• We are having a problem with new Hotmail members being unable to receive activation emails. Please avoid using a Hotmail email address. Thanks.

Cell balancing on LR MG4 with Zappi

Big Al

Established Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2022
Messages
98
Reaction score
159
Points
53
Location
Randalstown
Driving
MG4 SE SR
Zappi charging and cell balancing on LR

Hi, I’ve seen some threads saying that when you charge up to 100% a cell balancing routine will start. This typically consumes around 500w for maybe an hour or so.

However what I’m seeing on my Zappi is that when the charge reaches 100%, no further current is supplied for the cell balancing. It just drops from 7kw to 0. And the Zappi displays “charge complete”

So I guess my questions are;
Does cell balancing always happen at the end of a 100% charge?
Any other Zappi owners seen cell balancing happening, ie 500w?
Have any owners of different chargers seen cell balancing and the reduced current?

This image shows the zappi current dropping to zero at the 100% SOC
IMG_4F938A4A8177-1.jpeg
 
I have a Megane (similar battery chemistry to the LR/trophy) and an ohme pro. My charger just stops at 100% also, even though there is time left on my cheap rate to keep going
 
I don't have my car yet (do have the Zappi), but I believe a balance is only done when it is needed.

Is this a single test or are you always seeing no balancing?
Done maybe 10 charges to 100%, over 7000 miles on the car now. Would have expected with that milage some balancing would be needed. But always the same result
 
For cell balancing does it make a difference which Charging Mode or Boost Settings the Zappi is set too?
 
Hi can I come in I think something may have changed for me also apart from the car but this is my first full charge.
I have written some this below many times in different threads on this forum but for the shake of any newBees here I will again.

I have for almost 2years been charging at home via my Zappi and many times during the hours of daylight as we have solar PV now around May time in 2021 i started to charge my MK1 MG5 SR 50 kw using the ECO + one leaf mode for most of the charging I did, the reason I did that was I was not happy with charging in the ECO++mode now that mode ++ in that Zappi shows eco with 2 Leafs, and in that mode Zappi will only use excess from the solar PV and nothing from the grid this concerned me as when the PV dropped below 1.4 kw as the clouds came across the sky Zappi would pause the charge until they had passed so the cars in built charger was going on and off as well many times I was not happy with this, and concerned the relays in the car would over time wear out so I stopped using that mode so now Zappi is in the Eco+ mode + is one Leaf, in that mode Zappi will still feed all the excess solar available to the car but when the clouds come across the sky and solar output drops below 1.4kw Zappi will keep outputting by drawing a small amount of power from the grid and the car will not be switching on and off which I’m sure is better

So I have on many occasions when I have needed a full charge left it in this mode until it was at 100% and once it got there the Zappi would carry on going at around 300 watts for a period of time anything from 1-3 hours at this 300 watts which was the balance charging as far as I know even if I did a fast charge 7.2 KWs it would when the car got to 100% still do this 300watt charge at the end of it if needed for a hour or so that was my 5 SR 50 kw

So now I have the 5 LR Trophy the update car and I have just this morning it as reached over yesterdays charge and overnight at a rate of 1.6 kw for around 15 hours as today we are going on a trip so need a full charge but this morning it has completed the charge to 100% but then stopped as done nothing at the 300watts like my other did when I return home at the weekend I will try this again and see what it does the car as less than 600 miles on it so it might change with time we will see.
Is it possible something might have change within Zappi maybe been update over the air perhaps.picture below this morning car full Zappi had turned off.
Les
.5B7097A3-E6A4-46DD-9B31-7E3DBB20E645.png
 
Thank Les
I’ll try on Saturday morning(1am) charging to 100% in FAST mode. And we’ll see what the graph looks like. Also I guess I can just leave the Zappi in FAST mode and schedule the car to start the charge at 1am. Though I haven’t tried this, alway just set a timed boost on the Zappi
 
