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How the Mahindra XEV 9S Conquered a Single-Charge Journey

The first light of dawn at Dhanushkodi is unlike any other on the Indian subcontinent. Standing at this southeastern tip, with the invisible line of the Ram Setu submerged just kilometres away, I wasn’t just looking at a sunrise; I was staring at a stopwatch. Our mission was deceptively simple yet technically audacious: to depart from this edge of the world in Tamil Nadu at sunrise and reach the western shores of Kollam in Kerala by sunset. An east coast-to-west coast sprint across the girth of South India. It doesn’t sound very daunting until I tell you that it would be executed on a single battery charge.

This was the ‘Sun Chase’, a record-setting attempt by Team Flywheel that would push the Mahindra XEV 9S to its absolute limits. As the clock struck 6:31am on the 22nd of February, the silent hum of the electric motors signalled the start of our 385-kilometre journey. The XEV 9S, poised against the backdrop of the ‘Ghost Town’, looked at every bit the futuristic flagship it claims to be.

We began our journey with 98 per cent state-of-charge, with the instrument cluster optimistically projecting a 490-kilometre range in its most conservative ‘Range’ mode. For any seasoned automotive journalist, those numbers are a baseline, but the reality of Indian highways; the heat, erratic traffic and the climb over the Western ghats, is where marketing brochures go to die.

Setting Off on a Coast-to-Coast Challenge

The initial leg through the Rameswaram peninsula offered a surreal driving experience. Flanked by turquoise waters on both sides, the XEV 9S glided over the Pamban bridge with a poise that immediately spoke of its refined NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) levels. There is a specific kind of serenity found in driving an EV through a place as spiritual and quiet as this; you aren’t an intruder with a combustion engine, but a silent observer of the landscape. However, my focus remained tethered to the efficiency of readouts.

Driving for Real-World Efficiency

We weren’t hypermiling and there were no gimmicks here. We kept the air conditioning at a comfortable level and maintained highway speeds that would mirror a typical family road trip. The goal was to prove the XEV 9S’s practical viability, not to set a speed record in a laboratory vacuum.

When the Journey Became the Real Test

As the sun climbed higher, casting a harsh glare across the plains of Thoothukudi, the heat became a silent adversary. By the time we reached the outskirts of Tuticorin, we had covered a significant portion of the planes.

The battery stood at 51 per cent, and

The computer calculated 254 kilometres of remaining range. The match looked favourable, as our destination was just 209 kilometres away, but the most treacherous part of the route, the ascent up to the Western ghats via Tenkasi and Sengottai, loomed on the horizon.

Climbing the Western Ghats

The transition from the flat, shimmering highways of Tamil Nadu to the lush, winding ascents of the Kerala border is where the XEV 9S truly revealed its dual personality. Most EVs struggle with the weight of their battery packs when things get twisty, often feeling wallowy or disconnected. However, the XEV 9S benefits from a remarkably low centre of gravity. As I engaged the customisable suspension settings, I opted for a firmer damping profile to tackle the hairpins. The turn-in was sharp and the torque delivery, instantaneous as ever.

Technology That Helped Along the Way

Yet, the journey was not without its stress testers. A navigational detour led us into a congested inner road, costing us precious time and a chunk of our energy reserves as we crawled through stop-and-go traffic. This was where the triple-screen dashboard became more than a luxury. While my colleagues remained immersed in the secondary displays, I relied heavily on the real-time energy flow maps and the Level 2+ ADAS suite. The Lane Keep Assist and adaptive cruise control took the edge off the fatigue, allowing me to focus on the shrinking window of daylight.

On a long duration run such as this, the ‘Drowsiness Alert’ system acts as a silent co-driver, monitoring patterns and steering inputs to ensure that the driver remains sharp. It’s a subtle reassurance when you’ve been behind the wheel for ten hours straight.

Racing Against the Setting Sun

Crossing into Kerala, the landscape shifted to a more chaotic, dense and vibrant texture. The roads narrowed, and the clock became our primary rival. We were in the “Push” phase. To make it to Thanni beach before the sun dipped below the Arabian Sea, we had to increase our pace, which naturally saw the range estimate drop more sharply. The worry that usually plagues EV drivers, the dreaded ‘range anxiety’, was present, but it was tempered by the car’s honest communication. Even when we dipped into the final 20 per cent of the battery, the power delivery remained consistent.

The final stretch into Kollam was a race against the celestial clock. As the sky turned into a palette of purples and oranges, we navigated the final coastal roads leading to Thanni beach. The XEV 9S rolled onto the sand-swept promenade at exactly 6:28pm, with some juice still left in the battery. We had done it.

Completing the Coast-to-Coast Record

The final tally was a testament to the leap Indian EV engineering has taken. We covered 385 kilometres in 11 hours and 57 minutes of driving. We finished with 9 per cent battery remaining, roughly 33 kilometres of buffer. For those who still argue that EVs are restricted to the city, this run is the rebuttal. We crossed a peninsula, navigated mountain passes, endured tropical heat and arrived with energy to spare, all on a single charge.

What the Journey Proved

Looking back at the XEV 9S parked by the crashing waves of India’s west coast, bathed in the dying light of a sun we had chased since Dhanushkodi, the record felt like more than a line in a book.

It was a realisation that the horizon is no longer a limit for the electric suv in India. It was a journey of endurance, not just for the machine, but for the spirit of automotive adventure that continues to drive us toward the next frontier.