Newish Owner

[Rob Healy]

Hi everyone, I’ve finally been able to join the forum (email issues).
I live in the UK and originally saw the HS petrol version and EV on display in Harlow shopping centre in early May.

That inspired me to test drive the HS PHEV and then to order one. I collected my car (blue with black seats) at the end of May and have now gone just over 800 miles.

I love the car! I’m in the process of moving house so will be able to have a charger point fitted which will be much easier than ad-hoc charging at Tesco and the like!

One minor question - has anyone tried using the BP Polar charger? Every one I’ve tried using, it wouldn’t connect. GeniePoint reckon their AC charger is 43kw, and works fine (I’m not sure if the actual charge rate).

Thank you.
Rob.

 

[sky0000547]

Don’t forget whatever speed the AC charger is, the PHEV will only charge at a maximum of 3.6kW.

 

[Rob Healy]

Don’t forget whatever speed the AC charger is, the PHEV will only charge at a maximum of 3.6kW.

I wasn’t fully aware of that. Explains a bit though

 

[hermitdave]

Try not to use rapid chargers. It’s a waste of charger. Look for 7kW chargers nearby

 

[Rob Healy]

Try not to use rapid chargers. It’s a waste of charger. Look for 7kW chargers nearby

Thanks, I’ll do that from now on. I appreciate the tips.

 

[hermitdave]

Thanks, I’ll do that from now on. I appreciate the tips.

You’ll need to have type 2 to type 2 cable at hand as destination chargers require your own cable

 

[sky0000547]

I wasn’t fully aware of that. Explains a bit though

You are not the only one it is one of those not a very well known fact. So as above save your money on rapid chargers as it won’t charge any faster. Find yourself either free or cheaper 7kW public chargers if you have no home charger. It will take 4hrs to charge from 0-100% or approx 8 miles/hr.

 

[Frank]

Guys,

You are going to confuse yourself. The term destination charger is nonsense. Just call a charger a charger it does not matter whether you are coming or going it's just a charger. So what point am I trying to make. Chargers are either AC or DC. AC chargers include your granny charger, your Home Charger and the public chargers you find out and about, Tescos , Aldi etc etc and in Most cases max out at 7kwh. AC charger as the name implies used AC which is fed in to your car's on-board charger which converts the AC to DC and directs it to your main battery. Most cars (except the Zoe and some teslas which can utilise 22kWh on AC) can only accept a maximum of 7 kwh (most PHEV only accept 3.6kwh). AC chargers (whether you call them destination chargers or whatever) are mostly untethered and therefore you need to supply your own charging lead, however just to confuse things there are some tethered AC public chargers that run at 22kWh which any car can use but your on board charger determines the charging rate NOT the charger. Now destination charger is the term usually associated with DC RAPID Charger which an EV would use when on a long journey as they can enjoy up to 350kwh (some can be higher) however this is a mute point as most cars can only handle about 50kwh and besides high powered chargers are very rare anyway. Just call chargers chargers , for example if you have no access to a home charger and use a RAPID Charger say 50 yds from your house it's just a charger,

Some points to note:-

a. AC charging is only good for top ups.
b. DC charging is the only chargers suitable to move around with EV s on long journeys, and only them would I call a destination charger (still just a charger).
c. Almost ALL AC chargers are untethered, it's only the RAPID AC (only seen up to 42kWh AC chargers) that are tethered but what use are they as most cars can only handle 7 kwh AC anyway.
d. All DC public chargers are tethered.
e. In all cases the main battery is always charged by a DC current regardless of what charger you are using.
f. When using a public charger with more than one DC output it is normal that only one of them can be used at any time. For example rock up to a DC charger with a CCS and Cdaeomo (whatever, Leaf input) and a Leaf is plugged in then the CCS can't be used.
g. PHEV can't use DC RAPID chargers, only AC chargers which can be tethered or untethered but remember only 3.6 kwh.

it took me about six months of use before I got the hang of things especially the AC bit, many a time I used a 42kWh AC charger and wondered why it took so long to charge. The DC charging limitation of only one port at a time just pissed me off.

