Explained: MG Windsor’s Battery Rental Program - A Brilliant Innovation Or Hidden Compromise?

You know how electric vehicles tend to be dearer than their equivalent internal combustion counterparts? Most of that extra money is down to just one part – the battery. Because it is a technology that’s in its nascent stages, it needs a lot of research and development, and the cost of which is ultimately borne by the end user, i.e. us (the customer).

But MG has found a way to bring down that initial cost of ownership with their newly launched Windsor EV and its Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) Rental Program. In this story, we take a deep dive into the program and see what it’s all about:

Basically renting a battery

With the Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) Rental Program, you basically pay for the entire car, its body, the features… the works, but what isn’t included in the asking price is the cost of the battery. Instead, you’ll have to shell out Rs 3.5 per kilometer to use the battery, something like a rental or subscription program, as some call it.

MG says, customers will have to recharge the battery pack for a minimum of 1,500 km every month, which costs Rs 5,250 (Rs 3.5 x 1500 km). So say, you drive the car for 10,000km, you’ll end up paying Rs 35,000 for the battery’s services. This is irresepctive of the distance you drive, meaning, even if you drive the car for 500km or 1000km, you will still have to recharge it for a minimum of 1500km. 

Of course, this cost doesn’t include the money you’ll spend on charging the vehicle, for which you will have to pay separately. To beat the pinch, MG has given one year of free fast charging through its own charging network for the initial lot of Windsor EV customers.

As a result of this program, the price of the Windsor EV, which starts from Rs 10 lakh, is significantly less than what its equivalent rivals (Nexon EV) ask for. In fact, it’s even lower than some of the cars sitting in a segment below! 

While this is great on paper, it might not be for everyone, as it does add another step or task in the ownership experience, especially for those with heavy usage. It’ll be an additional running cost for them to incur and depending on their way of life, some might just want to pay that cost up front and not have the hassle of paying rent for the battery usage again and again. But despite that and the charging costs, the Windsor EV will still be more economical to run than a regular petrol or even diesel compact SUV, that is, if you actually clock the monthyl billable 1500km. 

For all its pros, we reckon MG should’ve offered an option of full payment, including the cost of the battery, or even better, both options. 

MG Windsor Overview

The rebadged Wuling Cloud EV, dubbed as the MG Windsor EV in India, is available in three variants. It boasts a minimalistic styling, with a host of modern-day LED lighting elements front and rear. The cabin too follows a minimalistic layout, with an all-black theme contrasted by copper elements. 

You bet there are big screens making up the dashboard, and there’s no scarcity of creature comforts either. But you only get a single powertrain option with a 38kWh battery pack. It is paired with a 136 PS and 200 Nm electric motor and the setup has a claimed range of 331 km. The powertrain can support DC fast charging speeds of up to 50kW. You can check out more in-depth details about the Windsor EV in the launch story.

Also Read: MG Windsor EV: Here’s What You Get With Each Of Its Three Variants

Going by its size and powertrain specifications, the Windsor EV rivals the Tata Nexon EV and the Mahindra XUV400, but considering its aggressive pricing, it can also be considered as an alternative to the Punch EV.