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MG ZS EV Vehicle to Load and Extension Cables

Obardain

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Tomatin
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MG ZS EV
Hi, I'd be grateful for any advice on this. I've been looking at this V2L cable for my new MG ZS EV long range:


It says that you aren't allowed to use extension cables with your EV to charge and that this may invalidate warranty in the FAQ. We sometimes have power cuts in winter so I wanted to use the ZS EV for powering a few items in the house when that happens by running a cable through the letterbox and plugging stuff in inside the house. I was hoping to be able to run the cable into different rooms so we could run a portable electric heater.

I have three questions with regards to this I'd be grateful for any advice on:

1. Is there no way I can extend the range of my cable once purchased? For example could it be extended with a type 2 cable or are you completely limited to the length of this one cable?
2. You can only plug in a maximum of two items into their cable. Is this the maximum amount of items I would be able to use at once? Ideally it would be nice to have perhaps four or five things plugged in.
3. I've found nothing in the warranty that suggests there are any limitations when using V2L in terms of how many items are plugged in. Does anyone know if I've missed anything with that?

Many thanks!

Pete
 
Hi, I'd be grateful for any advice on this. I've been looking at this V2L cable for my new MG ZS EV long range:


It says that you aren't allowed to use extension cables with your EV to charge and that this may invalidate warranty in the FAQ. We sometimes have power cuts in winter so I wanted to use the ZS EV for powering a few items in the house when that happens by running a cable through the letterbox and plugging stuff in inside the house. I was hoping to be able to run the cable into different rooms so we could run a portable electric heater.

I have three questions with regards to this I'd be grateful for any advice on:

1. Is there no way I can extend the range of my cable once purchased? For example could it be extended with a type 2 cable or are you completely limited to the length of this one cable?
2. You can only plug in a maximum of two items into their cable. Is this the maximum amount of items I would be able to use at once? Ideally it would be nice to have perhaps four or five things plugged in.
3. I've found nothing in the warranty that suggests there are any limitations when using V2L in terms of how many items are plugged in. Does anyone know if I've missed anything with that?

Many thanks!

Pete
I really don't think the vehicle to load (V2L) in the MG was designed for a vehicle to home (V2H) as it has several safety concerns and drawbacks. first, you home supply would have to be isolated ( these are NOT grid invertors and cannot be run into a house without it being isolated from the grid. This said as there are different grounding requirements when you are a power generator TT/TNC etc ... The correct way to do this (and the way already trialled in many countries) is by V2H which is DC from the car to a charger invertor in the home. it controls the home electricity use and the DC requirements including a bi-directional DC charger/supply. This was done using Nissan CHAdeMO into the Home as there is vehicle control via the vehicle can bus on the CHAdeMO.

Back to V2L on the MG, take a read of this really good article as it explains a lot of the technologies and requirements.



And don't forget just because a 100w rated light bulb doesn't mean that's what it requires starting up.... Inrush current for an incandescent lamp is about 15x the steady-state current. Duration of the inrush current of incandescent lamps is 100 milliseconds. Lamp resistance during operation = input voltage squared / watt rating of lamp. This is true of modern power supplies as they have to charge the capacitors first(its why you hear a pop or click when putting in the power lead to your laptop) and resistive heaters. it's why so many people blame the Chinese invertors for always blowing up..... the safest way is to get a small solar with invertor and put your car into the generator input of a suitable solar invertor.

Sorry its long, sorry my answer is i want to keep my MG working (just think how long i'd be waiting for a new charger as its all in one in the mg)

solar is next for me with a generator input..... then i may plug my mg into it there...
 
I really don't think the vehicle to load (V2L) in the MG was designed for a vehicle to home (V2H) as it has several safety concerns and drawbacks. first, you home supply would have to be isolated ( these are NOT grid invertors and cannot be run into a house without it being isolated from the grid. This said as there are different grounding requirements when you are a power generator TT/TNC etc ... The correct way to do this (and the way already trialled in many countries) is by V2H which is DC from the car to a charger invertor in the home. it controls the home electricity use and the DC requirements including a bi-directional DC charger/supply. This was done using Nissan CHAdeMO into the Home as there is vehicle control via the vehicle can bus on the CHAdeMO.

Back to V2L on the MG, take a read of this really good article as it explains a lot of the technologies and requirements.



