs like the Clavis, and their appropriateness for hilly areas.

The EV version of the Kia Carens Clavis was launched just recently and is known as the Clavis EV. It is currently the most affordable and accessible 7-seater EV in our country with a starting price of rupees 18 lakhs. It comes with two battery options- a 42 kWh variant with an estimated range of 404 km, and a 51.4 kWh one with an approximate range of 490 km.

Its spacious and getting into the 3^rd row is easy due to the one touch electrically folding or tumble seats of the 2^nd row. It has also has some other useful features like ventilated front seats, 6 airbags, all-wheel disc brakes, 360-degree camera, panoramic sunroof, rear window sunshades, air purifier, Bose sound system, a V2L or Vehicle-to-Load feature that allows the vehicle’s battery to also power external devices and appliances – be it camp lights, fans, ovens, etc.

And being based on a conventional car like the Kia Carens, the Clavis EV is one of the most user friendly electrical vehicles with a strong resemblance both in form and usability, to its regular siblings. And the fact that it has a familiar operating environment and is bereft of unnecessary gimmicks and over the top tech features, actually increases its utility and practicality. Something that I really like.

Now let me tell you why I think the EV version of the Kia Carens Clavis, is more suitable for hilly terrains than its fossil fueled siblings. And mind you this holds true for all EVs. EVs as many of you know are driven by electric motors powered by powerful batteries. And as there is no fossil fuel to be burnt for generating energy, the power or max torque is available instantly in an EV. You just have to press the accelerator to unleash it. And this instant torque means you have immediate acceleration – even if you have lifted off the accelerator, (something you have to do to slow down and negotiate turns) and stepped on it again.

There is also no shifting of gears. It’s just a motor increasing or reducing revolutions depending on the inputs of the driver. So there is no real transferring or transmission of power from the engine to the wheels via gears. It’s just a constant surge of power as and when you want it and this means you can come quickly to a turn, lift or ease off the accelerator before entering it, and again press the accelerator and make a rapid exit even if the curve is on an incline.

There is no huffing and puffing, or straining of the engine. Or the constant changing of gears. And the driver does not have to try and match the vehicle speed and building of engine rpm, to cope with the incline or severeness of the slope. It’s just press, lift, press again and go. Simple. No need for all that driver expertise of knowing exactly when to change gears to keep the engine in its rev band. Or when and how hard to press the brake pedal to slow down just enough, without losing all momentum and coming to a halt on the slope. And then slipping and burning the clutch and struggling to climb the incline, because it’s just too steep.

I am sure you have often seen vehicles having to roll back, and build up speed before ascending. Well, none of this applies in an EV. You can stop right in the middle of the slope, and then just press the accelerator and with the instant power delivery, climb up easily. I tried this in the Kia Carens Clavis EV on several of the steeper turns in Nandi Hills, and climbing up was as easy as US President Donald Trump changing his mind.

As mentioned, I have driven up Nandi Hills in both the petrol and diesel powered versions of the Kia Carens Clavis. The diesel I drove was equipped with the automatic DCT transmission. And during that test drive it was obvious that both the petrol and diesel versions of the Carens Clavis are capable and impressive performers. But it’s also completely clear and undeniable that the Clavis EV climbs slopes more effortlessly.

And it’s the same while coming down. Because EVs like the Kia Carens Clavis are equipped with regenerative braking, which converts kinetic energy back to electrical energy, whenever the vehicle decelerates or slows down. And obviously, you decelerate most while descending a slope and negotiating sharp and acute turns. This regenerative energy system that automatically slows a vehicle down whenever the accelerator is released also permits one pedal driving.

In fact the Clavis has paddle shifters for selecting its 4 different levels of regenerative braking. And if you select level 4, the most extreme one, you also engage what Kia calls the i-pedal function, which basically means that the braking is so powerful that you can drive with one foot. Yes, you can control the car with just the accelerator pedal because every time you lift off, the brakes automatically apply strongly.

And this strong braking also increases the driving range by charging the batteries.  Some studies show that if there is optimum use of regenerative braking, the range can be extended by 20 to 30 percent with the aid of this recaptured energy.  So every time you descend a hill, you can see the battery charging status in the display going to max. And honestly in an EV where range anxiety is a constant factor, this feels good, because now you are making your own energy and that too for free.

In my view, what’s equally important is that you descend hills with added control and without needing the skill of slowing the car down with the right amount of braking force and selection of the right gear to also utilize the engine braking. All this happens intuitively in an EV like the Kia Carens Clavis.

And it’s because of these factors like the ease of climbing up our ghats and descending with more comfort and control, that I strongly believe EVs are more suitable for our hilly states and regions. I also feel that EV manufactures need to focus on this and their dealer partners should have special training to spread consumer awareness about the “Benefits of using EVs in our Hills”. I wish the government takes note of this too, and gives special subsidies for use of EVs in the hills.

Transporting fuel up in tankers to some of our higher areas is also difficult, costly, time consuming, and creates its own negative carbon footprint. And as most of our hills now have electrical connections, we can establish the charging infrastructure and by increasing the use of EVs reduce this footprint too.

Another aspect worth considering is that some of our hills still have some tree cover and vegetation. Higher up the air is also fresher and less polluted. And EVs can certainly help prevent spread of more pollution in these hills. I rest my case, and hope you agree that more EVs should be “Headed to the Hills”.

All photos Bob Rupani