Thank Les
I’ll try on Saturday morning(1am) charging to 100% in FAST mode. And we’ll see what the graph looks like. Also I guess I can just leave the Zappi in FAST mode and schedule the car to start the charge at 1am. Though I haven’t tried this, alway just set a timed boost on the Zappi
No AI if you put Zappi in FAST it will start the change right away at 7.2 kws what you do with Zappi is plug it in let it shaft charging and then set it to
Eco ++ with the two leafs, which is the solar only setting now set the boost timer for 01:00 am and then set the duration timer for how ever long you want it to charge so cars plugged in in Eco ++ at 01:00 your Zappi will switch from Eco++ to fast charge and run at that for how ever you have set the duration time for let’s say 4 hours then after the 4 hours Zappi will go back to Eco++ and the charge will stop Eco++ will not deliver power to the car unless you have a PV solar array and if you have the solar it needs to outputting 1.4kw excess before it will send any power to the car

if you want to try this lets say its now 14:00 hours put Zappi in Eco++ and set a boost timer for 14:30 and your duration timer for 30 minutes 15 if you like and and you will see what happens save you being by the car at 01:00am.
Hope this helps and if you need any more help just ask.


What people forget is Zappi does not have a stop and end timer, only mode and duration settings
Hope this helps and if you need any more help just ask.
Les
 
Last edited:
OK, so ignoring whether the sun is out. Is the only way to achieve cell balancing at the end of 100% charge to have zappi in fast mode? Which means if you want to charge on cheap rate, you’ve to manually start the charge by plugging the cable at 1am?
 
OK, so ignoring whether the sun is out. Is the only way to achieve cell balancing at the end of 100% charge to have zappi in fast mode? Which means if you want to charge on cheap rate, you’ve to manually start the charge by plugging the cable at 1am?
If your car is at 90% charge and you connect the Zappi in eco+ with your 4 hour window set up then it will charge to 100% then battery balance hopefully before the 4 hours is up
 
That’s how I’ve been charging the car since Oct. I set up a 6 hour window, car gets to 100% in say 3 hours. And all charging stops, there is no current supplied for cell balancing. See my first post.

I’m going to try charge to 100%, drive round the block in the morning, back on to FAST charge, and see what happens then
 
Hi Al No Zappi will charge and balance in fast 7.2 kw or Eco mode 1.4 I don’t know about Eco ++ as that will only deliver charge to the car if you have solar and that is putting out over 1.4kw so to charge to 100% use Eco or fast you have no control over the battery balancing the car decides if it needs to do a balance or not and if it does it will pull power it needs to at a much lower wattage around 300 until it is finished and it won’t do it every time you charge I think MG recommend you charge to 100% around once a month and the car will control the balancing if it needs to.

So as i have said before set the start time in Zappi and if your on Octopus Go with 4 hours at cheap rate let it do that and if you need more let it run in the fast or Eco setting until you get to the 100% plus a balance charge if needed you have no control over the balance charge.
Les
 
Last edited:
I typically set the charge to 80% on the infotainment screen. But have noticed it has a habit of changing itself to 100%. Not sure if this is a bug or something to do with wanting to cell balance.

Also last night, did a timed ECO+ charge with plenty of time to let it get to 100%. As you can see from the image, at 3.30am the charging wattage started to decrease, and by 3.55am we were down to just a trickle of around 80 watts. This continued for another 45 mins or so.
This is the first time I've since the trickle charge on any 100% charges that I've done. So wondering if this actually was cell balancing?
Screenshot 2023-02-03 at 10.20.04.png
 
I typically set the charge to 80% on the infotainment screen. But have noticed it has a habit of changing itself to 100%. Not sure if this is a bug or something to do with wanting to cell balance.

Also last night, did a timed ECO+ charge with plenty of time to let it get to 100%. As you can see from the image, at 3.30am the charging wattage started to decrease, and by 3.55am we were down to just a trickle of around 80 watts. This continued for another 45 mins or so.
This is the first time I've since the trickle charge on any 100% charges that I've done. So wondering if this actually was cell balancing?
View attachment 14985
Sounds like it.
 
That’s it Al you said you normal set to charge to 80% in the screen well the car won’t balance unless it’s at 100% but what you have on you graph above which is a balance charge and this needs to be done around once a month as I have said before you can’t control the balance if it needs to it will do it but only at 100% state of charge the amount of time it does it for will also varying so don’t forget that also
Les
 

Are you enjoying your MG4?

  • Yes

    Votes: 422 79.8%
  • I'm in the middle

    Votes: 70 13.2%
  • No

    Votes: 37 7.0%
Support us by becoming a Premium Member

Latest MG EVs video

New EVs from MG: MG S9 & MG9 plus hot topics from the forums
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom