MG ZS EV 2023 Issues with reading speed limit road signs in KM/H (kilometers/h) Units

[pangius]

Just bought a new MG ZS EV 2023 Long Range Trophy. I noticed that it can not read some speed limit road signs. I realized that in can only read signs that are available in UK in miles/h and not those available in other Europe countries where km/h is used.
For example it will not read road signs of 100km/h speed limit, nor 65. It will just display the previous limit.
Basically it only read the signs it knows about.

This is a real safety issue and MG should fix this asap. If this feature is not supported in km/h countries they shouldn't sell it as a feature and disable it.

 

[Tiny Tim]

Just bought a new MG ZS EV 2023 Long Range Trophy. I noticed that it can not read some speed limit road signs. I realized that in can only read signs that are available in UK in miles/h and not those available in other Europe countries where km/h is used.
For example it will not read road signs of 100km/h speed limit, nor 65. It will just display the previous limit.
Basically it only read the signs it knows about.

This is a real safety issue and MG should fix this asap. If this feature is not supported in km/h countries they shouldn't sell it as a feature and disable it.

Is your car set to display in KM? Mine works with KM in Portugal (not that it's worth much because Portugal doesn't always use speed limit signs - you're just expected to know that when you enter an urban area the limit is 50 and when you leave it's 90... there is no sign- so the car has no chance and I have to just ignore it)

What I do know is that if you have the car set to KM it shows kwh/100km and if you have it set to miles it shows miles per Kwh! So it's likely other things happen in the background as well. I can test my theory when we road trip it to the UK later in the year.

 

[pangius]

Is your car set to display in KM? Mine works with KM in Portugal (not that it's worth much because Portugal doesn't always use speed limit signs - you're just expected to know that when you enter an urban area the limit is 50 and when you leave it's 90... there is no sign- so the car has no chance and I have to just ignore it)

What I do know is that if you have the car set to KM it shows kwh/100km and if you have it set to miles it shows miles per Kwh! So it's likely other things happen in the background as well. I can test my theory when we road trip it to the UK later in the year.

Yes, it is said to KM. The problem is only with reading the speed limit road signs. If the sign is 100 or 65 it will not read it. I guess there are more limit signs that it can not read but these are those i identified so far.

 

[Tiny Tim]

Yes, it is said to KM. The problem is only with reading the speed limit road signs. If the sign is 100 or 65 it will not read it. I guess there are more limit signs that it can not read but these are those i identified so far.

Intriguing! I'm going out later - I'm pretty certain it picks out 100 signs here - but they are not that common - let's see if I pass one. 65 - never seen one here, so won't be able to help with that.

To be fair, I think the speed limit reader is not really useful. For instance, if it sees a national speed limit sign in the UK, the car can't know if you are on a dual or single carriageway (or can it!?). If speed limit signs were consistent it would be great, but they're not. In Portugal they have the habit of not telling you when you exit a speed limit zone - so I find myself looking in the rear view mirror for the limit sign on the other side of the road! Also, they don't do repeater signs - so miss the limit at the beginning and you're stuffed unless the car managed to clock it! Because of this I tend to drive with Waze which puts the limit on the screen. It's not always right, but it helps. When driving in a foreign country where it's not always easy to know the standard limits, this could be a fine-saver!

 

[DBedford]

This is a real safety issue and MG should fix this asap. If this feature is not supported in km/h countries they shouldn't sell it as a feature and disable it.

Why is this a really safety issue, are you not fully aware of your surroundings while driving?

 

[pangius]

I use waze too. However I have tested with other cars and they are reading the signs just fine. In our highways we have speed limit signs every few km and it will never read them unless it is a sign that exists in UK/miles. The discussion is not about alternative ways of knowing the limit. Is that if it only works for specific speed signs then its an important bug that they should fix before selling in these countries. For example in UK they dont have 100 sign from what I saw online. So I guess thats why it will not read it. I have also talked with the dealer. The feedback i got is that other drivers reported the same issue and they wait for a reply from the factory.

 

[Tiny Tim]

So I went past a few 100 signs and they all seemed to be picked up by the system, as did the 120 signs - so maybe it's not the car at fault, though, obviously, the traffic drives on the right, not the left, in mainland Europe - so maybe the software is different in RH drive cars. Is there any difference between the actual signs? Maybe they are different sizes or design?

Maybe someone in the Republic of Ireland or Malta can say if they have the same problem?

