Newbie questions

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Welshman100

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Hi All, newbie here so please excuse any silly questions. I took a mg5 LR for a test drive yesterday and was very impressed, to the point where I want one. But have a couple of questions from people actually living with the car, not media or salesmen :)

1. What is it actually like living with an ev, practicality of charging when out and about etc, can you use any public charging points?
2. What is a granny charger that I've heard people talking about?
3. Are the range figures realistic in day to day use
4. Has anyone put bars in the boot for a dog to go in?
5. Has anyone got a black colour they could post a pic of please

Thanks for your time
 
Welshman100 said:
Hi All, newbie here so please excuse any silly questions. I took a mg5 LR for a test drive yesterday and was very impressed, to the point where I want one. But have a couple of questions from people actually living with the car, not media or salesmen :)

1. What is it actually like living with an ev, practicality of charging when out and about etc, can you use any public charging points?
2. What is a granny charger that I've heard people talking about?
3. Are the range figures realistic in day to day use
4. Has anyone put bars in the boot for a dog to go in?
5. Has anyone got a black colour they could post a pic of please

Thanks for your time
Click to expand...
  1. Daily I do few miles, charge once a week or so. Tend to use local free DC charger and top up at home or free AC - lucky my local authority doesn’t charge for these. Done a few 100+ mile trips and one 275 trip (each way). Trick with public charging seems to be planning - try and stop where there are lots of chargers so you don’t have to wait.
  2. Granny charger is the three pin plug that connects to started mains socket - chargers at 3kW and some people find the plug can heat up. Mixed opinions about using as main charger or as emergency only.
  3. EV-Database seems fairly accurate in their figures based on speed and temperature. Just remember the faster you drive, the more energy and reduced range. Same with load. Find your sweet spot that suits your needs and driving style.
  4. I’ve seen some threads with pics like this - I use a full cage in the boot and remove when not needed.
  5. Mine:
3106534E-57DB-45AD-8AE6-1A058A9D2C52.jpeg
 
Hi,
I have a white SR and done almost 10k.
1, I mainly charge at home on my 7.5kw unit on the 5p tariff which adds my daily commute easily. Out and about I have used fast and rapids of different types. I have a pagevof apos but the Electric Juice card covers a number of networks.
2, the granny charger is about 2.2kw so takes three times as long ok for a over night stdy but not long term use.
3. During the summer I was getting 4,2m/kwh and it has only gone down to 4m/kwh in the last month. Keep it under 70 and you will be fine and follow lorries or van to reduce drag.
4, as Biffo said various pictures about dog cages.
5, sorry mine is a cheap white one😁
 
biffo said:
  1. Daily I do few miles, charge once a week or so. Tend to use local free DC charger and top up at home or free AC - lucky my local authority doesn’t charge for these. Done a few 100+ mile trips and one 275 trip (each way). Trick with public charging seems to be planning - try and stop where there are lots of chargers so you don’t have to wait.
  2. Granny charger is the three pin plug that connects to started mains socket - chargers at 3kW and some people find the plug can heat up. Mixed opinions about using as main charger or as emergency only.
  3. EV-Database seems fairly accurate in their figures based on speed and temperature. Just remember the faster you drive, the more energy and reduced range. Same with load. Find your sweet spot that suits your needs and driving style.
  4. I’ve seen some threads with pics like this - I use a full cage in the boot and remove when not needed.
  5. Mine:
View attachment 5463
Click to expand...
Thank you, car looks great 👍
 
Welshman100 said:
Hi All, newbie here so please excuse any silly questions. I took a mg5 LR for a test drive yesterday and was very impressed, to the point where I want one. But have a couple of questions from people actually living with the car, not media or salesmen :)

1. What is it actually like living with an ev, practicality of charging when out and about etc, can you use any public charging points?
2. What is a granny charger that I've heard people talking about?
3. Are the range figures realistic in day to day use
4. Has anyone put bars in the boot for a dog to go in?
5. Has anyone got a black colour they could post a pic of please

Thanks for your time
Click to expand...
It's always worth trying the search feature..I just typed in 'dog cage', for example, and a load of relevant info came back.
 
