Goodbye My ZS EV

[Popsie5859]

After a little over 4 months on Monday with a heavy heart I will be selling my 2021 ZS EV exclusive. Due to where I live charging my little gem has been an issue as I do not have off road parking. I have been charging the car from an external 3 pin socket having to trail the cable across a public footpath covered with a hi-viz anti-trip cover over it. I have made enquiries with my local council about the possibility of public payable charging points being installed at the communal parking area, they informed me that they were not responsible for such works and it was the domain of the county council (Hertfordshire) to complete the works. I contacted the county council and they replied with their plan for the installation of such type charging points, even though they can obtain a grant from central government to assist in these works they have no plans in the forseeable future to undertake any such works. Their plan is apparently for people without access to off road parking to use charging stations in public areas public carparks and those in supermarket carparks or to encourage people to use public transport instead. I do not know what this type of charging in other areas is like but here in Welwyn Garden City it is limited not to put too fine a point on it. The county council sent me their proposed plan along with regulations regarding the laying of cables across foot paths and highways including possible penalties.

Having read and digested the information sent I decided to take the matter up with my local MP who us also the secretary of state for transport Mr Grant Shapps and had a meeting with him at one of his surgeries. I informed him of my difficulties and the apparent inflexibility of the county council that would lead to 23% of the residents in Welwyn Garden City being excluded from owning an electric vehicle and being able to charge it with a certain amount of ease. Mr Shapps is the owner and user of an electric car and along with the government is promoting the uptake of electric vehicle purchase and use by the public. I gave him the information sent to me by the county council in their plan regarding the uptake of electric car use by the residents of Hertfordshire who do not have access to off road parking. I also gave him figures of how many public charging points I had managed to identify in Welwyn Garden City (60) nowhere near enough to meet demand, he appeared generally concerned about the county councils plan and also said if necessary that he would change the rules regarding the laying of cables across foot paths/highways so that more people would be able to charge electric cars at home. I came away from the meeting feeling reasonably positive however that was short lived as two weeks latter I received an email from him via one of his minions the basis of which was the information I had already given him with a foot note indicating the was nothing else he could do, so much for the promotion of electric vehicle use.

From his reply it appears to me we will be expected to live in a two teared system where those fortunate to be able to offered properties with off road parking and those in rented properties where they have access to off road parking will be able to own their own vehicles while the rest of the population will have to hake do with public transport, a case of have's and have nots, typical for a conservative government.

As I said I will be very sad to see my little car go it is an excellent vehicle in build quality value for money and ease of use, the plus side was I purchased it for £21,000 and have sold it for £23,059 a profit unheard of normally when selling a second hand car. I have some items that are now surplus to requirements and I hoped it would alright for me to offer them for sale on this forum. One of the items have never even been unboxed and the other two only used two to three times each. I have intentionally not stated what they are or prices as I do not know if it is acceptable for me to offer them here if someone could kindly let me know. I would much prefer to let a member purchase them than sell them in an open site where someone else may try to sell them on for a profit.

It has been a pleasure having been a member of this site which has been very informative very friendly and lots of fun and I am sorry to have to be leaving and returning to using a fossil fuelled ice car.

 

[Gomev]

What a shame, there is still a while to go until the infrastructure is sorted. Areas differ but your council both local and county do appear hapless.

And I see you found the classified ads section.

 

[Henrystclair]

I feel your pain Popsie! I bought a new ZS at the end of September but I've discovered on a couple of trips to Herefordshire that it just will not be suitable to drive to west Wales (where we go a few times per year) without charging at least twice and I am super nervous about that second charge because the charge points are a bit scarce around there and with a baby in the back I foresee nightmare journeys.

I think the stated range is very optimistic, particularly on motorways. If I sit at 65mph I get a decent range but who does that realistically? There are time when you go up to 80/85 to get past some traffic or just cruise at 75. At those speeds it just burns through the battery. I got 95 miles on a recent trip up the M40, no fun at all.

I bought for £23,292 and it looks like I'll get close to £25k for effectively a brand new car with 900 miles on the clock.

I'm going to buy a Hyundai Kona EV...

It is a sad day because I love my ZS.

 

[Gomev]

I feel your pain Popsie! I bought a new ZS at the end of September but I've discovered on a couple of trips to Herefordshire that it just will not be suitable to drive to west Wales (where we go a few times per year) without charging at least twice and I am super nervous about that second charge because the charge points are a bit scarce around there and with a baby in the back I foresee nightmare journeys.

I think the stated range is very optimistic, particularly on motorways. If I sit at 65mph I get a decent range but who does that realistically? There are time when you go up to 80/85 to get past some traffic or just cruise at 75. At those speeds it just burns through the battery. I got 95 miles on a recent trip up the M40, no fun at all.

