Real World Range of MG ZS EV

[Henrystclair]

Well. I bit the bullet. I sold my lovely ZS today for £24.5k. It is only 8 weeks old and I loved it but I have to be realistic and for the moment it is not practical. I've actually not gone for the Kona (I listened to you @Kithmo ) and we are going for a hybrid - probably an Outlander. Just for a few years until the infrastructure is improved and the range gets better. Who knows, I'll probably find myself in an MG ZS in years to come with a huge range and a fast charger on every corner!

 

[Kithmo]

Well. I bit the bullet. I sold my lovely ZS today for £24.5k. It is only 8 weeks old and I loved it but I have to be realistic and for the moment it is not practical. I've actually not gone for the Kona (I listened to you @Kithmo ) and we are going for a hybrid - probably an Outlander. Just for a few years until the infrastructure is improved and the range gets better. Who knows, I'll probably find myself in an MG ZS in years to come with a huge range and a fast charger on every corner!

The main thing that has me firmly planted in the full EV mode rather than Hybrid (I had a Prius before the ZS) is the rate the price of petrol is rising and I can only see it going up and up, as less petrol cars are on the road, supply and demand etc.

 

[Exdro]

I think you're right, I do fluctuate my speed quite a lot and when you settle at around 65-68 on cruise control for an hour it is a marked difference...

If you are using cruise control on the EV you are not getting any KERS which may account for your low mileage.

 

[uhhu]

This wasn't a troll post. It was a genuine question based on the information on the internet page I cited in the opening post.
The first reply was that my research was accurate and in line with experience. The next reply was not to get the ZS if I need to go further than 95miles without charge.

It makes no sense to me to leave my home and stop within 30mins to charge. For anyone with a baby/small child will know that once you get going, you don't stop and risk waking a sleeping baby.
In regards to detouring - I don't wish to do it. Why should I, if I can have the convenience of not doing that?

I opted for the Skoda Enyaq as it'll do what I need, and it's available (brand new) this year which is the biggest pro for me. There are some other differences, and so I get more than just the extra mileage for the est. extra £20k quoted by one poster.

The majority of the posts are now saying I would be fine for my trip - but given the availability of cars at this time of year, I had to make a decision that week, and I didn't have the luxury of waiting for all the replies that then came through - unfortunately. I liked the MG ZS. It's not the best car in world, but it would do the job, its smart looking, and is relatively cheap. Alas, it wasn't to be.

Again, thanks for all the helpful replies.

 

[Hobbyist]

I opted for the Skoda Enyaq as it'll do what I need, and it's available (brand new) this year which is the biggest pro for me. There are some other differences, and so I get more than just the extra mileage for the est. extra £20k quoted by one poster.

Which version of the Enyaq did you get and how much did it did back? Was seriously considering it but I found it a bit too big (even bigger than an ID 4).

 

[Lovemyev]

This wasn't a troll post. It was a genuine question based on the information on the internet page I cited in the opening post.
The first reply was that my research was accurate and in line with experience. The next reply was not to get the ZS if I need to go further than 95miles without charge.

It makes no sense to me to leave my home and stop within 30mins to charge. For anyone with a baby/small child will know that once you get going, you don't stop and risk waking a sleeping baby.
In regards to detouring - I don't wish to do it. Why should I, if I can have the convenience of not doing that?

I opted for the Skoda Enyaq as it'll do what I need, and it's available (brand new) this year which is the biggest pro for me. There are some other differences, and so I get more than just the extra mileage for the est. extra £20k quoted by one poster.

The majority of the posts are now saying I would be fine for my trip - but given the availability of cars at this time of year, I had to make a decision that week, and I didn't have the luxury of waiting for all the replies that then came through - unfortunately. I liked the MG ZS. It's not the best car in world, but it would do the job, its smart looking, and is relatively cheap. Alas, it wasn't to be.

Again, thanks for all the helpful replies.

Nothing wrong with the Enyaq or your decision to get one !.
Everybody’s usage case and requirements are totally individual to themselves.
You don’t need to justify your decision to go for the Enyaq I think it’s a great choice myself.
Each to their own as they say !.
Much bigger than the ZSEV that’s for sure.
ID4 - Enyaq ??? - Same same really.
Enjoy !.

 

[LeoRBK]

Hi,

I have searched the forum before posting but cannot see anything in the first few pages - so apologies if this has been covered.

I am currently looking for a new EV for my wife. I wanted to know what peoples experiences are of the MG ZS range in cold weather? The MG ZS EV website reports Highway - Cold Weather as 95 miles. Is this accurate?