Welshman100 said:
Hi All, newbie here so please excuse any silly questions. I took a mg5 LR for a test drive yesterday and was very impressed, to the point where I want one. But have a couple of questions from people actually living with the car, not media or salesmen :)

1. What is it actually like living with an ev, practicality of charging when out and about etc, can you use any public charging points?
2. What is a granny charger that I've heard people talking about?
3. Are the range figures realistic in day to day use
4. Has anyone put bars in the boot for a dog to go in?
5. Has anyone got a black colour they could post a pic of please

Thanks for your time
Click to expand...
Had my 5 EV now since July and as far as I am concerned it is the best car choice I have ever made, I previously drove hyundai i40s and 3 and 5 series but this to me is just as good (with regards to tech and inside quality etc).

Having an EV is so much more enjoyable than an ICE car and with the price of fuel reaching nearly 1.50 a litre, now there could not be a better time to switch over.

The process seems a bit daunting and the worry about using the rapid chargers is a little bit of a concern but when going on a long journey, just plan your route a bit more than perhaps you would normally and make sure you leave plenty of charge in the battery should there be any charging issues, and have a backup plan.
No doubt there will be times when you are unable to do a rapid charge for whatever reason but these situations don't happen that often nowadays so don't stress about it.

As far as day to day driving, get yourself a home charger (I went for Hypervolt), find one which allows you to set the charging on a lower rate tariff (octopus go), but first you will need a smart meter installed and a fuse rating of 80 to 100 amps. Mine was 60 amps and it was upgraded easily and free of charge by my local power company.

Once you get a home charger you will very rarely use the rapid chargers unless you travel hundreds of miles a week for work etc.

Also take advantage of fast free charging at tesco even if its just 20 30 min when u go shopping.

But just go for it my MG 5 has averaged 4.2 kwhr over the summer that's 210 miles on a full charge ( LR version will be even more), so just think of the number.of times in a year you will need more than that in your tank and it probably won't be much so just take it easy and don't be put off.

As long as you like driving the MG just go and buy it and in a few months you will probably be writing in this forum telling everyone to go and buy one.

There is absolutely no way I would go back to my ICE cars again.
 
biffo said:
  1. Daily I do few miles, charge once a week or so. Tend to use local free DC charger and top up at home or free AC - lucky my local authority doesn’t charge for these. Done a few 100+ mile trips and one 275 trip (each way). Trick with public charging seems to be planning - try and stop where there are lots of chargers so you don’t have to wait.
  2. Granny charger is the three pin plug that connects to started mains socket - chargers at 3kW and some people find the plug can heat up. Mixed opinions about using as main charger or as emergency only.
  3. EV-Database seems fairly accurate in their figures based on speed and temperature. Just remember the faster you drive, the more energy and reduced range. Same with load. Find your sweet spot that suits your needs and driving style.
  4. I’ve seen some threads with pics like this - I use a full cage in the boot and remove when not needed.
  5. Mine:
View attachment 5463
Click to expand...
Hi
Any idea on the size dog crate please? I need to get one to fill the boot. Our car won't be ready til December but need to sort the crate now really
 
biffo said:
  1. Daily I do few miles, charge once a week or so. Tend to use local free DC charger and top up at home or free AC - lucky my local authority doesn’t charge for these. Done a few 100+ mile trips and one 275 trip (each way). Trick with public charging seems to be planning - try and stop where there are lots of chargers so you don’t have to wait.
  2. Granny charger is the three pin plug that connects to started mains socket - chargers at 3kW and some people find the plug can heat up. Mixed opinions about using as main charger or as emergency only.
  3. EV-Database seems fairly accurate in their figures based on speed and temperature. Just remember the faster you drive, the more energy and reduced range. Same with load. Find your sweet spot that suits your needs and driving style.
  4. I’ve seen some threads with pics like this - I use a full cage in the boot and remove when not needed.
  5. Mine:
View attachment 5463
Click to expand...
Any idea on size of boot please on EV? We need a dig crate as big as possible..car not ready til Dec but want til sort the crate ASAP as I know they can take weeks
 