I bought for £23,292 and it looks like I'll get close to £25k for effectively a brand new car with 900 miles on the clock.

I'm going to buy a Hyundai Kona EV...

It is a sad day because I love my ZS.

A shame. Perhaps you should have done a little more research before purchasing.

Drive an EV like an ICE and your range will suffer badly on motorways. Do it in a Kona as you have described and your range will be affected just the same, the 270 (real world range 245) will reduce to around 140/150 (175 at 70mph).

I used to be a 'get it on the motorway and set cruise at 80' kinda guy, but have actually come to enjoy setting it at 65 and having a relaxing drive.

Hyundai Kona Electric 64 kWh

All details and specs of the Hyundai Kona Electric 64 kWh (2021-2023). Compare price, lease, real-world range and consumption of every electric vehicle.

ev-database.uk

 

[mj224]

Yes motorway driving does need a bit more patience. I also do 65mph, and the range is still reduced from the usual 160 miles or so. Especially in these colder days...

Charging on motorways is also needs a bit of luck, with queues and the charger actually working. I can manage, but with a young family, the stress is not worth it.

Answers are more reliable chargers..especially on the motorways...

Does anyone in authority listen to this...................

 

[Gomev]

Yes motorway driving does need a bit more patience. I also do 65mph, and the range is still reduced from the usual 160 miles or so. Especially in these colder days...

Charging on motorways is also needs a bit of luck, with queues and the charger actually working. I can manage, but with a young family, the stress is not worth it.

Answers are more reliable chargers..especially on the motorways...

Does anyone in authority listen to this...................

Quite often better to go just off motorway for a charge. Historically as Ecotricity (now taken over by Gridserve) had a motorway services monopoly other charger companies sited theirs just off. Well worth checking out.

 

[Henrystclair]

I discovered the same. My favourite place is a bank of fast chargers by Instavolt outside Banbury. It is not a service station so it's quieter and I've never waited for a charger there.

@Gomev I did quite a bit of research and found that plenty of people were arguing that they routinely got over 200 miles range from their ZS (buying in September I obviously got summer experiences). Also, it is very difficult to know how charging at service stations works before you actually try it. I stopped twice on the way to Herefordshire and at both services 2 chargers were out of action and there was a queue for the remaining one. Like I said, with a baby in the back that is a no-go! hence my instavolt discovery... I have since discovered that website you link to there, it is brilliant. Cold weather highway for the Kona is 175 and the ZS is 95. That's a no-brainer as far as I am concerned. And in summer I could get there in one leap (231 miles) if my baby sleeps for ages!

 

[jamesie]

Ev's are still in the early adopters stage and as such research is all.

Surely motorway driving at 65mph is not that great a hardship. It's also within the speed limit!

 

[Henrystclair]

You're right, research is key. I thought I had done enough but obviously not! Although I haven't been put off EV's at all, in fact the ZS has convinced me that I'm on the right track. I could just do with some more reliable range.

Sitting at 65mph is actually not that much of a hardship but it is not comfortable. I prefer to sit at 75mph and I think if we are all honest we would say the same.

Convincing people to switch from ICE is about changing a mindset around range and charging but we can't starve the fun out of the process.

 

[mj224]

My RX8 would not go below 80, so my 65mph is a bit of a trial sometimes...

 

[Brianlescargot]

My daughter stays in Cheltenham and all of the 3 counties is atrocious for charging points. I stay in Lanarkshire and have around 40 rapids and over 100 destination points within a 10 mile radius

 

[tintin]

After a little over 4 months on Monday with a heavy heart I will be selling my 2021 ZS EV exclusive. Due to where I live charging my little gem has been an issue as I do not have off road parking. I have been charging the car from an external 3 pin socket having to trail the cable across a public footpath covered with a hi-viz anti-trip cover over it. I have made enquiries with my local council about the possibility of public payable charging points being installed at the communal parking area, they informed me that they were not responsible for such works and it was the domain of the county council (Hertfordshire) to complete the works. I contacted the county council and they replied with their plan for the installation of such type charging points, even though they can obtain a grant from central government to assist in these works they have no plans in the forseeable future to undertake any such works. Their plan is apparently for people without access to off road parking to use charging stations in public areas public carparks and those in supermarket carparks or to encourage people to use public transport instead. I do not know what this type of charging in other areas is like but here in Welwyn Garden City it is limited not to put too fine a point on it. The county council sent me their proposed plan along with regulations regarding the laying of cables across foot paths and highways including possible penalties.

