MG ZS EV Temperature and drastic drop in miles per kWh

[drmcw]

Blimey, I get 2.4 with heaters on, seats on, & foot down as much as possible!

Turn the seats off! I'm getting 3 with heaters on and foot down as much as possible.

 

[Susanna]

I believe the heated seats run from the 12v battery, so shouldn’t have any effect on the range.

Everything else depends entirely on the outside temperature, length of drive, opportunities for regen etc., not just how heavy your right foot is and whether you had cranked up the heater. The temperature can vary hugely from a frosty morning to a warm and sunny afternoon, so it’s not surprising that some people are getting better miles to kWh than others, even on the same day.

I don’t suppose anyone compared their fuel usage in ICE vehicles.

 

[N2STY]

I don’t suppose anyone compared their fuel usage in ICE vehicles.

My jeep £15 60 miles round trip to work
The ZS did do it 80p but I know pay 10p kw anytime charging so £1.60 still win win

 

[Susanna]

@N2STY
Wildly different! No doubt about the savings that can be made with an EV.

I should have explained myself better, as I meant one (identical) ICE to another.

It seems EV users can be quite competitive.

 

[steve1973]

As suggested by a member on here i reset my trip meters and immediately observed 272 miles for 100% instead of 237 i was previously getting it was an eye opener as never expected it to actually work!

 

[Gadget Geek]

I've just completed a 100% balancing charge and got a predicted 276 miles without resetting any counters.

 

[steve1973]

I've just completed a 100% balancing charge and got a predicted 276 miles without resetting any counters.

I tried that but never got past 237 that's why i reset them.

 

[Susanna]

@steve1973
Just because the GOM says 272 miles after a reset, it doesn’t mean that’s what you will now achieve. The 237 miles that was showing previously will have been estimated based on your driving habits and various external factors.
I therefore believe it’s the more accurate figure.

 

[Tim Green]

You get what you will get irrespective of the GOM, but it's reassuring to know you can show the max predicted on the GOM by doing the zeroing routine.

 

[Gadget Geek]

I tried that but never got past 237 that's why i reset them.

My 276 miles was with an accumulated 3.2 m/kWh. Today it went up to 3.3 m/kWh so it might be even better next time I do a 100% charge.

237 miles is the real range you would be able to get, not the default guess. As a matter of interest, what's your accumulated m/kWh?

 

[steve1973]

As I mainly do motorway driving it was 3.5 and for a 50 mile journey I noticed it takes 70 miles off the counter. Which with everything on to be expected can't wait for summer.

 

[steve1973]

@steve1973
Just because the GOM says 272 miles after a reset, it doesn’t mean that’s what you will now achieve. The 237 miles that was showing previously will have been estimated based on your driving habits and various external factors.
I therefore believe it’s the more accurate figure.

Yes I know I'm not getting 272 miles but I am getting more than when it was showing 237 so it's a great improvement and might help others on the site so I posted to help if it does.

 

[Lovemyev]

Yes I know I'm not getting 272 miles but I am getting more than when it was showing 237 so it's a great improvement and might help others on the site so I posted to help if it does.

You will find that some members who prefer to reset their trips and others who do not.
There is no right or wrong way, just the way YOU prefer to use that’s all.
I am a reset person myself and have done this since about 12 months of ownership with the ZS EV Gen1 and have now continued doing so, on the Gen 2 facelift model.
This all began after the first ZS EV was updated with the BMS update.
A long read found by a quick search under BMS updates.
Warning, you are in for a long read .
I would not recommend going there TBH !.

 

[Susanna]

Yes I know I'm not getting 272 miles but I am getting more than when it was showing 237 so it's a great improvement and might help others on the site so I posted to help if it does.

Apologies - from your post, it sounded as if you thought that by resetting your trip meters you were going to get improved mileage.

 

[steve1973]

Apologies - from your post, it sounded as if you thought that by resetting your trip meters you were going to get improved mileage.

In a way i am getting a bit more as now with a 100% charge i can do 2 trips to work and back where previously i could only do 1 round trip without charging because of the extra charge shown.

 

[Susanna]

@steve1973
That won’t be anything to do with resetting your trip meters! That action cannot miraculously add kWh’s to your battery. Outside temperatures make a huge difference to your miles to kWh, as does your driving style. It’s helpful to look at that figure, rather than relying on the GOM.

 

[al6195]

I agree with Susanna. Resetting your trip meter doesn't have any impact on how your car uses the energy stored in the battery. The increased range it displays may give you the confidence to drive longer without charging, but it won't impact the actual range you can achieve.

If anything it's more likely to decrease the actual range you can achieve if the extra range it displays means people don't drive as economically as they could ...

 

[Gadget Geek]

Each journey you make will have a different m/kWh. A simple bit of maths will settle the issue. You have 68 kWh usable energy in the long range, so to achieve 276 miles in a single journey, you need to achieve 4 m/kWh (276 / 68 = 4.0588), although, the car won't let you get that far as it will pester you to charge.

 

[Striker]

I believe the heated seats run from the 12v battery, so shouldn’t have any effect on the range.

I've seen this comment on various forums, it's not quite true. The seats are powered by the 12V battery, however the 12V battery is charged from the traction battery. Using any electrical device on the car will impact the range by varying degrees

That said, the seat heaters consume considerably less power than the main heater, which is why they are often used to limit range loss

 

[Alb]

As above, the 12V system is powered by the inverter whilst in ready mode. The 12V battery itself is just another load on that system. Having said that, the heated seat load is actually very small so whilst its negative effect on range may be measurable in theory, you won't really notice it in practice.