If it's any help I've been using mine since April this year 21. I do 10 mile commute every day and it lasts me maybe 3-weeks then on the weekend I just plug it in when I get home and it's usually charged by midway through Saturday morning and that's usually down to about 20% so it's still got plenty to go .local pub to me has Tesla chargers and I've checked it out and they work and it's free so if I'm not bothered about walking 10-minutes I can just leave it at the pub have a couple of pints and they're happy for me to leave it overnight anyone having trouble with the Tesla chargers there is a red reset button on the side if you connect your car press the reset then my MG5 starts charging usually within about 30 seconds no problems. make sure there's two different types. one that says Tesla vehicles and one that says electric vehicles but still has the Tesla badges on it use the one marked electric vehicles as the Tesla one will not work. I only use a granny charger at home. Ive been getting easily 190 miles on standard battery. It has dropped this week as on 4 degrees C. Still getting 3 miles per KW, that's with everything turned on demister heater headlights etc it's normally around 3.6 3.7 and on a journey I get over 4.
 
Welshman100 said:
Hi All, newbie here so please excuse any silly questions. I took a mg5 LR for a test drive yesterday and was very impressed, to the point where I want one. But have a couple of questions from people actually living with the car, not media or salesmen :)

1. What is it actually like living with an ev, practicality of charging when out and about etc, can you use any public charging points?
2. What is a granny charger that I've heard people talking about?
3. Are the range figures realistic in day to day use
4. Has anyone put bars in the boot for a dog to go in?
5. Has anyone got a black colour they could post a pic of please

Thanks for your time
Click to expand...
Hi nothing wrong with your question and your doing the right thing in asking them, come with as many as you need to no problems with that.
Most of them you have answer to above this post but one thing I would suggest you do is download Zap-maps or, A better route planer, and by looking at these you will see where most if not all the charging points are, you can then zoom in on you area or study the longer trips that you might make from time to time, Zap-Map also tell you how much each charge point cost and even if it’s free.
Go for the car definitely, I have no regrets what’s so ever in getting my MG5 SR and it has just saved me around £5/600 in the 8 months or so Ive had it over the 2.0 litre diesel skoda I had before this in fuel alone go for it I’m sure you won’t regret it also.
Les
 
Charging out and about depends on where you live. If you download Zapmap you can check to see what charge points are available in your area.

If you are staying local you may be able to get away with free chargers. If you do more miles and can afford it a home charge point would be a good idea.
 
Lisa said:
Hi
Any idea on the size dog crate please? I need to get one to fill the boot. Our car won't be ready til December but need to sort the crate now really
Click to expand...
Mine is essentially this one - but I bought it from Amazon. This looks like the Casaria Dog Car Crate XL though

www.manomano.co.uk

Dog crate double - dog cage, puppy crate, dog travel crate - 89 x 69 x 50 cm

IN STOCK: best prices on Dog crate double - dog cage, puppy crate, dog travel crate - 89 x 69 x 50 cm, 400549.
www.manomano.co.uk www.manomano.co.uk

I use mine for two scotties so the height is fine - I have to keep the floor in the upper position or the door will not open due to the lip.

IMG_1633.JPG

If I was to buy again, I would consider a smaller size of the Pet World sloping wire cage I had before - got a 38" wide one and it's too wide to fit between the adjustable floor brackets when in lower position and too tall for floor in upper position. I think the 36" version would work though (but not tried).

petworldcages.com

Car Dog Crate Hatchback - 36" (Large) - Pet World

For shipping times click here - Delivery Information For shipping costs click here - Delivery Costs
petworldcages.com petworldcages.com
 
