EV road trip
Mumbai to Pune EV Road Trip
Mumbai to Pune is the EV drive most people in Maharashtra do first, and it is a forgiving one. The Expressway is short enough that a healthy battery covers it without stopping and the charging along it is the densest of any corridor in the state. The one piece of real terrain, the Khandala ghat, is a climb you pay for outbound and get back on the way home.
The interesting question on this route is almost never can I get there. It is whether you can get there and back without charging, because a round trip is close to double the range and the answer depends on your car, your right foot and how long you sit in the Expressway's habitual traffic.
141 km
Distance
2 hr 39 min
Drive time
No charging stop needed
Tata Nexon EV LR · from 80% charge
Distance and drive time are the route. Whether a stop is needed is specific to the car: Tata Nexon EV LR does not need one here, a smaller battery might. The stations below are what exists on the road, whatever you drive.
Charging stations on the Mumbai to Pune route
The 13 public chargers we have within 5 km of the route between the two cities, in the order you pass them. Stations inside Mumbai and Pune themselves are left out. This list does not depend on what you drive - it is the charging infrastructure on the road itself. Tap any station for driving directions.
ChargeZone Charging Station
ChargeZone · CCS2 50 kW
Shirdhon · on the highway · Known charging network
DirectionsChargeZone
ChargeZone · CCS2 50 kW
Dahivati Tarf Boreti · on the highway · Known charging network
DirectionsBPCL Charging Station
BPCL · CCS2 50 kW
Sarsan · 1.0 km off the highway · Known charging network
DirectionsChargeZone Charging Station
ChargeZone · CCS2 50 kW
Lonavala · 1.9 km off the highway · Known charging network
DirectionsChargeZone x TATA.ev MegaCharger
ChargeZone · CCS2 50 kW
Lonavala · 2.8 km off the highway · Known charging network
DirectionsStatiq Charging Station
Statiq · CCS2 50 kW
Lonavala · 2.8 km off the highway · Known charging network
DirectionsAdani Charging Station
Adani · CCS2 50 kW
Pune · 2.2 km off the highway · Known charging network
DirectionsShell Recharge Charging Station
Shell Recharge · CCS2 50 kW
Talegaon Dabhade R · 1.7 km off the highway · Known charging network
DirectionsDistances are measured along the route from Mumbai. Station data comes from charge point operators and Open Charge Map and can lag reality - check the operator app before relying on any single one.
What Mumbai to Pune costs in an EV
₹0
Charging bought on the way
₹942
Same trip on petrol
These two are not a like-for-like saving and we are not going to present them as one. The ₹0 covers the 0.0 kWh you buy at public chargers en route; the energy you set off with is not priced here, and it is cheaper than public rates if you charged at home. The petrol figure covers the whole distance. Assumes ₹22 per kWh at public DC chargers, petrol at ₹100 per litre and 15 km per litre. Tolls are the same either way and are not included.
What the Khandala ghat actually costs you
The climb out of Khopoli up to Lonavala is the only part of this drive your battery notices. Expect it to cost around 12 percent of your battery for that section alone, and to watch the consumption figure on your dash roughly double while you are in it. Both are normal, and the high consumption reading stops the moment the road levels out.
What you do NOT get is much of it back on this leg. Pune sits up on the Deccan plateau at a similar height to Lonavala, so once you are up, you stay up - there is no long descent into the city to regenerate on. Budget the climb as spent.
The direction genuinely matters here, and it matters more than people expect. Mumbai to Pune is net uphill, sea level to plateau. Pune to Mumbai is net downhill, and the drop off the ghat towards Khopoli returns real charge, enough that the return leg is noticeably cheaper than the outbound one rather than merely slightly.
Can you do the round trip on one charge?
For a long-range EV leaving Mumbai full, usually yes, helped by the fact that the return leg is the cheap direction. For a smaller battery, or if you drive at the Expressway's actual pace rather than its efficient one, plan a top-up in Pune rather than gambling on the return.
The cheapest version of that top-up is not a highway charger at all. If you are staying a few hours in Pune, an AC charger at a hotel or a mall car park costs less than a DC session and you were parked anyway. Fast charging is for when time matters, not by default.
Can Tata Nexon EV LR do Mumbai to Pune without stopping?
Yes - this route fits within a single charge for the default vehicle.
Frequently asked questions
Can an EV do Mumbai to Pune without charging?
For most current EVs with a full battery, comfortably. The route is short by highway standards and the ghat climb, while real, is a small share of the total. The harder question is the return leg without charging in Pune, which depends on your battery size and how fast you drive.
How much battery does the Khandala ghat use?
Around 12 percent of your battery for the climb itself, and you will see your per-kilometre consumption roughly double while you are on it. Going up you keep that cost, because Pune is on the plateau rather than down the far side. You get it back on the way home, descending to Khopoli.
Is the Mumbai-Pune Expressway or the old highway better for an EV?
The Expressway, for time and for charging. It carries far more chargers and the surface is better. The old NH48 route through Khopoli is slower and its charging is thinner, so it is a scenic choice rather than an efficient one.
Where can you charge in Lonavala on the way?
Lonavala sits at the top of the ghat and has become a natural halt, with chargers at hotels and food stops on both carriageways. The station list above shows what is currently within 5 km of the route in the order you pass it.
Does traffic on the Expressway hurt EV range?
Far less than it hurts a petrol car, which burns fuel going nowhere, but it is not free. An EV is at its most efficient at steady moderate speeds, not crawling, and a long jam with the air conditioning running does drain range with very few kilometres to show for it. Sustained high speed still costs more than traffic does on this route.
How we plan this route
- The car. Every figure above is calculated for Tata Nexon EV LR, using its real-world highway consumption rather than its claimed range. A different car gives different stops, which is what the planner is for.
- The chargers. Station locations, connector types and power ratings come from charge point operator data and Open Charge Map, refreshed on a schedule. Stops are picked for DC fast charging on or near the route, not for the shortest raw distance.
- The charging maths. At each stop we add only what the next leg needs plus a margin, and never take the battery above 80 percent, because DC charging slows sharply beyond that. That is why a stop can be short and leave you well under 80 - it is deliberate, not a shortfall. We also hold a reserve for arrival rather than planning you down to empty.
- What we cannot see. Live queues, a charger that went down this morning, and your own driving speed. Treat the plan as a good starting point and check availability in the operator app on the day.
Charging plan on this page computed October 13, 2026 and refreshed automatically.
Drafted with AI assistance, then reviewed by Simran Raheja before publishing.
Other EV road trips
Or see all EV road trip guides.
Also see weekend getaways from Pune.