I do a 130 mile trip twice a year. The closest rapid charger is 96 miles away. If the reported 95 miles is accurate, then the car is not feasible (which would be a real shame) in the winter months, especially so, if I put a roof rack on.
Can anyone confirm what range they were getting last winter?

I've also looked at the MG5, but the boot space looks prohibitive for my needs - it's reported as: width 104cm depth 90cm which is too small.

Thanks in advance,

This is my first winter with MG ZS EV (gen1). So over the last two days, I performed a range check on my commute.

Here is the result.

Accumulated total from the trip computer,
Total distance covered: 98.6 miles
Avg kWh: 3.7
Avg miles/kWh: 24

from the home charger,
Energy used: 30.8 kWh

Actual average miles/kWh = 98.6 / 30.8 = 3.2

Using 3.7miles/kWh as the input to GoM,
GoM predicted range = 42.5 * 3.7 = 157.25miles ( 42.4 kWh being usable battery capacity)

Using 3.2miles/kWh,
Real-world range = 42.5 * 3.2 = 136miles

I attribute the drop (reported average kWh versus observed average kWh) to be the loss of energy for battery heating during overnight charging at home since this figure is not recorded by the trip computer when the vehicle is on standby.

On a long trip, I assume the range to be 60-70% of the real-world range. Charging performance on the rapid charger is best when charging from 20-80% of battery capacity. While you may start from home with 100%, you will most probably top-up to 80%( in some cases 90%) for subsequent charging sessions.

In the above example, I will assume a distance of 81.6 - 95.2 miles between charging sessions on a trip based on a real-world miles/kWh of 3.2. For clarity, my commute is on an A road, single carriageway, 23 miles, which takes me between 40-60 minutes on most days.


I should point out that the real-world miles/kWh will only drop significantly on highway runs especially in winter. I will risk a guess of 2.7 on a dry day.
Real-world range = 42.5 * 2.7 = 114.75
Assuming every charging session at 20%,
London-->Edinburgh journey will have for example at least 6 charging sessions, 91.8-----68.85-----68.85-----68.85------68.85-----68.85-----68.85
For this journey, I will advise you to take the train instead.

EV database predicts the worst-case highway range of 95 miles in winters. It works out to average miles/kWh = 2.23. I am sure that a day with wet roads, a lot of headwinds and near-freezing temperatures will return the suggested efficiency figure.
This will mean our London-->Edinburgh journey will have at least 7 charging sessions,
76----60----60-----60-----60-----60-----60

With practice and experience, you will in time be able to drive more efficiently and could expect to plan the trips much better. You will also be able to intuitively figure out if a trip will need you to stop for a charge without working it out on paper or using an app like zap map.

 

[JodyS21]

This is my first winter with MG ZS EV (gen1). So over the last two days, I performed a range check on my commute.

Here is the result.

Accumulated total from the trip computer,
Total distance covered: 98.6 miles
Avg kWh: 3.7
Avg miles/kWh: 24

from the home charger,
Energy used: 30.8 kWh

Actual average miles/kWh = 98.6 / 30.8 = 3.2

Using 3.7miles/kWh as the input to GoM,
GoM predicted range = 42.5 * 3.7 = 157.25miles ( 42.4 kWh being usable battery capacity)

Using 3.2miles/kWh,
Real-world range = 42.5 * 3.2 = 136miles

I attribute the drop (reported average kWh versus observed average kWh) to be the loss of energy for battery heating during overnight charging at home since this figure is not recorded by the trip computer when the vehicle is on standby.

On a long trip, I assume the range to be 60-70% of the real-world range. Charging performance on the rapid charger is best when charging from 20-80% of battery capacity. While you may start from home with 100%, you will most probably top-up to 80%( in some cases 90%) for subsequent charging sessions.

In the above example, I will assume a distance of 81.6 - 95.2 miles between charging sessions on a trip based on a real-world miles/kWh of 3.2. For clarity, my commute is on an A road, single carriageway, 23 miles, which takes me between 40-60 minutes on most days.


I should point out that the real-world miles/kWh will only drop significantly on highway runs especially in winter. I will risk a guess of 2.7 on a dry day.
Real-world range = 42.5 * 2.7 = 114.75
Assuming every charging session at 20%,
London-->Edinburgh journey will have for example at least 6 charging sessions, 91.8-----68.85-----68.85-----68.85------68.85-----68.85-----68.85
For this journey, I will advise you to take the train instead.

