Battery level never at max

[pete l]

Hi all,

I'm a newish owner of an MG3 hybrid+, how can I get the battery up to full charge ? it never goes past 6 bars, rather than the 8.

it's constantly only using 4 bars of energy, engine on at 2 bars and engine off at 6 bars, only half of the pack's energy is being used !

Pete.

 

[Tuomas]

Usually battery will last better, when its usage is between 20% and 80%.

 

[Coulomb]

only half of the pack's energy is being used !

That's common for hybrids. My old Prius used I think 30-70%, which is less than half the available energy.

Hybrids are brutal on their batteries. They have all the power demand of an EV, from a lower capacity battery. To make it last, they have to restrict the state of charge limits. With more modern hybrids, which typically have a battery capacity larger than the earliest EVs, that restriction can be more relaxed. I don't know what the limits are now.

 

[pete l]

If that's how MG planned on it being used, why didn't they give maximum bars at 80% charge?
I just don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth.

 

[Coulomb]

If that's how MG planned on it being used, why didn't they give maximum bars at 80% charge?

In the Prius's case, I think there were rare circumstances under which the SoC could temporarily go outside those bounds. It would then flash the battery SoC display, if I recall correctly.

I assume that the same would apply to MG hybrids.

 

[Tuomas]

If that's how MG planned on it being used, why didn't they give maximum bars at 80% charge?
I just don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth.

If you drive downhill battery could be 100% fully loaded.

 

[decrep]

That's another thing isn't it. A full battery doesn't permit regen. so using petrol to charge to 100% doesn't make sense for fuel economy.

 

[Tuomas]

The fuel consumption of a self-charging hybrid is reported as petrol consumption. The car is not promised any specific electric-only range, so in my opinion, the MG3 functions as it should.

The battery typically doesn't charge to 100% or drop below 30%, because this way the battery's lifespan is maximized. If the battery charge constantly fluctuated between 0–100%, battery lifespan would likely be only half as long as it is now!

 

[Italy]

I'm sharing my simple experience with you.

I've had my MG3 for almost a year now.

Recently, after a fairly long descent, I noticed this furtive message on the dashboard:

"regeneration mode impossible, battery full" (well, something like that).

As there's no audible signal, I don't know if it's the first time or if it's happened before without me noticing.

Indeed, the bars indicating the charge level were at maximum.

 

[decrep]

you'd notice it if you wanted to slow down, the brake pedal pressure would be higher

 

[johnbristol1966]

It certainly is scary when you are going down a long hill and the regen stops due to full battery. It feels like the car accelerates! The software I have has often revved at 3000rpm at that point too due to the known fault with some software versions!