Having read and digested the information sent I decided to take the matter up with my local MP who us also the secretary of state for transport Mr Grant Shapps and had a meeting with him at one of his surgeries. I informed him of my difficulties and the apparent inflexibility of the county council that would lead to 23% of the residents in Welwyn Garden City being excluded from owning an electric vehicle and being able to charge it with a certain amount of ease. Mr Shapps is the owner and user of an electric car and along with the government is promoting the uptake of electric vehicle purchase and use by the public. I gave him the information sent to me by the county council in their plan regarding the uptake of electric car use by the residents of Hertfordshire who do not have access to off road parking. I also gave him figures of how many public charging points I had managed to identify in Welwyn Garden City (60) nowhere near enough to meet demand, he appeared generally concerned about the county councils plan and also said if necessary that he would change the rules regarding the laying of cables across foot paths/highways so that more people would be able to charge electric cars at home. I came away from the meeting feeling reasonably positive however that was short lived as two weeks latter I received an email from him via one of his minions the basis of which was the information I had already given him with a foot note indicating the was nothing else he could do, so much for the promotion of electric vehicle use.

From his reply it appears to me we will be expected to live in a two teared system where those fortunate to be able to offered properties with off road parking and those in rented properties where they have access to off road parking will be able to own their own vehicles while the rest of the population will have to hake do with public transport, a case of have's and have nots, typical for a conservative government.

As I said I will be very sad to see my little car go it is an excellent vehicle in build quality value for money and ease of use, the plus side was I purchased it for £21,000 and have sold it for £23,059 a profit unheard of normally when selling a second hand car. I have some items that are now surplus to requirements and I hoped it would alright for me to offer them for sale on this forum. One of the items have never even been unboxed and the other two only used two to three times each. I have intentionally not stated what they are or prices as I do not know if it is acceptable for me to offer them here if someone could kindly let me know. I would much prefer to let a member purchase them than sell them in an open site where someone else may try to sell them on for a profit.

It has been a pleasure having been a member of this site which has been very informative very friendly and lots of fun and I am sorry to have to be leaving and returning to using a fossil fuelled ice car.

looking on zapmap there seem to be plenty of public chargers in your area, some faster than others, but if your not iced in I charge at the local supermarket when shopping where I live, it all depends on how many miles a week you do, once a week is enough for me (125)

 

[Rookery]

I feel your pain Popsie! I bought a new ZS at the end of September but I've discovered on a couple of trips to Herefordshire that it just will not be suitable to drive to west Wales (where we go a few times per year) without charging at least twice and I am super nervous about that second charge because the charge points are a bit scarce around there and with a baby in the back I foresee nightmare journeys.

I think the stated range is very optimistic, particularly on motorways. If I sit at 65mph I get a decent range but who does that realistically? There are time when you go up to 80/85 to get past some traffic or just cruise at 75. At those speeds it just burns through the battery. I got 95 miles on a recent trip up the M40, no fun at all.

I bought for £23,292 and it looks like I'll get close to £25k for effectively a brand new car with 900 miles on the clock.

I'm going to buy a Hyundai Kona EV...

It is a sad day because I love my ZS.

I really liked the MGZSEV but I decided the range especially in winter could be problematic especially with our infrastructure. I have waited and bought a long range MG5.

 

[Popsie5859]

looking on zapmap there seem to be plenty of public chargers in your area, some faster than others, but if your not iced in I charge at the local supermarket when shopping where I live, it all depends on how many miles a week you do, once a week is enough for me (125)

I have already swapped back to ICE, the main point of my post being that central government are pushing for people to switch to electric vehicles. This looks good for their green credentials but in reality they are not being forceful enough with local authorities to ensure the role out of suitable infrastructure especially for those without offroad parking capability such as myself. Public chargers recall well and good for what they are but when it comes to the need of a full charge from very low voltage and a balancing cycle to boot that will take many hours then public chargers are not suitable. I checked with my insurer that if I left my vehicle under such circumstances would it be fully covered and was told it would not be a very big drawback to ownership. Please don't get me wrong I am very pro electric vehicles and absolutely loved my MG ZS and the idea of electric vehicles. I do believe the experience I have had as an early adopter will be mirrored by many other people who will hesitate to make the switch because of this issue. Myself I shall wait until such time that either the infrastructure for electric is much better or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and infrastructure is a better alternative for people in my position. I will not be moving home unless I win the lottery at which point this will be a mute subject, other than that any future purchase before 2030 will sadly have to be an ICE vehicle for myself and my wife.