And don't forget just because a 100w rated light bulb doesn't mean that's what it requires starting up.... Inrush current for an incandescent lamp is about 15x the steady-state current. Duration of the inrush current of incandescent lamps is 100 milliseconds. Lamp resistance during operation = input voltage squared / watt rating of lamp. This is true of modern power supplies as they have to charge the capacitors first(its why you hear a pop or click when putting in the power lead to your laptop) and resistive heaters. it's why so many people blame the Chinese invertors for always blowing up..... the safest way is to get a small solar with invertor and put your car into the generator input of a suitable solar invertor.

Sorry its long, sorry my answer is i want to keep my MG working (just think how long i'd be waiting for a new charger as its all in one in the mg)

solar is next for me with a generator input..... then i may plug my mg into it there...
Thanks very much for the info. That's good to know. I'll have a read through that link. I'm not massively technical so it's a little bit above my comprehension!
 
I have run my lawnmower off the MGs V2L with no problems, and have also run the washing machine and tumble dryer from it (not at the same time).

I run my cable through the letter box, and plug a normal extension cable into that. Officially the MG will run up to 2.2kW continuously, so that covers a lot of electrical items. Unofficially, with a 470 Ohm resistor in the V2L plug, it will run a lot more! This was discovered by experimentation, if you search the forum you'll find the thread.

I made up my own V2L cable from a type 2 charging cable, and again, there are threads on the forum if you want to do that, it is quite an easy DIY project.
 
I have run my lawnmower off the MGs V2L with no problems, and have also run the washing machine and tumble dryer from it (not at the same time).

I run my cable through the letter box, and plug a normal extension cable into that. Officially the MG will run up to 2.2kW continuously, so that covers a lot of electrical items. Unofficially, with a 470 Ohm resistor in the V2L plug, it will run a lot more! This was discovered by experimentation, if you search the forum you'll find the thread.

I made up my own V2L cable from a type 2 charging cable, and again, there are threads on the forum if you want to do that, it is quite an easy DIY project.
That's good to know thanks! That would certainly be useful to run an extension cable so we can use the cable in different rooms. Great image of you mowing the lawn with the car! It makes sense though.
 
I know people are running their washing machines and tumble dryer’s ( separately) from the V2L cable, powered from the HV battery in their cars.
But I do have a genuine concern regarding this practice, that somebody here maybe be able to answer for me please.
The washing machine use bothers me less so with this regard, but it’s the tumble dryer use is where my concern lies really ?.
The washing machine draw is fairly low and pretty constant, until the heat element in the machine kicks in and then, there is a spike demand, clicking in and out to heat the water.
The tumble dryer is where my either founded or unfounded concerns is focused.
Our tumble dryer is fairly new but is the standard vented type, not one of the newer heat pump models.
As such the electric draw / consumption is high.
We have a home energy monitor and when the heat element kicks in, it is pulling around 2.5 Kw’s which is only slightly higher than the recommended 2.2 Kw’s by MG.
Our daily tariff is expensive so therefore we have stopped using it given the cost.
Here is my main point of concern :-
Not that it slightly exceeds the recommended 2.2 Kw’s ( that you my find strange ).
My concern is focussed on the constant switching ON & OFF of that high load consistently when it is in use ?.
It is repeatedly dropping in and out every couple of minutes, as the heater element attempts to maintain the temperature inside of the drum.
Also a second power spike when the drive motor alternates the direction of tumble action.
So at last we arrive at the 99 dollar 💵 question ( sorry ).
Does this type behaviour have any adverse affects that could produce any long term affects / issues with the car ?.
Surly it is more advisable to be demanding a reasonable / steady / stable load via the V2L rather than the constant switching IN & OUT of a heavy load repeatedly via the inverter in the car ???.
I am really interested to hear people’s views on this one folks 🙋🏻‍♂️.
 
I cannot understand why you would want to run a tumble drier from the car battery. Getting the power into the battery causes losses, as does getting the power out again and converting to 230vac. Much better to just run it off the mains?
As to your question, I agree that anything switching heavy loads on and off could cause nasty spikes in the system and these would be unusual and thus not always covered by the filters and normal protection systems within the electronics.
 