I am probably preaching to the converted but guys/gals new to EV S may find this useful

Frank

 

[hermitdave]

Guys,

You are going to confuse yourself. The term destination charger is nonsense. Just call a charger a charger it does not matter whether you are coming or going it's just a charger. So what point am I trying to make. Chargers are either AC or DC. AC chargers include your granny charger, your Home Charger and the public chargers you find out and about, Tescos , Aldi etc etc and in Most cases max out at 7kwh. AC charger as the name implies used AC which is fed in to your car's on-board charger which converts the AC to DC and directs it to your main battery. Most cars (except the Zoe and some teslas which can utilise 22kWh on AC) can only accept a maximum of 7 kwh (most PHEV only accept 3.6kwh). AC chargers (whether you call them destination chargers or whatever) are mostly untethered and therefore you need to supply your own charging lead, however just to confuse things there are some tethered AC public chargers that run at 22kWh which any car can use but your on board charger determines the charging rate NOT the charger. Now destination charger is the term usually associated with DC RAPID Charger which an EV would use when on a long journey as they can enjoy up to 350kwh (some can be higher) however this is a mute point as most cars can only handle about 50kwh and besides high powered chargers are very rare anyway. Just call chargers chargers , for example if you have no access to a home charger and use a RAPID Charger say 50 yds from your house it's just a charger,

Some points to note:-

a. AC charging is only good for top ups.
b. DC charging is the only chargers suitable to move around with EV s on long journeys, and only them would I call a destination charger (still just a charger).
c. Almost ALL AC chargers are untethered, it's only the RAPID AC (only seen up to 42kWh AC chargers) that are tethered but what use are they as most cars can only handle 7 kwh AC anyway.
d. All DC public chargers are tethered.
e. In all cases the main battery is always charged by a DC current regardless of what charger you are using.
f. When using a public charger with more than one DC output it is normal that only one of them can be used at any time. For example rock up to a DC charger with a CCS and Cdaeomo (whatever, Leaf input) and a Leaf is plugged in then the CCS can't be used.
g. PHEV can't use DC RAPID chargers, only AC chargers which can be tethered or untethered but remember only 3.6 kwh.

it took me about six months of use before I got the hang of things especially the AC bit, many a time I used a 42kWh AC charger and wondered why it took so long to charge. The DC charging limitation of only one port at a time just pissed me off.

I am probably preaching to the converted but guys/gals new to EV S may find this useful

Frank

Rapid chargers often especially the old ones feature 43kW AC charging with type 2 cable for supporting Zoe which can take 43kW AC.

These are often misused by Phev drivers who can’t be bothered carrying a type 2 cable or are ignorant about it.

let’s call it Rapid and non Rapid shall we??

 

[Rob Healy]

The first thing I did when I bought my car was buy a type 2 to type 2 cable for use in the public chargers. I didn't realise that the car only charged at 3.6kw so was erroneously trying 22kw and the 43kw points - but now know the difference, so am grateful to the forum for pointing me in the right direction!

 

[hermitdave]

The first thing I did when I bought my car was buy a type 2 to type 2 cable for use in the public chargers. I didn't realise that the car only charged at 3.6kw so was erroneously trying 22kw and the 43kw points - but now know the difference, so am grateful to the forum for pointing me in the right direction!

I don’t plan to publicly charge the HS. its use is around town (charged at home) and long distance (on petrol) when I can’t be bothered with charging.
For most intermediate usage we use Leaf that’s rapid charged.

