Any downside/dealer warnings about only using 'granny charger' every day?

[n8sail]

When I took delivery of my MG EP EV (Same as UK MG5) here in Thailand, the saleswoman, who of course spoke only Thai, warned that we should not charge only with the granny charger, and that if we do, that once every week we should use the dealership Type 2 AC fast chargers (for free, but 4.5 hours for full charge) or "Super Charger" (paid, 50kw DC charger, 40 mins 0-80%) . With my limited Thai proficiency, I could not decipher any specific reason for this when asking why other than that it's a ploy to get us to use the pay-to-charge fast charger (at nearly twice the local electricity rate).

Thai MG EPs come with a free home fast charger, from MG, with installation included, but the Condo management won't allow us to install it in the parking area (Although a very wealthy Swiss-German guy was able to 'magically' install one for his PHEV Porsche Cayenne LOL) My condo does have standard mains outlets that they let us use, and is the only charging I've used thus far. For my usage, this is pretty much all I will ever need.

In the UK, is there any warning about this in the manual, or from the dealer? The manual is in Thai only, and thus far I have not been able to get an English one. Thai girlfriend cannot find anything about it in the manual, but sometimes she is wrong...

From what I understand about batteries, slower charging and keeping them between 20 and 80% charge is the best way to get good longevity, so I don't see how the granny charger could cause problems, but I have been wrong before! (Just ask girlfriend, she will tell you all about it, AND reassure you that she has never been wrong in the process!)

Thanks for any replies!

 

[Kithmo]

Download the UK MG5 manual here:
MG UK owner manuals
There's no such thing as a "super charge" the only thing you need to do according to the manual is charge the car fully then let it balance by leaving connected, once a month. The car will say "charging complete 100%" after it has finished charging, leave it connected and when it says, "connected but not charging" it will have finished balancing. Connecting it to the 50kW DC charger will not do this, using the Granny or a 7kW charger will.

 

[n8sail]

Download the UK MG5 manual here:
MG UK owner manuals
There's no such thing as a "super charge" the only thing you need to do according to the manual is charge the car fully then let it balance by leaving connected, once a month. The car will say "charging complete 100%" after it has finished charging, leave it connected and when it says, "connected but not charging" it will have finished balancing. Connecting it to the 50kW DC charger will not do this, using the Granny or a 7kW charger will.

Thanks for the link to the UK manual! Certainly nice to have, but as there are some differences in the cars, I'm still keen to find an English version of the MG EP EV... My Ford Ranger over here didn't have an English manual, so I'm not holding my breath

Good to know that's what that means; I have seen the "Connected but not charging" a couple times. I get to 100% pretty much every day overnight as I only use about 40-45% battery every day. But I'm sure it doesn't always get 100% and balanced depending on what time I plug in the car and how much I've driven. Many thanks for the response!

The MG 'Super Chargers' are definitely a Thailand-only thing then... this is the one at my local dealership. Not my car, I stole the image from "PlugShare" app. These were free at first apparently, but now have to pay.

 

[Alb]

The granny charger caution may be a reflection on the robustness of the domestic power supply infrastructure in that area. Having said that, I recall that TeslaBjorn seemed to have no problem getting a 3 phase supply installed when he bought his ZS EV!

 

[Kithmo]

If what they are calling "Superchargers" are DC (CCS plug) chargers, we call them "Rapid" chargers over here, they definitely won't balance the battery, in fact they are what throw the battery out of balance if used too much. If their superchargers are in fact 7kW chargers then we call them fast chargers and they will balance the battery.

 

[n8sail]

If what they are calling "Superchargers" are DC (CCS plug) chargers, we call them "Rapid" chargers over here, they definitely won't balance the battery, in fact they are what throw the battery out of balance if used too much. If their superchargers are in fact 7kW chargers then we call them fast chargers and they will balance the battery.

Well-noted... yes they are definitely DC CCS chargers, 50kW max. Has the AC CCS plug and the 2 high voltage DC pins below it. Also understand now why that cannot balance cells natively. We do have 7kW CCS Type 2 stations around as well, they actually call them 22kW, but as far as I'm aware our MGs are limited to 7kW due to the onboard AC-DC converter/charge controller.

I wonder what Mr. Musk and crew would have to say about MG using the "Supercharger" name....

There are other 50kW chargers here from a company called EA Anywhere, and also the Thai Government controlled PEA has some 'rapid' chargers as well. Thailand's charging infrastructure PALES in comparison to UK though...

Thanks again for all the info!

 

[n8sail]

The granny charger caution may be a reflection on the robustness of the domestic power supply infrastructure in that area. Having said that, I recall that TeslaBjorn seemed to have no problem getting a 3 phase supply installed when he bought his ZS EV!

Could be, (In fact power went out briefly last night during very strong Southwest Monsoon winds!) but I think it's more that they are nervous that the average Thai person would just never get to 100%. Vehicle maintenance here is generally atrocious; many people rarely change their oil, take care of tires, etc, so the dealership is smart to insist on this.

Anyways, very happy to understand fully why they said this now.