No one pointing out that a 72-plate ZS Excite doesn't exist in the UK (OP is apparently in Bristol)?
Well, that would be because I didn't know that. Although I was slightly surprised that the "Excite" model name was used because it's not used for the MG4 in Britain.
@fred12345 seemed to indicate that something similar had happened to him though, although the car didn't give up on him. Is the ZS prone to losing range fast near the bottom of its curve?
I've been very reassured by my MG4 in similar circumstances. On Saturday, as I said, I had to go to Aberdeen, which is about 140 miles and near the edge of my winter range. It's still pretty cold in Scotland. I was confident of making it, although I left time in hand in case I had to drop my speed to conserve range near the end.
But there was a complication. The car was serviced the previous day and came back with a factory reset on the GOM. 199 miles range apparently. In your dreams. I knew I couldn't trust that. So I set Android Auto for my destination and watched both that and the GOM count down as I drove. Inevitably the GOM range decreased a lot faster than the AA distance did, but by half way I seemed to have 14 miles in hand which I thought was about right.
However the last part of the route was a bit hilly and the margin eroded a bit more until I had only five miles in hand. Still not worried because I was quite close to Aberdeen by then and obviously the last bit was downhill. At 12 miles the car asked me if it should turn on energy saving mode and I said yes, but I didn't notice any difference in the way it drove. Never saw a turtle. I ran into the MFG charging station on the North Esplanade on seven miles of range, feeling as if the car still had full power.
The car has been like that every time I've driven it low. It's very reassuring. Is the ZS different?
I'd be interested to hear more about the OP's experience. How come you were driving a car called "Excite" in Britain? Did you get a low charge warning and the opportunity to turn on energy saving mode? Did the turtle come up? How long did the car go after losing power before you were "coasting"? (Does an EV actually coast?) Whose car was it?
And do they have "refuge areas" on the M4? That's a term I've only encountered on the continent. Did it have chargers and were you able to "coast" on to one, or did you have to call a rescue service?
Inquiring minds would like to know.