EV database predicts the worst-case highway range of 95 miles in winters. It works out to average miles/kWh = 2.23. I am sure that a day with wet roads, a lot of headwinds and near-freezing temperatures will return the suggested efficiency figure.
This will mean our London-->Edinburgh journey will have at least 7 charging sessions,
76----60----60-----60-----60-----60-----60

With practice and experience, you will in time be able to drive more efficiently and could expect to plan the trips much better. You will also be able to intuitively figure out if a trip will need you to stop for a charge without working it out on paper or using an app like zap map.

Be careful using the energy used by your home charger in certain calculations, the onboard AC-DC converter loses something like 10% in conversion.
So you calculation isn't valid: Using 3.2miles/kWh, Real-world range = 42.5 * 3.2 = 136miles.

To further complicate things! Regen is included in the consumption figure reported by the dash, without being able to get regen data (you can via obd2/app) it's hard to manually calculate real world mpkwh figures.

@uhhu please remember to bear in mind when deciding if it will do your required distance, battery degradation over time. Depending how long you plan on keeping the car for etc, you should potentially allow for the battery only holding say 80% of the originally capacity (at 16k miles/10months I'm at around 96% battery SOH)

 

[LeoRBK]

Be careful using the energy used by your home charger in certain calculations, the onboard AC-DC converter loses something like 10% in conversion.
So you calculation isn't valid: Using 3.2miles/kWh, Real-world range = 42.5 * 3.2 = 136miles.

To further complicate things! Regen is included in the consumption figure reported by the dash, without being able to get regen data (you can via obd2/app) it's hard to manually calculate real world mpkwh figures.

@uhhu please remember to bear in mind when deciding if it will do your required distance, battery degradation over time. Depending how long you plan on keeping the car for etc, you should potentially allow for the battery only holding say 80% of the originally capacity (at 16k miles/10months I'm at around 96% battery SOH)

Thanks @JodyS21

You have raised a valid point. The losses during overnight charging will include battery heating and AC DC inverter losses.
Regarding regen, I did not understand why we need regen data to work out power consumption. I understand that trip computer reports net power and not the power drawn from the battery but I have no way to verify this.

 

[JodyS21]

Thanks @JodyS21

You have raised a valid point. The losses during overnight charging will include battery heating and AC DC inverter losses.
Regarding regen, I did not understand why we need regen data to work out power consumption. I understand that trip computer reports net power and not the power drawn from the battery but I have no way to verify this.

If you have an obd2 dongle and an app that records it such as ev watchdog, you can see how much energy has been regenerated and how much has been used from the battery.
It found it very surprising how much energy was gained from regen in normal everyday driving, I thought it’d be a tiny amount but it isn’t.
Anywho, if you just go by the figures mpkWh figures from the dash it includes regen.
BTW My figures from various trips recorded using obd2 app vs the dash never quite tally, but they are close enough to know that the dash must be including regen in its calculation otherwise they’d be quite a way off. I presume it’s because obd2 apps etc are only as good as how often they poll for data, whereas the onboard computer should know precisely how much is used etc.

 

[Lovemyev]

please remember to bear in mind when deciding if it will do your required distance, battery degradation over time. Depending how long you plan on keeping the car for etc, you should potentially allow for the battery only holding say 80% of the originally capacity (at 16k miles/10months I'm at around 96% battery SOH)

This is brilliant advice !.
If you intend to purchase any EV that has a range when new, that is just about "doable" for your usage case, when you first get the car.
Then you are going to struggle to obtain your range goals in only a few years time.
You either need to expect to carry out charging on route in the future, or as @JodyS21 suggests, build some redundancy into your battery size / range requirements when choosing your EV.
Remember, what you can achieve in range in the summer, will NOT be possible in the winter, unless you have factored in some extra range in choosing your pack size.
If we compare the new ZS EV face lift models as example.
The standard range model ( WLTP ) is reported as offering just short of 200 miles of range ( But we will see ).
Longer range mode ( WLTP ) is reported at around 275 miles ( ish ).
Of course, real world figures will say something different as we all know.
The original ZS EV had a reported ( WLTP ) figure ( with new BMS ) of 163 miles.
Upgrading from the original model, up to the face lift standard range model, SHOULD provide you with a bit more redundancy in the future, IF you where regularly stretching the range / battery on the original ZS EV model.
In theory, you have about 30+ miles of range in reserve / redundancy over the previous model ( on paper ).
Only speaking for myself here, but that would not be enough to make me want to upgrade.
The longer range version however would offer me all the future proofing I would need.
Even after a lot of miles and the possibility of high percentage of degradation, I personally think it would beat the original ZS EV for range hands down.