My 91-year-old mother, great-grandmother to five, has always wanted to do a road trip from Delhi to Mumbai. 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.
But by road? Never. Why would you, when there’s a 90-minute flight? But the romance of the road, the joy of still being independent and doing something without a schedule appealed to her. To make it more interesting, we decided to journey in an EV, was a first for me too.
We picked the Volvo EX30. It’s compact, comfortable, easy to get in and out of, and claims a real-world range of 480km. With just the two of us “shorties” up front, space wasn’t an issue, and years of travelling light with my mum meant that the modest boot easily swallowed our bags.
We rolled out of Gurugram on Sunday, and got on to the new Delhi–Jaipur highway – wide, smooth, relatively empty. I kept speeds sensible; on an EV, range drops quickly with enthusiasm, and acceleration is not something you inflict on a 91-year-old, anyway. What struck me early on was how an EV takes the edge off driving: The silence, lack of vibration and easy crawl in traffic meant I finished each day surprisingly fresh. My mother, used to the far more stressful Mumbai–Mahabaleshwar run, found this smooth four-lane ride positively relaxing.
We settled into a rhythm quickly, stringing together manageable legs: Jaipur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Daman, Mumbai. Where possible, we picked hotels with EV chargers to tank up as we slept. On the road, we tried to sync charging with what we’d do anyway: Coffee, a loo break, a quick lunch.
Sometimes it worked perfectly. Sometimes it didn’t. The good thing is that charging stations have mushroomed on the highways so you’re never stranded. The 1,400km drive itself was mostly straightforward, with one standout twisty section near Sirohi – a flowing dual carriageway. I indulged myself there, and my mum sat through it unfazed. Either my driving has improved, or she’s cooler than I give her credit for.
In Ahmedabad, we stayed with cousins and detoured to Shanti Kunj, their old family home in Shahibagh, now Baronet House and a skill centre. Walking those corridors after more than 30 years was a massive throwback. In Daman, we rolled into a resort so large it felt faintly surreal for a small coastal town.
The last leg was short on distance but long on traffic, including our first proper jam near Mumbai. As we passed familiar markers – Mahindra’s Kandivli plant, Oberoi Mall – it felt strange to ignore the airport turnoff. Normally, coming back from Delhi, that’s where the journey by road begins. This time, it was where ours was ending.
It really hit me on the Sea Link and then the new coastal road, when we were just another car in the lunchtime traffic, that we had actually driven the full Delhi–Mumbai distance. No drama, no heroics, just five unhurried days that turned a routine air route into something far more memorable. For me, it was quality time with my mother I’ve not had in ages. For her it was a bucket-list wish item checked.
You did it, Mum!
From HT Brunch, April 11, 2026
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