I cannot understand why you would want to run a tumble drier from the car battery.
Hi Tim - If you check back through my post again, you will see that I am NOT using my car via V2L to power our tumble dryer, however some members certainly are carrying out this practice.
I am not criticising this action, I am merely asking the question, are there any adverse consequences of carrying out this practice on the inverter in the car, while.carrying out this process ?.
If you are on a time of day tariff ( a cheaper off peak rate usually starting after mid night ) but are uncomfortable having the dryer running while you are sleeping, or you may not even have a delay timer facility on your appliance, then using the V2L cable in the day time hours ( when the tumble dryer can be monitored due to the risk of fire ) makes perfect sense to me ?.
E.G. - You charge your car using the much cheaper off peak rate to charge the pack in the car first, then via the V2L cable extract that energy the following day, to power the energy to run the tumble dryer.
Surely this makes perfect sense - right ??.
Maybe you could have the facility to charge the car battery at a rate of 5p / KWh ?.
Then the following day, release that energy back via the V2L cable to power that tumble dryer the following day ?.
The price to use this appliance in day time hours ( in a time of day tariff ) is likely to be massively more expensive.
If however, you are on a standard rate tariff, then this makes no sense at all of course !.
Your usage / cost to power the tumble dryer is identical regardless of WHEN you use the mains power as you call it, to run the appliance.
 
Ok, I should have used the term "one" instead of "you" in my first sentence, as I did not mean you in person!
However, I agree that in theory one could transfer an electricity cost saving as you describe, but I think your query on technical risk is sound and makes it not worth the risk.
 
What happens when you plug the car in to charge? Does it build to 7kw or does it just go straight in at 7kw?
 
Quite simply, they are worried you're going to use a cheap extension cable and run it at full capacity potentially melting sockets or starting a fire and just covering their asses. If you know what you're doing with electricity, just do it.

Grab a DIY plug/socket from your hardware store and a 30m roll of 2.5mm 2+Earth cable and you've got a serious extension lead.
 
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@Lovemyev

Having read through your post, I have decided not to use V2L for the tumble dryer again. I have only needed to use it two or three times, but it’s not worth the risk if it might damage the car. My dryer is a heat pump type, so, should I need to use it in the future, I will just set the delay start in order to take advantage of the Octopus Go four hour night slot.

Thank you for bringing this issue to my attention. Having no knowledge of how different appliances use power, I didn’t realise it was likely to be a problem.

I did, however, use the V2L on Saturday for running the electric weed burner, which is just constantly on, but well under 2kw. Definitely wouldn’t be sensible to try weed burning or hedge trimming in the wee small hours, so it’s a good use of the V2L facility to save money over the daytime rate.

Thanks again 😊
 
@Lovemyev

Having read through your post, I have decided not to use V2L for the tumble dryer again. I have only needed to use it two or three times, but it’s not worth the risk if it might damage the car. My dryer is a heat pump type, so, should I need to use it in the future, I will just set the delay start in order to take advantage of the Octopus Go four hour night slot.

Thank you for bringing this issue to my attention. Having no knowledge of how different appliances use power, I didn’t realise it was likely to be a problem.

I did, however, use the V2L on Saturday for running the electric weed burner, which is just constantly on, but well under 2kw. Definitely wouldn’t be sensible to try weed burning or hedge trimming in the wee small hours, so it’s a good use of the V2L facility to save money over the daytime rate.

Thanks again 😊
Hi @Susanna and thank you for your post.
Regarding your concern over use of the tumble AKA via the V2L cable.
I have absolutely no idea if my views on use in this field, have any factual evidence to back up my concerns.
This is why I asked if anybody with a better understanding of these maters, can verify or dismiss my fears of use in this situation.
My heart tells me one thing, but my head has different feelings on the subject.
I don’t want to steer or advise you incorrectly against the use of running your drier via your V2L it’s just that I just have concerns myself.
A heat pump drier works a lot differently from the standard vented units.
The heat pump dryers demand much less power than the older type vented units.
So, the energy spikes are likely to be much less.
A forum member Tom, from the YouTube channel ( Tom’s Man Shed ) did a review comparing his daughters standard vented drier, to his new heat pump dryer.
It’s not directly linked to the V2L question I asked, but it does demonstrate the difference between load demands of both appliances.
In his video you can witness the difference in demand of the two units.
He has a MG4 and completely powers his “ Man Shed” from the energy stored in the car.
I can not remember if Tom uses the car to power his drier though ??.
I will try a find the video and include the link.
You may find it interesting 🤔.
He also has two others videos explaining how he uses his car to power the Man Shed.
Here you go !.

