Preheating the MG ZS EV

[Kithmo]

Anti mist.. dont talk to me. I have applied two different brands of anti mist, the latest was rainx and neither stop the mist. They didnt even reduce it

They don't make it like they used to. In the 70s I bought a small 150ml bottle (like a brown medicine bottle) of anti-mist from one of the local motor factors (can't recall the brand), which you applied sparingly with a small cotton cloth then buffed off. It worked perfectly, not like these sticky sprays they sell now.

 

[MEH]

Yes they were better then, however getting it to mist up again when I had my girlfriend in the car was a problem and needed a hell of a lot of cleaning beforehand

 

[Kithmo]

Yes they were better then, however getting it to mist up again when I had my girlfriend in the car was a problem and needed a hell of a lot of cleaning beforehand

The footprints on the windscreen always took some explaining.

 

[AussiePete]

I had an Audi Etron and it had a built in timer which allowed the heater to come on at predetermined times (ie 7.30 in the morning just before my normal leaving time for work). Only worked when the car was plugged in and on charge.

I don’t think it would be too difficult to get this programmed into the MG ZS EV. Is there a way we can lobby for this function as it really is an amazing feature on those cold winter mornings.

 

[Jake]

I had an Audi Etron and it had a built in timer which allowed the heater to come on at predetermined times (ie 7.30 in the morning just before my normal leaving time for work). Only worked when the car was plugged in and on charge.

I don’t think it would be too difficult to get this programmed into the MG ZS EV. Is there a way we can lobby for this function as it really is an amazing feature on those cold winter mornings.

Yes the BMW i3 has similar feature. Key in the time you want to start your journey. Leave it plugged in and the pre-conditioning starts 15 mins before departure time, car is toasty warm and fully charged. Superb on a frosty morning at 5.00am with completely clear windows and comfortable temperature. Maybe MG will include this feature in a future release?

 

[Kithmo]

But is the 12v charging system, as the HV is charging with the car switched off, enough to support the draw of the heater ?

 

[AussiePete]

But is the 12v charging system, as the HV is charging with the car switched off, enough to support the draw of the heater ?

Worked fine on the Audi

 

[Dave H]

If pre-heating is really important to you, you could always try this:-
Assuming car is on drive so can be plugged in!
Run an extension lead from house/garage into car footwell where the door will shut over the cable without trapping it to much.
Plug the extension lead into a Wi-fi smart plug.
Plug a small ceramic (or equivalent) heater into the extension lead and position where you want it in your car
Use your smartphone to either set up your start/end schedule through the wi-fi smart plug, or simply use your phone to switch on remotely when you want it.
Just remember to unplug this as well as your car before you drive off!!
Your car battery/range will be unaffected.

I cannot say I have done this myself as I think it warms up quick enough for me, so not bothered. I do however do this in my van which sits for long periods, and instead of a heater is a trickle charger for the battery and a dehumidifier for the cabin, and this works very well, so the theory is the same.
You're welcome!

 

[Jake]

But is the 12v charging system, as the HV is charging with the car switched off, enough to support the draw of the heater ?

On the BMW the pre-conditioning was set at maximum 15 mins which is well within the capacity of the 12v system. If you didn't depart until later the car would go cold again. If you missed 2 consecutive departure times the settings would be cancelled. Each day could be programmed with 3 different times i.e. for weekdays/work days/weekends etc. I guess if the 12v system wasn't sufficiently charged then the settings would be cancelled. I never had a problem with low 12v system in almost 4 years.

 

[Kithmo]

But is it sufficient on the MG ?
Could this be one of the reasons it's not included ?

 

[Jake]

Not sure how big the 12v battery was on the i3 as everything was concealed apart from access to the washer bottle spout. The MG battery must surely be sufficient? Haven't noticed what the Ah rating is but will look next time the bonnet is raised.

 

[ClawzSkunk]

Just as an idea, an old car that I had, had a function where if I long held the unlock button for a period of time it would kick in the heater without unlocking the car and the lights would flash.. Maybe this is an option for MG Later?

I know the idea of an app is not likely with the non-inclusion of a sim card in the card, but I can keep my hopes up that they will be able to retrofit this later

 

[mj224]

I've always found a kettle full of nearly boiling water does the job fine. ( and I've never clacked a window in 50 years)

I use warm water from the tap rather than very hot water. Only limitation, is that it refreezes again if very cold, so needs a couple of applications. Prefer this method to de-icer spray...

 

[mj224]

Anti mist.. dont talk to me. I have applied two different brands of anti mist, the latest was rainx and neither stop the mist. They didnt even reduce it

I deal with internal misting with a Dyson squeegee. It totally wipes the internal screen and with luck sucks up the resulting water. Sometimes has to be done twice....An ordinary squeegee would work, but the resulting water then falls into the car..

 

[Kithmo]

Not sure how big the 12v battery was on the i3 as everything was concealed apart from access to the washer bottle spout. The MG battery must surely be sufficient? Haven't noticed what the Ah rating is but will look next time the bonnet is raised.

Not so much the battery, The MG has quite a large capacity one for the little work it does, but would the 12v charging system (on board or through HV charging) be able to catch up/keep up with pre-heating every day ?
Here's how the Toyota Prius 12v charging system works, charging from the HV battery via the DC to DC converter. I suspect many EVs will be similar.
12v charging via DC to DC converter

 

[kiltox]

Preconditioning uses the HV battery to power the 12V circuit just like it does when the car is turned on.

 

[Gomev]

I use warm water from the tap rather than very hot water. Only limitation, is that it refreezes again if very cold, so needs a couple of applications. Prefer this method to de-icer spray...

Warm water freezes quicker than cold. Just use cold tap water, it works just as well.

 

[Tango130]

Warm water freezes quicker than cold. Just use cold tap water, it works just as well.

Well that's got me reading up about the Mpemba effect!

 

[Jeps]

The App to preheat or cool would have been really handy. But on our previous electric car I got used to go out in the driveway and just turn it on to defrost. I do the same with the MG. If we just could turn the lightning totally off, then I had no problem at all with this method, but not all live in an area where they just could leave the car on and heat
Even better it would be if we could lock the car while on.

 

[Chrispydoc]

Myth busters did a scientific test......Hot water takes longer to freeze, than cold ....as you would expect!