Living Electric the with MG ZS and some charging problems 

Hi Bob, Nice review as always... UK Based ZS EV owner here.. just noticed a couiple of things from the video. Your ZS EV should also charge unlocked on DC, just AC that it needs to be locked for, the update to the ECVV allows charging unlocked on AC as well as DC. I regulally get over 40KW when charging on a 50kw fast charger over here in the UK, and managed 61kw on an Ionity 150kw charger the other day! I brought the car to Ireland over christmas and did notice that I couldn't get over 30kws on any of the Irish chargers except the Ionity ones. In fact a couple I couldn't get over 20kw! Also the car charges faster at a low state of charge (that 61kw I mentioned above was acheived with 10% battery left), so maybe try the charge test again but make sure the battery is at a lower state of charge and warmed up!

Hey everyone. So he's only getting 30kw charge because the battery is already half full. No cars battery charge at the full rate all the way to full, if they did this they'd overheat. So if he emptied to 10% charge and tried it he'd get the full 50kw charge rate. It then slows down as it fills up towards 80%.

Every video I see about MG ZS EV complains about the location of the charging port. Every video I see the person manages it with relative ease.

Thanks Bob for all the MG videos. Ordered one this morning after seeing these vids, Hadn't even considered it til i seen them

I suspect the 30kw charging rate is due to a combination of (i) low battery temp (cold as not driven much before connection), (ii) high state of charge (SoC) as you were at almost 50% in Laois and 60%+ in J14 and (iii) the stated charge speed with any car is the peak with all the moons aligned such as battery temp and low SoC. That is why manufacturers typically state 10% - 80% charging times and not 50% - 100%. The last few percent will usually be no faster than 7kw. An EVs 'charging curve' is more relevant than its peak speed which is unfortunately what is usually advertised. Only a few EV reviewers test charging curves but the problem is that this is very detailed info and not for the average driver or salesman who are the people we really need using and promoting EVs. Bob if you hammer the ZS EV on the M7 from almost full to about 5% and then connect to CCS then I suspect you will get more than 30kw and as the battery fills it will start to throttle down. This is the charging curve.

Hi Bob, to get optimum charging speeds whilst out and about you should really start charging at 15 to 20% of battery and charge until 80%. During that range you'll get up to 75 kw/hr (assuming the charger can deliver that) but after 80-ish % the BMS will throttle back charging right down as low as maybe 10-12 for the final few % points.

I like MGs EVs because they’re one of the only brands that have understood that all cars will be electric in the near future, so what’s the point in them making a song and dance about their electric cars. They’re just decent, well priced cars that happen to be electric, and that really seems to have worked for a lot of people.

Great to have a camera person finally!

As always another great impartial video Bob..i really appreciate everything you say in your vidoes...seriously considering the mg in the uk...keep up the good work 🙂

When most (all) of your charging is done overnight at home, normal commute driving never an issue. That's why the first Q I ask anyone considering an EV is, have you your own driveway...

Really helpful review. Thanks

This is what you don't see with so many other reviews, what its really like to live with an EV. Will be interesting to see how it performs with some post lock down driving.

Charge rates all depend on starting SOC and temperature of the battery. I've had the zs in UK for over a year and can regularly achieve 45kw charging by starting with lower than 10% and a warm battery. Some people have had up to 70kw on 100kw chargers.

Firstly the charging when unlocked "issue" is for AC charging. CCS locks when you plug in. Secondly the charging rate depends on your SOC, which you want to be as low as possible, charging at or close to 50% is going to generally be slow, get it down to 20% or less and you'll see faster charging, also outside temp is important and the battery temp. So don't try to rapid charge at the start of a journey. Charge at home overnight then drive at pace and charge when low. ;) On the small screen scroll through the menus until you get to the Amps / Volts screen. Amps x Volts will tell you what speed your car is charging at.

I don’t have to bend down to plug in ......I know exactly where the plug locates and do everything by feel.

Cold battery and high SOC:)

Thank you very much.

There is a way to see what's going on with the charge . In one of the display options inside the instrument cluster you can see how much energy is being used in real-time while you are driving . While charging this shows the amount of volts and amps being provided. Multiply the two numbers and you get the KWh you are getting at that precise time.

Thanks for doing this and sharing your thoughts. Is it easy to get software updates for the MG ZS EV? And do they do this over-the-air?

You can see the charge rate by scrolling down from the speed readout on the central display to the energy screen, it will show voltage and negative discharge e.g. 417 V and - 90A = 37.5 kW

I was on the MGUK website and they had a video for this MGS electric and the lady was showing you the instrument panel and you can see it was charging with the percentage of charge, whether that's another update you've got a get or not I don't know.

Hi Bob, are you going to review the LR version?

Tell me more about the drag coefficient, did you finish what you were saying and will it charge more than 30kwh

Hey Bob, haven't seen you do a video on the new 2022 Long Range ZS EV yet. I have one on order and would love to hear what you think of it compared to the old one? Lead times for delivery are a nightmare but there are still Demo's in dealers.

My one and only CCS charge I got around 30kW. Starting around 10-20% with a warm battery on a warm day will give the best charge rate but it is unlikely you will get 50kW and it always drops off as the battery % increases. On CCS you should only be charging to 80% as after that the charge rate will drop much lower so it is pointless using it. I am guessing the 2 hours was to 100%, going to 80% would have taken around 30 minutes. I'm going to be doing a 300+ mile trip soon with 3 CCS charges so will be interesting to see what rates I get. I drive at 70mph on the motorway and it does affect the efficiency, add in the cold and it gets worse. The car still works for me for 99% of my journeys so I'm still happy with it.

