SE SR charging rate

[fshuk1]

This is for SR LFP cars only.

I was wondering is SR owners can share their charging speed here in one forum for us to get a feel for what we can expect AND the charging curve. This will help us live better with our cars specially if we are on a trip.

Please just put in your experiences.

Just to get things going , I remember the literature use to say 117 KW max.
MG MG4 Electric 51 kWh now has 90KW max (has this changed or am I remembering wrong)

So I am going to assume 90kw is max

After a 120 miles drive with outside temperature below 10C, I recently charged from 20% using a Tesla super charger at around 67kw up to 60% after that it slowed down to eventually being around 37kw approaching 80%.

On the return trip with around 50% charge using an IONITY charger it was charging 44kw.

So, it looks like in cold weather with no pre-heating but with a warm drive we can expect around 70KW from low charge and as it passes 60% the charge slows down to around 35kw.

Now software is also important so I will update this with my software version (battery management version) when I workout where it is.

just an add on MG site says using a 150kw charger 10-80% take 39 mins. If my maths is correct on average it is changing at 54kw which is around what I experienced.

 

[Rolfe]

I think they are quoting 88 Kw max, to be exact. There was a (much) earlier thread on this, and the consensus was that the 117 Kw thing was an aspiration that was never achieved. However the rest of the conclusion was that in any event 117 Kw would only have been reached momentarily. The 88 Kw is maintained quite well, and the overall 10% to 80% charge time is probably little different from what could have been achieved under the original plan.

Here is the only charging curve I have seen, it's the red line.

 

[fshuk1]

So, looking at the curve, my experience and MG site when travelling you should expect 30 mins to take you from 20% to 80%. ( You shouldn't risk below 20% (for contingency) and shouldn't charge above 80% because it is too slow for what you get and you are stopping others from charging. ) And depending on your right foot you should expect to go 100-130 miles with that.

Nice rule of thumb to go by.

 

[Rolfe]

The contingency you want to leave will depend on personal comfort, and the availability of alternative chargers in the area (which is getting better overall by the week as far as I can see). Even 10% will get you at least 15 miles fast driving (in summer) and if you cut your speed you'll easily get 20 miles or more. Tests have shown the car does not suddenly brick itself at 0%/0 miles range.

As you'll get faster charging 10% to 20% than you will 70% to 80% it's worth bearing in mind. Also, if you're not in a hurry and the chargers aren't busy there's no harm leaving the car a bit longer. It's actually an advantage of the SR that you can have a decent break, maybe a quick meal, without having to go out and move the car.

Last couple of times I DC charged I started to get myself moving when I saw 80% on the app - bussed my crockery, stowed my phone, Kindle etc in my bag and went to the loo - and went out to the car. First time it was already at 85% by the time I got there. Second time, when the chargers were right beside the Starbuck's, it was at 83%. I once sat in the car listening to something on the radio I particularly wanted to hear and watched the % click up to about 93% - I didn't want to move and I could see there were still two vacant chargers.

 

[fnegroni]

The charge curve above matches my expectations, even in freezing weather, by simply pre-heating the battery at least an hour before setting off and keeping intelligent battery heating enabled on long trips no matter what the outside temperature is.
I got into the habit of planning my routes by simply going into the Electroverse app, refining my list of favourite chargers based on location charging speed and price per kwh
Then whenever I take a break, I charge for however long I am stopping for.
On long trips, this normally happens around the 40% mark, and the speed of charge is sufficient to take me to my next destination within the time I have stopped for food/loo/rest.
If I am in a rush, however, I will try and charge when I am around the 20% mark, so that I can add more miles in the same amount of time.
Rule of thumb for me these days, after a few bad experiences, is that if I stop at between 40 and 50% charge and the charger doesn't work first try, I don't even bother to unplug it, and instead just lock the car and walk away:
While having a rest I can always, in the background, try and charge using the app.
If it still doesn't work it doesn't bother me because I can just drive further, and plan another stop when I reach 15 or 20% charge.
By having a good list of favourites in the Electroverse app, I can ask a passenger to plan the route to the next charger from my favourites (using CarPlay) and normally that's sufficient.
I don't even bother to stick to the original route anymore, or to try and stay next to the motorway.
I simply add some time for an extra stop in my plans and I charge only as much as I need until my next stop plus maybe a 10%/20% buffer but only if it's quick and I was already in my low % to start with.
By balance charging regularly, slow charging at home most of the time, and regularly dipping below 10%, range anxiety has become a thing of the past for me, since I have full confidence in my ability to charge and in the miles left in the tank: if it says 20 miles left and I have 18 to go, I will make it.

P.S.
The worst experience so far for me was reaching 6% left in the tank on my way to Paris, in the middle of nowhere, with only my 12 year old daughter next to me and only one charger in a 20 miles radius, in a Lidl car park.
The charger thank goodness worked immediately (I think it was an Osprey) and charged really quickly, but by the time I had enough charge to reach Paris, they had shut the gates and I could not get out.
Luckily a few minutes later a couple of Lidl employees came to my rescue (Ok, I had to approach them not speaking a word of French) and let me out.

Every charge after that day has been a blissful experience in comparison

 

[fshuk1]

The charge curve above matches my expectations, even in freezing weather, by simply pre-heating the battery at least an hour before setting off and keeping intelligent battery heating enabled on long trips no matter what the outside temperature is.
I got into the habit of planning my routes by simply going into the Electroverse app, refining my list of favourite chargers based on location charging speed and price per kwh
Then whenever I take a break, I charge for however long I am stopping for.
On long trips, this normally happens around the 40% mark, and the speed of charge is sufficient to take me to my next destination within the time I have stopped for food/loo/rest.
If I am in a rush, however, I will try and charge when I am around the 20% mark, so that I can add more miles in the same amount of time.
Rule of thumb for me these days, after a few bad experiences, is that if I stop at between 40 and 50% charge and the charger doesn't work first try, I don't even bother to unplug it, and instead just lock the car and walk away:
While having a rest I can always, in the background, try and charge using the app.
If it still doesn't work it doesn't bother me because I can just drive further, and plan another stop when I reach 15 or 20% charge.
By having a good list of favourites in the Electroverse app, I can ask a passenger to plan the route to the next charger from my favourites (using CarPlay) and normally that's sufficient.
I don't even bother to stick to the original route anymore, or to try and stay next to the motorway.
I simply add some time for an extra stop in my plans and I charge only as much as I need until my next stop plus maybe a 10%/20% buffer but only if it's quick and I was already in my low % to start with.
By balance charging regularly, slow charging at home most of the time, and regularly dipping below 10%, range anxiety has become a thing of the past for me, since I have full confidence in my ability to charge and in the miles left in the tank: if it says 20 miles left and I have 18 to go, I will make it.

P.S.
The worst experience so far for me was reaching 6% left in the tank on my way to Paris, in the middle of nowhere, with only my 12 year old daughter next to me and only one charger in a 20 miles radius, in a Lidl car park.
The charger thank goodness worked immediately (I think it was an Osprey) and charged really quickly, but by the time I had enough charge to reach Paris, they had shut the gates and I could not get out.
Luckily a few minutes later a couple of Lidl employees came to my rescue (Ok, I had to approach them not speaking a word of French) and let me out.

Every charge after that day has been a blissful experience in comparison

what Charging speed do you get? I still want to know what is acceptable for us and what is not.

 

[Rolfe]

The best I have actually seen is 85 Kw. Mind you, I have never turned on the battery heating. Bear in mind it will get slower as the battery fills.

I think another SR owner said she'd seen 90 or 91 Kw.

 

[Rolfe]

The charge curve above matches my expectations, even in freezing weather, by simply pre-heating the battery at least an hour before setting off and keeping intelligent battery heating enabled on long trips no matter what the outside temperature is.
I got into the habit of planning my routes by simply going into the Electroverse app, refining my list of favourite chargers based on location charging speed and price per kwh
Then whenever I take a break, I charge for however long I am stopping for.
On long trips, this normally happens around the 40% mark, and the speed of charge is sufficient to take me to my next destination within the time I have stopped for food/loo/rest.
If I am in a rush, however, I will try and charge when I am around the 20% mark, so that I can add more miles in the same amount of time.
Rule of thumb for me these days, after a few bad experiences, is that if I stop at between 40 and 50% charge and the charger doesn't work first try, I don't even bother to unplug it, and instead just lock the car and walk away:
While having a rest I can always, in the background, try and charge using the app.
If it still doesn't work it doesn't bother me because I can just drive further, and plan another stop when I reach 15 or 20% charge.
By having a good list of favourites in the Electroverse app, I can ask a passenger to plan the route to the next charger from my favourites (using CarPlay) and normally that's sufficient.
I don't even bother to stick to the original route anymore, or to try and stay next to the motorway.
I simply add some time for an extra stop in my plans and I charge only as much as I need until my next stop plus maybe a 10%/20% buffer but only if it's quick and I was already in my low % to start with.
By balance charging regularly, slow charging at home most of the time, and regularly dipping below 10%, range anxiety has become a thing of the past for me, since I have full confidence in my ability to charge and in the miles left in the tank: if it says 20 miles left and I have 18 to go, I will make it.

P.S.
The worst experience so far for me was reaching 6% left in the tank on my way to Paris, in the middle of nowhere, with only my 12 year old daughter next to me and only one charger in a 20 miles radius, in a Lidl car park.
The charger thank goodness worked immediately (I think it was an Osprey) and charged really quickly, but by the time I had enough charge to reach Paris, they had shut the gates and I could not get out.
Luckily a few minutes later a couple of Lidl employees came to my rescue (Ok, I had to approach them not speaking a word of French) and let me out.

Every charge after that day has been a blissful experience in comparison

That sounds seriously stressful!

Don't you find that keeping intelligent battery heating on hammers your range? I was advised to switch it off when I got the car and I've never used it.

Another issue for me is that I can't see a practical way to preheat the battery (or the cabin) before a long trip using mains electricity, and I don't want to start with significantly less than 100% charge. Maybe when I get the update that lets the car preheat while plugged in but not charging, this will change.

 

[Tig170]

The best I have actually seen is 85 Kw. Mind you, I have never turned on the battery heating. Bear in mind it will get slower as the battery fills.

I think another SR owner said she'd seen 90 or 91 Kw.

86 kw max for us, on MFG's, Fastned's, Tesla V3 (Banbury)
Tesla V4 (Trentham) ~ Max around 50kw

 

[fnegroni]

what Charging speed do you get? I still want to know what is acceptable for us and what is not.

At 10% state of charge I get a nearly guaranteed 88kW (91kW at the charger)
at 50% I still get between 58kW and 68kW
At 78% I get around 40kW
At 80% is starts dipping to 25kW and at 85 22kw and then it will dip to 7kW around the 96% mark

In the example above, at 45% I would accept 58kW (in car) but would hope for near 70kW
45 or less from a 100+ kW charger would be unacceptable if on a rush and I would just travel farther and stop elsewhere unless I’m not under pressure.

From a 50kW rated charger I would be satisfied with a flat 46-48 kW to 80%

 

[siteguru]

At 10% state of charge I get a nearly guaranteed 88kW (91kW at the charger)
at 50% I still get between 58kW and 68kW
At 78% I get around 40kW
At 80% is starts dipping to 25kW and at 85 22kw and then it will dip to 7kW around the 96% mark

That concurs with my findings.

 

[fnegroni]

That sounds seriously stressful!

Don't you find that keeping intelligent battery heating on hammers your range? I was advised to switch it off when I got the car and I've never used it.

Another issue for me is that I can't see a practical way to preheat the battery (or the cabin) before a long trip using mains electricity, and I don't want to start with significantly less than 100% charge. Maybe when I get the update that lets the car preheat while plugged in but not charging, this will change.

It doesn’t: at times the GoM will show the same mileage after the battery has warmed up, indicating that it doesn’t really kill the range on a long journey. On short trips I don’t bother but I always warm up the pack if it’s around 0

 

[fshuk1]

Solid information people. Thanks.
One other question in case we are interested. Does the charge provider matter? My own experience is MFG works well in speed and availability. Just want to know if I have choice which one will charge faster and give me less heartache.

 

[Rolfe]

It doesn’t: at times the GoM will show the same mileage after the battery has warmed up, indicating that it doesn’t really kill the range on a long journey. On short trips I don’t bother but I always warm up the pack if it’s around 0

Thank you for that.

 

[fnegroni]

Tesla fastned and MFG are my go to choices for near guaranteed speed and reliability.
Sainsbury’s Smart Charge might be on my PSL once they start installing more

 

[Rolfe]

From a 50kW rated charger I would be satisfied with a flat 46-48 kW to 80%

I don't get that. It does fall away as the battery fills.

 

[Tight Git]

Solid information people. Thanks.
One other question in case we are interested. Does the charge provider matter? My own experience is MFG works well in speed and availability. Just want to know if I have choice which one will charge faster and give me less heartache.

Ionity - reliable, very quick but can be very busy
Osprey - as above but not as busy and a 75kW charger is near enough the max the SR will take
EVPoint/Fuuse - only started using them recently but so far so good
Tesla - open to all superchargers are also good

I try and avoid the 85p/kWh ones as it's possible to find them at around 60p with the Electroverse RFID card. Plan your route and work out where you will need to charge based on your speed etc. I do regular 500 mile round trips over 2 days and so far no major issues with 23k miles done.

And one last comment - avoid BP unless there is no other option!

 

[fshuk1]

Ionity - reliable, very quick but can be very busy
Osprey - as above but not as busy and a 75kW charger is near enough the max the SR will take
EVPoint/Fuuse - only started using them recently but so far so good
Tesla - open to all superchargers are also good

I try and avoid the 85p/kWh ones as it's possible to find them at around 60p with the Electroverse RFID card. Plan your route and work out where you will need to charge based on your speed etc. I do regular 500 mile round trips over 2 days and so far no major issues with 23k miles done.

And one last comment - avoid BP unless there is no other option!

BP.....

 

[fnegroni]

bp pulse will get their chargers sorted in the US now they bought Tesla hardware. Hopefully coming to the UK soon
With subscription they are 76p per kWh at the moment, and if you have a Fuel & Charge fleet card () you get that price without subscription.
still not cheap enough but let’s see how the retailers are going to compete now Sainsbury’s has seriously entered the arena.

 

[Lovemyev]

Not sure if this has been posted before, but could be helpful for MG4 owners with the LFP battery.