 

[Deleted member 3150]

HS Phev only charging at 3.5kw/h is very frustrating as it doubles the recharge time. So the HS takes 3 hours to fully charge to only supply 32 miles of EV travel. I’ve worked out on my tariff it cost me £2.20 for 32 miles, that’s equivalent to diesel car doing 73 miles per gallon!
Compare that to ZS EV which did 84 miles per gallon equivalent. So HS bigger car lugging around the petrol engine i guess shows it’s not going to save the planet. However I’m liking it a lot and anyone looking for a company car with decent BIK and great price point, with equivalent economy to the BMW X1 phev £8k less- please take note.

 

[sky0000547]

HS Phev only charging at 3.5kw/h is very frustrating as it doubles the recharge time. So the HS takes 3 hours to fully charge to only supply 32 miles of EV travel. I’ve worked out on my tariff it cost me £2.20 for 32 miles, that’s equivalent to diesel car doing 73 miles per gallon!

It takes 4hrs to charge from 0% and it charges approx 13kWh or 8 miles/hr. if you are on the cheaper tariff like Octopus Go then it costs approx 65p to fully charge the HS or a tad over 2p/mile in full EV.

 

[Deleted member 3150]

I have a Jacuzzi hot tub so don't benefit from cheap overnight tariffs as all day intermittent charging occurs.

Im paying
Electricity Unit rate19.656p per kWh
Standing charge 25.1496p per day

 

[Deleted member 3150]

Just seen a mistake on where it states 7kw

MG HS Plug-in Hybrid

The MG HS Plug-in Hybrid SUV is not only good for the environment, but boasts a sleek and modern design that offers a smooth and comfortable ride.

mg.co.uk

	Excite	Exclusive
Acceleration (0—60 mph)	6.9 seconds	6.9 seconds
Max Speed	118 mph	118 mph
Engine Type	1.5T-GDI Plug-in Hybrid	1.5T-GDI Plug-in Hybrid
Aspiration	Turbocharged	Turbocharged
Battery Capacity (kWh)	16.6	16.6
Maximum Power PS (kW)	258 (190)	258 (190)
Maximum Torque lb ft (Nm)	273 (370)	273 (370)
WLTP Combined MPG (litres/100km)	155.8 (1.8)	155.8 (1.8)
CO2 Combined (g/km)	43	43
Estimated 7kW Charge Time (full charge) / hours	3 hours	3 hours
Driving Range EV Only: WLTP Combined Cycle (miles)	32	32
Driving Range EV Only: City (miles)	43	43

 

[hermitdave]

HS Phev only charging at 3.5kw/h is very frustrating as it doubles the recharge time. So the HS takes 3 hours to fully charge to only supply 32 miles of EV travel. I’ve worked out on my tariff it cost me £2.20 for 32 miles, that’s equivalent to diesel car doing 73 miles per gallon!
Compare that to ZS EV which did 84 miles per gallon equivalent. So HS bigger car lugging around the petrol engine i guess shows it’s not going to save the planet. However I’m liking it a lot and anyone looking for a company car with decent BIK and great price point, with equivalent economy to the BMW X1 phev £8k less- please take note.

you do need EV specific tariffs. As I mentioned most of my usage is local so there are no carbon emissions. On long distance it dead done at par with other petrol cars.

we charge Leaf overnight alongside HS and at 5.5p for 5 hours it’s not too bad

 

[sky0000547]

Im paying
Electricity Unit rate19.656p per kWh
Standing charge 25.1496p per day

That is actually quite expensive both unit rate and standing charge if you are not taking any advantage of cheaper rates. I was on this prior to going Octopus. Try Uswitch.

 

[Deleted member 3150]

Thanks for advice what is day time rate when you have a low night time rate

 

[hermitdave]

Thanks for advice what is day time rate when you have a low night time rate

I’m currently at 14.2p / kWh

 

[sky0000547]

Thanks for advice what is day time rate when you have a low night time rate

My Octopus Go is 15.18p/kWh standard and of course 5p/kWh for 4 hrs per night. Standing charge is 25p/day. Even this is cheaper than your current tariff. You must be paying an arm and a leg at your rates with the hot tub.