Returned to the dark side

[Peter Cresswell]

It is with regret that I have returned to the dark side and traded my MGZSev for a ice car. We brought it new in December, and I know you’re all going to say that I’ve had through the coldest months, but the range anxiety has got the better of us. I portion blame for buying it between myself for not doing enough research and the main dealer for not being honest with me about how far we can drive after charging. It also didn’t help the fact that the car was given the bad update, and it was only because of this forum that I found out about it, again the dealer let me down. My advice to anyone thinking of buying an electric car is do your research and ask people on forums like this. Hopefully in a couple of years the batteries will improve and the charging infrastructure will improve.

 

[Dr Dave]

I agree, while I have found my MG ZS EV has a lot going for it, good for environment, price, being an SUV etc. It has had its problems and limitations.

Range anxiety particularly in winter, it really needs a better battery capacity.

MG being unable to get their act together on software for example the comfort 2 saga where they had the cheek to tell the dealerships to charge customers for the update.

The BMS fiasco, installing faulty software onto over 200 vehicles and then failing to contact all customers who's cars had been infected with the bad code. With customers being expected to sort the battery imbalance out themselves. (I demanded my dealer sort out my low voltage, 439 volts, and battery imbalance).

To date there have been six BMS versions; 1125600R15, 016600R17, 0603610R28, 1016620R40 (the bad BMS), 1230621A01 and finally (for now) 0210622EU1. Just what are MG playing at?

Steering wheels which click, dealer's don't seem to know how to fix this, mine still clicks despite the dealer 'fixing it'.

There is also a fixation surrounding battery balancing, as evidenced in the forums (so you not only have to charge an electric car but also go through a process to balance the battery). Some owners don't seem to want to charge to 100% in case they might prematurely degrade the battery, giving even less range for a journey.

Most people want to put fuel/energy in a car and drive, no worries about range, software updates, flaffing about checking the maximum charge voltage and balancing batteries.

So if you are thinking of going electric make sure you really do your research in relation to the range you require, home charging facilities, timed charging, dealer support and it would be advisable once purchased to acquire some technical knowledge about the vehicle.

 

[macd2401]

Sadly, it's a true statement that EVs don't suit everyone. Hopefully you'll be back in one in the not too distant future.

Some dealers definitely haven't covered themselves in glory over the last wee while, and MG themselves have dropped the ball a few times too. I'd certainly expect them to be learning from their mistakes...the days of MG owners being happy to get under the bonnet every weekend to keep them running is mostly reserved to the good old days.

 

[Mgkev]

I love the car and bought it for local journeys, dump and supermarket runs etc. However, having the car for some time we would really like to use it for our longer jaunts. Unfortunately the cold gateing and realistic charging speeds we’ve experienced has ruled it out for this work. Plus the lack of chargers along the longer journeys we would like to use the car doesn’t help.
The German made model Y available later this year does look very tempting if I can get over the interior layout.

 

[Peter Cresswell]

Sadly, it's a true statement that EVs don't suit everyone. Hopefully you'll be back in one in the not too distant future.

Some dealers definitely haven't covered themselves in glory over the last wee while, and MG themselves have dropped the ball a few times too. I'd certainly expect them to be learning from their mistakes...the days of MG owners being happy to get under the bonnet every weekend to keep them running is mostly reserved to the good old days.

Couldn’t agree with you mor, this is my other MG

 

[Amun]

It is with regret that I have returned to the dark side and traded my MGZSev for a ice car.

I can understand that - I recently decided against an EV for the time being, and still miss the idea of going electric. I don't feel guilty, though, as everyone has to make their own decision as to what works best for them at any particular point in time.

My advice to anyone thinking of buying an electric car is do your research and ask people on forums like this.

Absolutely... Reading what the good people on these forums had to say went some way to firming up my decision to stick with an ICE. I appreciate the sacrifices that early adopters are making, but don't want to be one.

Hopefully in a couple of years the batteries will improve and the charging infrastructure will improve.

Better cars, better batteries, better charging rates, better public charging... It's all on the way

 

[Yu1234]

It is with regret that I have returned to the dark side and traded my MGZSev for a ice car. We brought it new in December, and I know you’re all going to say that I’ve had through the coldest months, but the range anxiety has got the better of us. I portion blame for buying it between myself for not doing enough research and the main dealer for not being honest with me about how far we can drive after charging. It also didn’t help the fact that the car was given the bad update, and it was only because of this forum that I found out about it, again the dealer let me down. My advice to anyone thinking of buying an electric car is do your research and ask people on forums like this. Hopefully in a couple of years the batteries will improve and the charging infrastructure will improve.

Totally agree with you, that's why the 2nd car is ICE, for journeys of more than 100 miles, range anxiety gets me too...

 

[Harlimb]

I for one applaud you for abandoning the world of EV ownership, purely selfish of course on my behalf as I think we all know that when the tipping point has been reached for EV sales, I'm afraid we will lose all of the financial benefits we currently enjoy, after all the government will need to recoup the loss of funds due to incentives they have offered to get drivers into EV ownership, I know that it's on the cards but the later the better.....

 

[John Rothery NZ]

We are very much in the early days of electric cars.

But things are changing rapidly.

From watching the podcasts and reading these messages it is clear that many of the early adopters don't just drive their cars, but their car is also their hobby.

I don't fall into that category. I love my car, but the air conditioning is on when I want it and I don't try and eke out every extra kilometre. Life is too short.

When you are ready you will come back.

I hear that MG India may have a 500km ZS later in the year. But even if that becomes available to you perhaps wait until all the bugs have been ironed out.

As for believing what the car salesman said..... Really?

 

[JodyS21]

It is with regret that I have returned to the dark side and traded my MGZSev for a ice car. We brought it new in December, and I know you’re all going to say that I’ve had through the coldest months, but the range anxiety has got the better of us. I portion blame for buying it between myself for not doing enough research and the main dealer for not being honest with me about how far we can drive after charging. It also didn’t help the fact that the car was given the bad update, and it was only because of this forum that I found out about it, again the dealer let me down. My advice to anyone thinking of buying an electric car is do your research and ask people on forums like this. Hopefully in a couple of years the batteries will improve and the charging infrastructure will improve.

I fully understand your reasons, it is such a shame, but I don't blame you at all.

I did so much reading beforehand, mainly I guess on EVs in general rather than the ZS specifically, yet I totally underestimated the real world range vs the WLTP quoted figure (especially in super cold conditions). I love the car and will just about be able to work around the range limit, but to be honest I don't think we'd have bought it if I'd have known the truth in real world.
I also mistakenly thought that it was valid to compare the battery capacity between cars from a range perspective, whereas in the real world the range can compare a fair bit between cars with similar sized advertised battery capacity.

 

[rjb70stoke]

That's a real shame, I hope I'm not feeling the same in 6 months.

I can honestly say I researched my choice more than anything I have ever purchased before. I knew only too well from lurking on here and reading/watching more videos than I care to remember that my realistic range was going to be approx 140 less with aircon.

I always look on every purchase for the compromises, if I buy a camera, I know that if I pay less, then build quality, image quality etc will be the compromise, conversely the top of the range Pro camera will be better in all those aspects, but the compromise for me will be the purchase price. I applied the same rules to getting an ev.

My first choice was the Ioniq, range was enough for us, it had all the toys, and when I started researching it was a lease bargain. However, the looks were iffy, the visibility was really poor and luggage/cabin space was at a premium. Second choice was the Kia Soul EV which again was a lease bargain at the time in March, however once the March offer was over its price point was the compromise I couldnt justify. All along, the ZS kept popping up in reviews, yes there are compromises, no app, big for my as I'm a gadget freak, real world range among others. However, the price and the promise of cheap running costs, evened out the compromises. I've now done over 300 miles and so far I've charged it twice for the princely sum of £2.50, because I haven't got a home charger (yet), those same 300 miles in my old Ice car based on my research time would cost me approx £50. (Loads of very short journeys) so far my research is proving right, charge for free at Tesco and top up elsewhere if needed. I'm still getting used to the cars idiosyncrasies and it's too early to say about issues, but so far I'm happy with my independently researched decision

 

[bloggsy]

I agree with everyone else - it's a shame you're having to revert back to an ICE car but EV's are not for everyone and it is only this year that I've felt 'able' to get this as the wife's car as she does local journeys (around 20-25 miles) most of the time and we use my Outlander PHEV for any long journeys but there are a few BEV's in the pipeline that should be coming through in 2022-2023 that look very tempting!

In particular, there's a 'baby' Tesla with a likely range of 160-180 miles but given the amount of Tesla charging stations, that should alleviate any range anxiety!

Anyway, the best of luck Peter Cresswell - maybe we'll see you in the future when you see the light again and return to electric?!

Cheers

Bloggsy

 

[Sue H]

I bought my MG EV ZS in December 2019 and I too tend to suffer with range anxiety, but I am trying to stick with it for all our benefit.

While I was walking through Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter yesterday it made me realise that I really am doing the right thing. We all get accustomed to outside influences as part of life but I suddenly noticed the fumes being emitted from the petrol and diesel vehicles as I was walking along the pavement. Not only are we helping the environment but also our own health.

I'm sticking with it.

 

[Electrifried]

It is with regret that I have returned to the dark side and traded my MGZSev for a ice car. We brought it new in December, and I know you’re all going to say that I’ve had through the coldest months, but the range anxiety has got the better of us. I portion blame for buying it between myself for not doing enough research and the main dealer for not being honest with me about how far we can drive after charging. It also didn’t help the fact that the car was given the bad update, and it was only because of this forum that I found out about it, again the dealer let me down. My advice to anyone thinking of buying an electric car is do your research and ask people on forums like this. Hopefully in a couple of years the batteries will improve and the charging infrastructure will improve.

I believe I made the correct decision to go EV, I will not return to Ice vehicles but I am considering putting my name down on a KIA EV6 GT line for October to replace the MG ZS, it is fine and does what we need range wise, just. But now retiring and looking to do longer distances on trips and would prefer a longer range.

 

[Jaygee]

EVs at present are not for everyone but think about how far they have come compared to just a few years ago. They only make sense if you are using them for journeys well within the battery range with longer journeys relegated to an ice car. Doing research is important. All manufacturers to overstate the range of the car. Be it ev or ice. One thing that I have noticed though is that it is easier to attain the full stated range in an EV than it is for an ice car. When I picked my zs ev up from Burnley I managed 168 miles on the full charge. I haven’t managed that since but it was possible. I get nowhere near the mpg my ice car promises.
Research is vital. Don’t take someone else’s word for it.

 

[Stuart Wright]

My advice to anyone thinking of buying an electric car anything non-trivial is do your research and ask people on forums like this.

 

[TassiedEVil]

20 percent of EV buyers switch back to a petrol vehicle - EV Central

Nearly 20 percent of EV buyers switch back to a petrol vehicle, according to a new US study, which blamed a lack of charging infrastructure.

evcentral.com.au

 

[camith1701]

I understand this decision, especially if the MG ZS EV is your only car. I purchased our MG as a second car, replacing my old ICE vehicle. My wife has a Mazda CX-5. However, it took a lot of thought and an honest analysis of my real-world driving before I committed. I only drive locally, so the 250-270 km range I get out of the MG is perfect for my needs. I only charge once a week. Our weather is never very cold. In fact, for me, the battery cooling system was a selling point, because it gets really hot here.

My wife has started using the EV for local driving instead of her ICE, which only really gets used now when we are out separately at the same time, such as going to work.

But - and this is a big one - our ICE vehicle is available for our rare long trips away. The charging network in Australia isn't good enough to support certain long journeys. Up and down the coast isn't too bad, but inland is abysmal. For example, our annual trip from Newcastle to Cowra, which is about 475kms each way, would be possible with an EV but terrifying. Nowhere near enough charging stations for my liking. But a trip to Sydney and back is fine with a single charge in the city.

But, as I said, 99% of our driving is within 30 km of our home, so the MG EV is great for us. I regularly drive from the Hunter to the Central Coast regions in NSW (about 105 km round trip), which the MG handles without issue on a single charge and without range anxiety.

Many of our acquaintances, and even a few friends, are skeptical of (and occasionally hostile to) our EV ownership. The skeptical ones ask whether I'd recommend an EV, and my answer is "No". Because I don't know their specific circumstances, any more than I know whether a specific ICE vehicle suits them. The Suzuki Swift is a great little car, for example, but wouldn't suit a family of five. The MG ZS EV fits our situation perfectly because I know our situation perfectly.

If we had one car, we would have needed an EV with 100km more range, a cost that I couldn't justify. If the ZS EV hadn't been released in Australia, we would have bought another ICE vehicle.

However, with ranges increasing and EVs getting cheaper, I imagine in the next 5 years we'll replace my wife's Mazda with a higher range EV. It's inevitable. I've been keeping an eye on future planned releases of BYD EVs in Australia, for example. Or maybe the MG Marvel R, if it comes here.

EVs will catch up with your needs at some point, Peter, and you'll get back in.

 

[Stuart Wright]

In support of EV ownership generally, I got my Ioniq in 2017 and I've never regretted it.
I did, however, do lots of research, so I knew what I was buying.
Since range is the issue here, mine is about 120-140 miles depending on the temperature and over 3.5 years later, now my cuircumstances have changed, I would like a car that can go further because I'd rather not have to charge so often.
I've set 250+ miles real word range as the requirement and I'll bide my time to make my decision when to change.
I test drove a Tesla M3 long range in March and decided not to get it. Yes it would do the range and with access to the supercharger network, all charging hassle finding working CCS chargers would be out of the window. But the experience inside didn't justify the expense.

I haven't changed my opinion that the MG ZS EV is a fantastic proposition given the features, quality and price. Good EVs need to be cheap enough that most new car buyers can afford them and the ZS EV and MG5 are an important step in the right direction.

Buying an EV is not like buying an ICE vehicle. People buy an ICE car without thinking about range, of course.
You can't do that with EVs.

 

[Kithmo]

I can't wait for the 73kWh ZS that comes out next year, based on the current range of 120-160 miles with the 43kWh we should get 205-270 miles range with the new one.