 
A heat pump drier uses about a third less power than a normal drier, as heat pumps use the heat from the local air rather than the straight electric power - the same as a fridge in reverse. However, they are essentially a pump which is a reciprocating device driven by an electric motor which can have large peak start-up currents and hence "spikes". Not a good idea, in my opinion.
 
I haven't found any restrictions on using V2L in the MG handbook or anywhere else. I am pretty confident that there would be "cover our asses" warnings if the on board V2L electronics were susceptible to damage in any way.

On another forum, a member has been running his entire house from an MG4 (using an islanding switch) and while I wouldn't use V2L for that personally, it has worked for him, and no problems with the car.

I've checked the car while running the washing machine and tumble dryer, and get no warning messages, it just tells me the estimated time until my pre-set battery SoC will be reached (this varies as the heating elements switch on and off). Hopefully we will get a bit more information on the V2L as time goes on, but it has been tested quite a way past the nominal 2.2kW without problems so far, so seems pretty robust.

 
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On another forum, a member has been running his entire house from an MG4 (using an islanding switch) and while I wouldn't use V2L for that personally, it has worked for him, and no problems with the car.
Yeah - I am not doubting for one minute that this not true of course, but I thing we just have to be a little bit careful / guarded of some of these claims TBH.
When somebody refers to running the WHOLE house directly from his V2L cable from his car, this purely on the face of it, appears to be tempting to try and very appealing.
However the question I have would be asking is, WHAT load demands in this house, are actually running / calling for power via that cable.
( How it's connected to do this, is another question altogether ).
I think it would be fair to report / claim that every room in a three bedroom house, which has a has table lamp, is providing light to each and every room in that house, is powered just by the car.
This steady / flat consistent non high spiking demand is totally achievable, but "whole house claim" is a different beast and COULD be interpreted by some, to include the other high load items found in the home, like electric showers / cookers etc etc.
"Whole House" has to treated with some type of scepticism.
I am 100% sure that ANY of this above use, was never intended for this purpose by the manufacture and intended to take on this type of challenge by the car.
Maybe this explains why there is no mention of it in the owner hand book of course ?.
They never expected anybody to try a power their entire home via a V2L cable really.
I guest this type of action is fairly typical practice really with some people.
You offer the V2L facility and place a max load demand of just over 2.2 Kw's on the system, for both customer protection & safety, plus also the component longevity of equipment in the car.
What happens next, somebody makes the call to prove that the car can discharge almost three times MORE than the recommend load, then increase the demand draw to 6 Kw's+.
The V2L cable can handle the 6 Kw's demand of discharging of course, but my concern is the other components ( inverter etc ) it's the continually switching ON & OFF of high demand spiking electrical items like tumble driers etc that concerned me.
The hand book does not itemise a list of what appliances can and can not, be used via the V2L of course.
It just gives a simple broad recommended max safety working load of 2.2 Kw's.
My fears for running this type of appliances maybe totally unfounded of course, this is why I asked the question 🤷‍♂️.
I would appreciate views on the idea / safety concerns for both the car AND the home electrics, of running a whole house from a V2L cable please ???.
To be clear, I do not intend to do this and are NOT looking for advice on how this done.
I am interested to hear what more knowledgeable people think on this topic !.
 
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We have a home battery system inverter (GivEnergy) that has an EPS (Essentials Power Supply) output which is auto switching (grid when available, battery when not) in event of grid fail and can handle 2.6Kw max. We have this wired through a separate consumer unit to the up and downstairs lights circuits plus a new essential sockets circuit; all this is to provide resilience in the event of a Grid outage; auto switching and grid isolation happens automatically in this inverter.

I've now had installed a new additional manual changeover switch in the feed to the new EPS consumer unit so our MGZSEV V2L input can be switched in rather than the house battery. I can then choose to power just these "Essential" circuits only via the V2L all protected by RCD an 16A circuit breaker in the CU so there will never be more than a 2.6 Kw draw. Its sort of half way to V2H, but just for a max 16A load (house lights and essentials circuits combined). House is full LED lights and essentials are Fridge/freezer, broadband and microwave.
 
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