 

[Kithmo]

I have already swapped back to ICE, the main point of my post being that central government are pushing for people to switch to electric vehicles. This looks good for their green credentials but in reality they are not being forceful enough with local authorities to ensure the role out of suitable infrastructure especially for those without offroad parking capability such as myself. Public chargers recall well and good for what they are but when it comes to the need of a full charge from very low voltage and a balancing cycle to boot that will take many hours then public chargers are not suitable. I checked with my insurer that if I left my vehicle under such circumstances would it be fully covered and was told it would not be a very big drawback to ownership. Please don't get me wrong I am very pro electric vehicles and absolutely loved my MG ZS and the idea of electric vehicles. I do believe the experience I have had as an early adopter will be mirrored by many other people who will hesitate to make the switch because of this issue. Myself I shall wait until such time that either the infrastructure for electric is much better or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and infrastructure is a better alternative for people in my position. I will not be moving home unless I win the lottery at which point this will be a mute subject, other than that any future purchase before 2030 will sadly have to be an ICE vehicle for myself and my wife.

TBH, if I didn't have a driveway and the ability to charge at home, I would probably have stuck with the Prius until 2030 or until I am no longer fit to drive, whichever comes first.

 

[Maylandmale]

Your right there, if I didn't have a drive and charger I would never have got an EV, Maldon essex. Pod point charger in Lidle carpark (sitting in their car park is no fun), MDC has a charger, went to have my booster jab there, went to charge, notice on charger "get tokens from reception" asked where reception was and was told there was not one it had been shut for ages! Yesterday went shopping at Tescos 2 7kwt & one 50 CCS, 1 7 was being used, one had an ICE parked in and the CCS was not working (only been fitted for about 2 weeks. These places seem to think that its a bonus if they put charging stations in, but it's NOT, its a necessity, and when they don't work they should have a fast track phone number to get them fixed. Instead of a member of the public waiting on the phone for god knows how long. I'm slowly getting a list of places where NOT to shop.
Thats it from the grumpy old man in the MG.

 

[Rookery]

Your right there, if I didn't have a drive and charger I would never have got an EV, Maldon essex. Pod point charger in Lidle carpark (sitting in their car park is no fun), MDC has a charger, went to have my booster jab there, went to charge, notice on charger "get tokens from reception" asked where reception was and was told there was not one it had been shut for ages! Yesterday went shopping at Tescos 2 7kwt & one 50 CCS, 1 7 was being used, one had an ICE parked in and the CCS was not working (only been fitted for about 2 weeks. These places seem to think that its a bonus if they put charging stations in, but it's NOT, its a necessity, and when they don't work they should have a fast track phone number to get them fixed. Instead of a member of the public waiting on the phone for god knows how long. I'm slowly getting a list of places where NOT to shop.
Thats it from the grumpy old man in the MG.

From someone who has just started ev ownership and so far hasn't charged beyond my house that is worrying news, I only hope these are isolated cases because if not it doesn't bode well for us all.

 

[Popsie5859]

Your right there, if I didn't have a drive and charger I would never have got an EV, Maldon essex. Pod point charger in Lidle carpark (sitting in their car park is no fun), MDC has a charger, went to have my booster jab there, went to charge, notice on charger "get tokens from reception" asked where reception was and was told there was not one it had been shut for ages! Yesterday went shopping at Tescos 2 7kwt & one 50 CCS, 1 7 was being used, one had an ICE parked in and the CCS was not working (only been fitted for about 2 weeks. These places seem to think that its a bonus if they put charging stations in, but it's NOT, its a necessity, and when they don't work they should have a fast track phone number to get them fixed. Instead of a member of the public waiting on the phone for god knows how long. I'm slowly getting a list of places where NOT to shop.
Thats it from the grumpy old man in the MG.

I understand your pain government make supermarket charging stations sound like the wholly frail. I think most people would assume that the carparks are filled with many chargers where in reality five or six is probably the norm and they will only be free in the middle of the day in the middle of the week. All that said I am still very pro electric vehicles and extol their virtues to anyone that asks and I will return when the infrastructure is much much better.

 

[Lovemyev]

You're right, research is key. I thought I had done enough but obviously not! Although I haven't been put off EV's at all, in fact the ZS has convinced me that I'm on the right track. I could just do with some more reliable range.

The Gen1 ZS EV has a HV battery size of around 42 KWh’s.
As we know the Kona has 64 Kw/h pack.
So, we are not comparing eggs for eggs.
The ZS EV face lift with the larger battery size is 72 kw/h’s.
That would have done the job just fine !.
Had it been available at the time of course !.

 

[Maylandmale]

From someone who has just started ev ownership and so far hasn't charged beyond my house that is worrying news, I only hope these are isolated cases because if not it doesn't bode well for us all.

Its Not that bad as a rule, although if you are going any distance, have plenty of back up stations.