I love our MG5 for what it is... previously had a Mercedes S class which is an unfair comparison on the luxury stakes but it is all outweighed by the cost savings. On long trips where fast charging is required then don't be fooled with type 2 at 22kW... the MG5 will only utilise upto about 8kW of that rate as it is determined by the on-board AC to DC converter.... always use the CCS chargers when available as these present DC to the car without the need to use the the on-board converter. Now, that was for long journeys... but normal commuting the 7kW chargers (either free chargers such as podpoint at Tesco or your own charger install at home) are kinder to the battery in the long run. As you may have heard before it's good practice to only charge to 80%, which is generally what I do. Several reasons for doing so, but the main one is that charge rates drop at 80% to protect the battery. The amount of time to charge above 80% is often counterproductive on a long journey... just Continue your journey and charge later on to bring it back to 80% again. There are always the odd exception to this... I will charge at home to 100% if I know I have a long journey the next day and will utilise the charge. It is recommended to balance the battery once a month (do not do this on a rapid charger) but a 7kW or the standard 3pin plug Granny charger is ideal for this charge. It is not recommended to use the Granny charger on an extension cable... but if it is required from a practical view then ensure the cable is heavy duty, preferably less than 10m long, and fully unwound ... not looped.. worth checking after a few minutes to make sure the plug is not overly warm! You'll love the car!
 
Welshman100 said:
Hi All, newbie here so please excuse any silly questions. I took a mg5 LR for a test drive yesterday and was very impressed, to the point where I want one. But have a couple of questions from people actually living with the car, not media or salesmen :)

1. What is it actually like living with an ev, practicality of charging when out and about etc, can you use any public charging points?
2. What is a granny charger that I've heard people talking about?
3. Are the range figures realistic in day to day use
4. Has anyone put bars in the boot for a dog to go in?
5. Has anyone got a black colour they could post a pic of please

Thanks for your time
Click to expand...
Another newbie. Thanks for asking these questions. Replies very helpful -thanks. Waiting delivery of my Excite short range. Can I also ask about installing a home charger please? We are getting a Rolec ( anyone got one?) Slightly concerned with the installation as they asked where our fuse box and meter box is - the fuse box is in the downstairs loo in the middle of the house (not near an outside wall) and our meter box is on an outside wall which is on next door's drive. Worried this will cause problems and additional expense with cables visible everywhere. Awaiting a home survey visit. Any advice appreciated - thanks
 
Dekkerb said:
Another newbie. Thanks for asking these questions. Replies very helpful -thanks. Waiting delivery of my Excite short range. Can I also ask about installing a home charger please? We are getting a Rolec ( anyone got one?) Slightly concerned with the installation as they asked where our fuse box and meter box is - the fuse box is in the downstairs loo in the middle of the house (not near an outside wall) and our meter box is on an outside wall which is on next door's drive. Worried this will cause problems and additional expense with cables visible everywhere. Awaiting a home survey visit. Any advice appreciated - thanks
Click to expand...
Hi welcome onboard the Mg EV forum sorry to say this but not a lot of what you have written sounds like the best scenario for fitting a charger but only the people that are going to install it can assess that when they come.
You will find on here lots of threads and comments about all kinds of different home chargers also there are many on YouTube as well, but What i can tell you Rolex have not got the best of ratings on most of them, so maybe you need to do a bit of reading and watching first, so sorry for how this sounds but I’m only trying to be helpful,every install is different some are quite straightforward and easy others not so but yours sounds like one of the later but not impossible to be done, I would if I where you to get a few quotes for the job. Also if they say the main fuse needs to be changed don’t worry about that or let them charge extra because you local DNO (district network operator will normal do that for free and the install should arrange that for you if need be.
Les
 
Last edited:
Les burrows said:
Hi welcome onboard the Mg EV forum sorry to say this but not a lot of what you have written sounds like the best scenario for fitting a charger but only the people that are going to install it can assess that when they come.
You will find on her lots of threads and comments about all kinds of different home chargers also there are many on YouTube as well, but What i can tell you Rolex have not got the best of ratings on most of them, so maybe you need to do a bit of reading and watching first, so sorry for how this sounds but I’m only trying to be helpful,every install is different some are quite straightforward and easy others not so but yours sounds like one of the later but not impossible to be done, I would if I where you to get a few quotes for the job. Also if they say the main fuse needs to be changed don’t worry about that or let them charge extra because you local DNO (district network operator will normal do that for free and the install should arrange that for you if need be.
Les
Click to expand...
That's really helpful Les thanks
 
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