 

[pangius]

So I went past a few 100 signs and they all seemed to be picked up by the system, as did the 120 signs - so maybe it's not the car at fault, though, obviously, the traffic drives on the right, not the left, in mainland Europe - so maybe the software is different in RH drive cars. Is there any difference between the actual signs? Maybe they are different sizes or design?

Maybe someone in the Republic of Ireland or Malta can say if they have the same problem?

I dont think so because its able to read 50 and 30 signs which are of the same size and design as the 100 and 65. We drive on the left same as UK but we use km not miles (Cyprus). If yours can read 100 signs then I guess they have the software to fix it.

 

[Tiny Tim]

I dont think so because its able to read 50 and 30 signs which are of the same size and design as the 100 and 65. We drive on the left same as UK but we use km not miles (Cyprus). If yours can read 100 signs then I guess they have the software to fix it.

The Republic of Ireland uses KM also and drives on the left (but I've just realised Malta's maximum speed doesn't go up to 100... maybe they do a 65??) - so folks in Ireland - can your car see 100 signs!?

I'm stepping out of this one now - I don't use the feature anyway and check the speed limit in the old tried and tested way - works for me!

 

[Roldorf]

My car picks up all the speed limit signs, even the overhead gantry signs on the Autobahn which are just LED signs and change according to the traffic conditions.

 

[denisp]

Same issue for me in republic of Ireland. (Right hand drive)

Doesn't recognise the 80 100 or 120kmph road signs. Only recognise the 30 50 60 signs.


And when travelling over 110kmph (70mph) sometimes the 70 sign symbol with dots appears flashing, so I assume it thinks it's UK config. But I can't find a regional setting anywhere.

Yes it is set to km in settings.

Was hoping this forum would have another magic answer.

 

[sk8sara8]

MG knows about this as irish cars are somehow the british car with the british settings so they only added brtitish signs recognition instead of adding all of them or at least adjust when selecting a non british country, they still dont know when or if they going to solve this, worst part that its a simple thing just pushing the setting from the LHD version of the Car being sold in the rest of europe.

 

[Bodgerx]

It's broken on 70mph areas in the UK.


And for France it seems completely broken:

It will randomly pick up up a sign every now and then, but most of the time I spent going down 80kmh zones with it showing the last the 30 it read or on 110 with it showing the last 90.

Even driving by a nice clear, clean, prominent speed sign it will fail to pick it up.

It's hopeless.

 

[tomsl]

Detecting speed limits works exceptionally well here in Austria.
However, MG pilot does not detect end of speed limit signs, which is a bummer. So if I leave city limits, it constantly tells me to drive 50km/h until there is another speed limit sign, which is annoying. Another examples are 80km/h construction zones on the Autobahn. Sometimes it takes ages until there's finally the 130km/h sign, and until then the car is nagging me to drive 80.

It would have been great if this was somehow linked to satnav...

 

[bigmac1euro]

Same issue for me in republic of Ireland. (Right hand drive)

Doesn't recognise the 80 100 or 120kmph road signs. Only recognise the 30 50 60 signs.


And when travelling over 110kmph (70mph) sometimes the 70 sign symbol with dots appears flashing, so I assume it thinks it's UK config. But I can't find a regional setting anywhere.

Yes it is set to km in settings.

Was hoping this forum would have another magic answer.

It will recognise the M50 digital signs and will warn about variable speed limits which is good, but outside of this yeah it's pretty hopeless as the digital signs are only on a tiny section of the motorway.

I notice on a certain part of the M50 it says the speed is 30kph which is insane as it is actually 100. And then you have that 30 sign flashing at you constantly.

 

[denisp]

MG Ireland say the dealer should be able to update/ configure the speed sign recognition correctly for kmph for Ireland, but I'm not holding my breath on that.
Not planning on going near dealer for a few more months, but will ask them to do it when I do.

 

[denisp]

It will recognise the M50 digital signs and will warn about variable speed limits which is good, but outside of this yeah it's pretty hopeless as the digital signs are only on a tiny section of the motorway.

I notice on a certain part of the M50 it says the speed is 30kph which is insane as it is actually 100. And then you have that 30 sign flashing at you constantly.

Yeah it just keeps flashing the last sign it recognised from before you joined the motorway.

 

[bigmac1euro]

MG Ireland say the dealer should be able to update/ configure the speed sign recognition correctly for kmph for Ireland, but I'm not holding my breath on that.
Not planning on going near dealer for a few more months, but will ask them to do it when I do.

Mines not due until next February to keep warranty up. But I will enquire.