First longish trip and rapid charge

[mourneuk]

We took the car on its first decent run since getting it, up to Winterton-on-sea in Norfolk. It was about 100 miles each way and a mix of dual carriageways and normal roads. I put MG pilot on at 65 mph and was pleased with how it behaved.

I decided to do a quick rapid charge on the way back because although I started at 90% battery and 220 miles range and it was showing 118 miles range to home, I didn’t really want the range anxiety of having 16 miles to spare when I got home. We stopped at the Gridserve forecourt just outside of Norwich, which was lovely. I went from 40% charge to 74% in 18 minutes, which was just long enough for both of us to go to the loo and get a drink from Costa. No idea of the cost yet because the £1 charge hasn’t been amended but I’m expecting it to be £10-12.

It’s a good job I did do the charge because I missed an exit off the A47 (I think) which added 15 miles to my journey and then it must have been uphill a lot of the way as I only achieved 3.5 m/kWh compared to 4.4 on the way there and we arrived home with 27% charge left (2 adults and 4 dogs).

I was plagued by ecall system failures, which I hadn’t experienced before and it worried me until I looked it up when we got back.

All in all it was an enjoyable journey and I’m pleased I broke my “v card” with the rapid charge as I was worrying about it a fair bit.

I even saw a white MG5 on the way there, so our quest for world domination is well underway.

 

[Jomarkh]

Great trip.
I had the Ecall up a few times but not for a while now.
What size was the Gridserve charger and what was the max kWh you got?

 

[mourneuk]

Great trip.
I had the Ecall up a few times but not for a while now.
What size was the Gridserve charger and what was the max kWh you got?

It was 350kw and the car was charging at 90kw when I left it to go to the loo. It had throttled down to 57kw when I got back to the car and it was at 72% charge.

 

[BugEyed]

It'll be a close run thing between the cost of the electricity from Gridserve and the victuals from Costa.
A quick "splash and dash"* can take all the range anxiety away and make a journey far more pleasant.
* A motor racing term that's very apt!

 

[Gomev]

We took the car on its first decent run since getting it, up to Winterton-on-sea in Norfolk. It was about 100 miles each way and a mix of dual carriageways and normal roads. I put MG pilot on at 65 mph and was pleased with how it behaved.

I decided to do a quick rapid charge on the way back because although I started at 90% battery and 220 miles range and it was showing 118 miles range to home, I didn’t really want the range anxiety of having 16 miles to spare when I got home. We stopped at the Gridserve forecourt just outside of Norwich, which was lovely. I went from 40% charge to 74% in 18 minutes, which was just long enough for both of us to go to the loo and get a drink from Costa. No idea of the cost yet because the £1 charge hasn’t been amended but I’m expecting it to be £10-12.

It’s a good job I did do the charge because I missed an exit off the A47 (I think) which added 15 miles to my journey and then it must have been uphill a lot of the way as I only achieved 3.5 m/kWh compared to 4.4 on the way there and we arrived home with 27% charge left (2 adults and 4 dogs).

I was plagued by ecall system failures, which I hadn’t experienced before and it worried me until I looked it up when we got back.

All in all it was an enjoyable journey and I’m pleased I broke my “v card” with the rapid charge as I was worrying about it a fair bit.

I even saw a white MG5 on the way there, so our quest for world domination is well underway.

Nice journey and a wise decision to top up.

I would always recommend any new owners to do a small rapid charge in the first few weeks of ownership whether needed or not, to get to know the process and make sure there are no problems with the car. Better to find any problems early and be confident of the process before becoming stranded on your first long journey.

 

[Jomarkh]

Nice journey and a wise decision to top up.

I would always recommend any new owners to do a small rapid charge in the first few weeks of ownership whether needed or not, to get to know the process and make sure there are no problems with the car. Better to find any problems early and be confident of the process before becoming stranded on your first long journey.

During my first month or so I think tried all my apps and cards to see how easy they were to start and stop a charge. You dont need to be connected for long but start with under 50% SOC just to see what charge rate kWh you can get.

 

[SpeedyM]

I've had my MG5 LR since March and tried a few public top ups with mixed success. I'm still wary about the infrastructure and don't want to carry a wallet of cards or phone full of apps with subscription charges. I currently have a Shell card which I haven't used yet because I've been able to use my credit card at motorway services (when they work). My worst experiences are being locked into a charging cable because there wasn't enough power, ZapMap telling me I can use my credit card but can't and an adjacent MG owner calling out the AA because his battery was damaged by a too high charge rate. I've been advised not to connect to a charger rated at more than 50Kw? Can anyone offer help on these issues please?

 

[BugEyed]

being locked into a charging cable because there wasn't enough power

DC Rapid or AC fast? The issues are different with different remedies.

For DC Rapids you need the Rapid to trigger the release by ending the charge. Usually best done via the UI, the App, Customer services or in extremis the emergency stop.

AC fast charging is ended by unlocking the car or opening the door. The car should release the cable as should the charge point. But some charge points require use of their App to release that end of the cable even with the charge ended and the car disconnected.

ZapMap telling me I can use my credit card but can't

Report the issue to Zap Map, they rely on user updates.

an adjacent MG owner calling out the AA because his battery was damaged by a too high charge rate

Sounds like a misunderstanding. Sometimes there are charging errors where the car throws a hissy fit. Locking it and walking away for a minute or disconnecting the 12v normally cures those.

I've been advised not to connect to a charger rated at more than 50Kw

Bad advice. The car controls the maximum charge rate so even on the fastest capable charger will only take what it wants. The system is very safe and defaults to not charging rather than taking any risks.
In ideal conditions your car will take 90kW but no more even when connected to a 350kW machine.

 

[jackois]

Nice journey and a wise decision to top up.

I would always recommend any new owners to do a small rapid charge in the first few weeks of ownership whether needed or not, to get to know the process and make sure there are no problems with the car. Better to find any problems early and be confident of the process before becoming stranded on your first long journey.

I was lucky that my friend who's a Tesla driver took me for lunch in my car to show me how to charge on a local fast charger...
...while we were eating, his turn to pay, he realised that he'd used his card to start the charger, so I had a free lunch and charge...

 

[mourneuk]

It'll be a close run thing between the cost of the electricity from Gridserve and the victuals from Costa.
A quick "splash and dash"* can take all the range anxiety away and make a journey far more pleasant.
* A motor racing term that's very apt!

Funny, I thought I had replied to this but can't see it in the thread.

The charge amended to £9.95 so about what I expected. The Costa was £4.25 and was gone before I left the forecourt.

 

[Gomev]

I was lucky that my friend who's a Tesla driver took me for lunch in my car to show me how to charge on a local fast charger...
...while we were eating, his turn to pay, he realised that he'd used his card to start the charger, so I had a free lunch and charge...

My kinda lunch that .

Was it a fast charger or a rapid, I've never paid for a fast charge apart from at home ?

 

[Jomarkh]

I was lucky that my friend who's a Tesla driver took me for lunch in my car to show me how to charge on a local fast charger...
...while we were eating, his turn to pay, he realised that he'd used his card to start the charger, so I had a free lunch and charge...

You wouldn't get much added on a fast EVSE over lunch next time get him to pay for a rapid charge

 

[jackois]

You wouldn't get much added on a fast EVSE over lunch next time get him to pay for a rapid charge

I think he would have but there wasn't one...