New EV tips

[curt4292]

Hi all I'm set to collect my zs ev tomorrow, I got the standard range trophy. I've done quite a bit of research already with things you need to know etc. But as a group of owners and real people are there any things that you wish you had known from the start like most efficient or effective driving settings,
Car settings that made your life easier or simpler or that you just like? Unwritten rules around public charging at busier times? And I was also wondering if you do charge in shopping centres or something do drivers move their car once it's charged or do people just park there all day?
TIA

 

[Nicko]

Enjoy the car, its great

 

[Jomarkh]

Welcome, thats a lot of questions and you will find thread on most off them just use the search bar.
On a rapid DC charger you will get to 80% quite quickly then the charge rate dropps off so best to move off.
On a fast AC or destination EVSE it's sort of first come first served so leave it for the duration of your visit.
Check for parking restrictions as you may have 90 minutes or 3 hours which it's long if you have to wait for a charge point to become available.
Get a load off apps, Zap-map is great for finding charge points but you will get a few favourite networks that work well for you.

 

[Gadget Geek]

Congratulations on getting your car and welcome to the world of EV driving, it's brilliant and you won't want to go back to fossil fuel ICE's.

You will find a range of opinions on all aspects of driving the ZS. Some like ECO mode, some leave it in normal. Leaving boy racers in the dust at the traffic lights using sport mode might be a bit childish, but it ain't half fun.

Some like cruise control, some use MG Pilot (I like it), some turn off lane assist as it can snatch the wheel if you are not used to it and can "ping-pong" from one side of the lane to other.

Basically, first drive it like a normal ICE car, get used to all the bells and whistles, and you will find you will start to drive it like an EV.

As mentioned, Zap-Map will show you where all the chargers are and have a play with the filters for preferred networks, payment methods, etc. If you are going on a long journey, A Better Route Planner is excellent and will plan in your charging stops.

This is my 3rd EV and it is a great car. Enjoy.

 

[Ruislip Resident]

Hi all I'm set to collect my zs ev tomorrow, I got the standard range trophy. I've done quite a bit of research already with things you need to know etc. But as a group of owners and real people are there any things that you wish you had known from the start like most efficient or effective driving settings,
Car settings that made your life easier or simpler or that you just like? Unwritten rules around public charging at busier times? And I was also wondering if you do charge in shopping centres or something do drivers move their car once it's charged or do people just park there all day?
TIA

Turn off the beep / bong notification for cars overtaking in when in your blind spot. It becomes annoying very quickly.

 

[Lovemyev]

Turn off the beep / bong notification for cars overtaking in when in your blind spot. It becomes annoying very quickly.

Mine has never "bonged" when I over take?.
Just the orange flashing symbol in the mirror glass itself.

 

[curt4292]

Mine has never "bonged" when I car over takes ?.
Just the orange flashing symbol in the mirror glass itself.

Yeah I don't mind the blind spot light on the mirror but a bong would wreck me

 

[gus]

Yeah I don't mind the blind spot light on the mirror but a bong would wreck me

I thought that, but first proper night drive Friday night the blind spot light is awfully bright if you are on an unlit dual carriageway, plus the dimming of the screen doesn’t seem to get dim enough.

 

[DriverX]

Some like ECO mode, some leave it in normal.

FYI eco is more than just a driving mode, it also disables stuff like heating/cooling

 

[mousebat]

If you drive on unlit country roads at night, make sure you bring a tea towel to put over the screen. Even on the lowest brightness with dark mode, the infotainment screen will still be like having a torch shining in your face from underneath.

 

[mousebat]

 

[mousebat]

 

[Alb]

That doesn't look right at all.

 

[mousebat]

I’m in the process of trying to find a window film that will help dim it further. I have vinyl plotters at my business, so I’ll be cutting some out once I find a suitable film, if anyone is interested?

 

[omega22]

We’ve found that you have to go into the settings and adjust the brightness manually each time to darken it down. It always defaults to a brighter setting. Alternatively set it to show the radio which is darker when driving.

 

[mousebat]

I could just leave it on the radio but I have to use Waze through CarPlay as for some reason my trophy didn’t come with the real time traffic… despite what the spec on the mg site shows.

Dealer told me I got a panoramic roof instead. Like it’s just a lottery what you get and you should just be happy you have a car.

My commute is 90 minutes each way so being able to see what the traffic is doing is pretty essential to me. It’s just a damn shame the map apps through can’t be scrolled and zoomed without using the buttons, it’s clunky as hell.

 

[Nev]

Hi, good choice and you will be fine. Much already said. A vote for Zapmap. Knowing where the public chargers are and what you need to do to use them is handy esp on a longer trip. Longer trips are fine but do need a bit of planning. I work out where I am going to stop and what I need to charge (an app? contactless?). Also have a plan B in case of probs. For Rapid chargers you won’t usually stray too far from the car and will be off once you’ve got what you need. For Fasts these are usually destination chargers (need your cable) and you use whilst your car is parked up for the duration of the visit. You will probably be paying a parking fee as per normal. If I am overnight at a Hotel on a Fast charger I do pop out and move the car once it’s full so as to free up the charger for someone else. In the MG I spent most of my time in Eco and level 3 (2 on motorways), that was fine for me but you might have a more energetic driving style. The hardest thing for me transitioning from ICE was remembering I didn’t have a clutch, glue that left foot to the floor.

 

[Exdro]

I thought that, but first proper night drive Friday night the blind spot light is awfully bright if you are on an unlit dual carriageway, plus the dimming of the screen doesn’t seem to get dim enough.

To turn the screen off, go to the bottom of the page, there is an arrow pointing left. Swipe that left and the screen goes black.

 

[BillyWhizz]

View attachment 12867

Turn the screen off problem solved

 

[Exdro]

If you drive on unlit country roads at night, make sure you bring a tea towel to put over the screen. Even on the lowest brightness with dark mode, the infotainment screen will still be like having a torch shining in your face from underneath.

It is easy to turn the screen off.