Reduced range in winter (merged)

ms01ma said:

Hi everyone I’m after some help

I’ve seen the range of my long range ZS get lower and lower. Almost a full charge tonight and only showing 160 odd miles. Any ideas I’ve only had it 8 months

I’ve got it booked in but the wait time is a month

Thanks

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Hi, what was the mi/kWh when you got the car and what is it at now the weather is colder?

Jomarkh said:

Hi, what was the m/kWh when you got the car and what is it at now the weather is colder?

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It’s dropped like a stone

Resetting the trip computer helped with the incorrect range thanks but on the last 500 miles it’s only been 2.2

Should be a little higher I would have thought, all depends on weather conditions and if you have balanced the battery recently.
Ours is showing 187miles at 80% of charge.

I’m sure it’s in here but balancing the battery ?

ms01ma said:

I’m sure it’s in here but balancing the battery ?

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Doing a slow charge (granny or 7kW) to 100% to allow the BMS (battery management system) to even out the charge in all the individual cells in the battery. You should do it about once a month.

By literally plugging it into a 3 pin plug then

Yes. Probably not an issue for people who normally charge at home but essential for good battery health for cars that are regularly DC rapid-charged.

my 2020 zs is getting about 130ish in eco on the motorway but i tend to stick to 60mph,makes a big difference.

The OP doesn't mention which model or battery chemistry (LFP SR or NMC LR) however the EV Database provides some useful reference points for this or any EV:

profdraper said:

The OP doesn't mention which model or battery chemistry (LFP SR or NMC LR) however the EV Database provides some useful reference points for this or any EV:

MG ZS EV Standard Range

All details and specs of the MG ZS EV Standard Range (2021). Compare price, lease, real-world range and consumption of every electric vehicle.

ev-database.org

MG ZS EV Long Range

All details and specs of the MG ZS EV Long Range (2021). Compare price, lease, real-world range and consumption of every electric vehicle.

ev-database.org

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The 2020 MG ZS EV only came with a 44.5kWh NMC pack

Are you leaving home with 100%?

If so, is it possible to heat up cabin before you disconnect the charger?

What are your tyre pressures like? A drop in tyre pressure will see a drop in range.

Is there any unnecessary weight in the vehicle (junk in the trunk, etc)...?

Ref Zan, you will find you need to modify your driving a good deal to get maximum range from an EV! Motorway - try to stick to 60mph or less. No heat or aircon unless necessary and then only to clear the screen. Do not use ACC but do use Econ mode. On a Mk1 car like yours you can only do a round trip of about 60 miles each way without a recharge.

On the plus side, you can use the heated seats, it gets better in summer, and the cars are excellent when used as above.

Tim Green said:

Ref Zan, you will find you need to modify your driving a good deal to get maximum range from an EV! Motorway - try to stick to 60mph or less. No heat or aircon unless necessary and then only to clear the screen. Do not use ACC but do use Econ mode. On a Mk1 car like yours you can only do a round trip of about 60 miles each way without a recharge.

On the plus side, you can use the heated seats, it gets better in summer, and the cars are excellent when used as above.

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ACC (as it turns off Regen / Kers) wouldn't affect range at constant motorway speed's. Indeed turning your Kers / Regen to its lowest on motorways will probably increase change (if not using ACC). EV Man (or his Driving Ohm channel) recently did a podcast explaining it.

Well I haven't seen the podcast but my experience is that if you use ACC on the motorway, particularly if busy, the car often has to slow slightly when a car pulls in front or when the lane slows. As this nearly always results in the car braking, it must waste energy. If you slow using regen, at whatever level, it is better than using the brakes.

Range also depends on terrain how many hills and their steepness.

I had a 170 mile journey over Christmas in my MG ZS EV, fully laden, nervous about range. Luckily it was mild, so heating/blowers less necessary, but for the first time ever I stuck at 60 mph, not 70 when the road was clear, and my range was massively improved. I comfortably got to a larger charging rank at 100 miles into the journey each time.

gwig66 said:

I had a 170 mile journey over Christmas in my MG ZS EV, fully laden, nervous about range. Luckily it was mild, so heating/blowers less necessary, but for the first time ever I stuck at 60 mph, not 70 when the road was clear, and my range was massively improved. I comfortably got to a larger charging rank at 100 miles into the journey each time.

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I forgot to say that during the week when I drive short distances between clients throughout the day, I don't limit the heat or air con for the windscreen, and my range is significantly down, so I charge every 2 or 3 days, hence my worry about the big trip.

Range depends on quite a few factors, speed and use of the AC to name but two. When I had a Gen1 model it did not have the new BMS update which reduced estimated mileage to 163, so the estimated range was around 178 in mild to good weather and down to around 155 in poor weather. One very important thing on maintaining battery health is re-balancing. If it has not been re-balanced for quite some time then if I remember correctly the battery has to go through multiple rebalancing cycles to normalise itself. I’m sure someone better than me can advise on this if I am wrong.

I used to do a round trip of c100 miles in my Gen1 of which around 36 was on the motorway. I drove about 60mph, sometimes a bit more but not often. You soon get used to people driving slower than that! I installed Autoclover wind deflectors to try and minimise use of the aircon to demist the windscreen in cold and wet weather (I currently also use the shaving foam method too, because range is important to me). Some time ago a member created a very useful list of things to think about to maximise range. I’ll see if I can find it and create a link to it.

Generally speaking, when checking EV mileage to actual mileage, then depending on the weather and adopting some general principles on how the car is used, I would be either 10% up or down.

gwig66 said:

I forgot to say that during the week when I drive short distances between clients throughout the day, I don't limit the heat or air con for the windscreen, and my range is significantly down, so I charge every 2 or 3 days, hence my worry about the big trip.

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Short journeys are notoriously inefficient. You'll find a long run will give better figures as the battery warms up.

In my Mk1, we regularly do Oxford to Padstow (240 miles) with one stop around Taunton. I find the 80% limit on rapid charging irritating (160 + 130 =290 max.)
I have to stick to about 65mph to allow for some heating/demisting etc.