Bob can you please make review on MG PHEV model ?

Thank goodness I live in Singapore, near the equator & never worry about temperature. However, cars are expensive here. SGD$120,000 or 63,000 pounds

Great update. Again, the charging seems to be a constant issue, and you're very fair trying on 3 different chargers Any further replies from service division in MG Ireland? I hope you also bought a coffee for your camera operator! :)

Does the battery deteriorate if I don't use the car for 3 or 6 months?

I've got the same MG model. It almost never charges above 30kw whether the battery is low, ambient temp is high etc. I wish MG would sort this.

It would be nice to see if after driving 150KM on the motorway what charge rate you would get. I suspect this will be the full 50KW...

When are you going to review the new mg zs ev?

Is mg bringing out a 400km battery pack bob iv heard they are

My mg gives me an error of " HV battery shut off" after charging for 35 minutes from BP Pulse 50Kw chargers

If the SOC is above 60-70% the charge rate tapers significantly.........?

I must admit as well finished as they are the range is just a bit too short for me with such a car, plus even forgetting about the charging speed time, it's the common issue of the chargers themselves not being well enough maintained which therefore means you're more than likely to encounter a faulty charger and whilst petrol and diesel pumps can also be faulty when was the last time that happened to anybody? Ultimately it's still not selling an EV to me I'm afraid.

Press the unlock button will so on the dash The percentage😁

Did MG answered?

Speed is related to starting state of charge, battery temperature, charger ability to deliver and the car.

EV batteries cannot take a rapid charge when they are cold and relativly full. For fastest charging you need to get to a low state of charge, and if possible warm the battery (by m/way speeds ), then the MG has been recorded as taking upto 80KwH. You can see the rate of charge on the screen in front of the wheel by scrolling up from the speedo to elecetrical info.

Standing out in the p...ing rain is going to be fun while I fill my diesel car once a month under cover in 3 minutes at the garage (insert smug grin here 😏).

From Australia: looking to buy a new EV, seeing these charging problems, now the MG is out, looking at another company. Companies need to realise why these reviews are SO important.

I’m having issues with my car not communicating with the charger. It only says “ connected but not charging”. Yes the car is locked but it happens anyway. Only a few chargers work and not all the time either…

Some of us don't read instructions... the charging polava is going to p off alot of people particularly Some older folk who will struggle with the heavy cables and chargers with gauges scattered around the chargers. Don't see why esb etc can't simplify the operation of them, plug and play sort of thing. Everyone going to be looking to give MG a kicking if they don't get their act together... come on lads at MG.

It seems to me the technology has to improve before I would buy one to much messing about to travel about

Not heard back from MG yet I take it?

My corsa e charges at 50kwH and flies it at the ESB chargers. Thankfully

I really like the look of the MG ZS and the MG 5 estate car has a much bigger range and looks good. The price on both is really competitive. The one thing that worries me and makes me nervous of getting one is that I have never seen even 1 MG on the road, ever!! ( obviously I'm referring to the Chinese MGs here and not the British older ones).Why is this? Surely this will have a massive impact on re sale value. Dacia are a budget car that is in Ireland and they are plentiful on the road and were visible a lot not long after they were launched on the market. Anybody got any theories on this..... are they seen by people as "Chinese crap" and people avoid them.

The problem with CCS is its not a solid spec.

Hi Bob. I really would like to go electric but looking at all the hassle at charging , time , speed , swipe cards etc it really puts me off. If only it could be as simple as a diesel or petrol fill up . The thoughts of waiting 40 mins is enough to drive me mad , as for 2 hrs , forget it. I think I'll stick with my petrol for a while yet...great review.. cheers , g

Bob, the thumbnail says "electic" instead of "electric"

Always makes me laugh when people say the charging port is difficult to get to. God help you if you need to do your shoe laces up.

Why do people, including this guy, make such a fuss over connecting the charging cable, it really isn’t that difficult!!

They'll be telling you "there's a software update coming that should fix that" forever! Classic fob off.

It's unfortunate, see I've never had a problem filling my car with diesel. Takes 3 mins and it's full for a week.

I got nowhere to charge one of these in my area or home. I will stick to my combustion for now due well price and lack of charging ability.

8 minutes in and all I know is there's an issue with charging it 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Bob, there is a reason as to why the MG's are so cheap.....

What a load of faffing about charging the car up I think I'll be hanging on to my fossil fuelled Toyota for quite a bit longer!😂😂

Meanwhile tomorrow I have to do a 550 round trip for business, so I’ll fill my 7 yr old 150 thousand mile diesel yeti to the brim in 4 mins, load up with equipment and get there and back without really thinking about it. Gonna take a lot of convincing me this electric revolution actually works.

What a faff that is 😂😂

What I find so amusing is when these reviewers say how hard it is to get the charger in at the front, I mean is it really??? I think these people are being very pendantic

So much fuss to “fill up” an EV and range anxiety. I’ll pass for now. “I’ll get the other MG”, I was hoping it was a convertible... just a flashback guys.

Watched this to 6 minutes and said eh no to electric cars. Wat a fuckin mess