Things are not always what they seem! (EV etiquette)

[sgt4hed]

I have to ask, but why would a brand new ZS need balancing on it's first charge? the dealership would have charged it on a 7kw before handing you the keys so would have been balanced before you picked it up...

 

[luis]

I have to ask, but why would a brand new ZS need balancing on it's first charge? the dealership would have charged it on a 7kw before handing you the keys so would have been balanced before you picked it up...

Well, I wanted a full charge for a long journey ahead the next day - so I wanted it to get to 100%. Once the battery reaches 100% I believe it effectively starts to balance itself - which isn't a harmful thing as far as I know. So I didn't need to balance it - it was just going to happen if I stayed there long enough.

As it happens, 6.5 hours later, the car was at 96% and the charging had stopped.
BTW - on my old leaf - the charging connector can be set to auto release after a charge has stopped, allowing others to use the tethered cable - this doesn't seem to be an option on the MG.

 

[sgt4hed]

Well, I wanted a full charge for a long journey ahead the next day - so I wanted it to get to 100%. Once the battery reaches 100% I believe it effectively starts to balance itself - which isn't a harmful thing as far as I know. So I didn't need to balance it - it was just going to happen if I stayed there long enough.

As it happens, 6.5 hours later, the car was at 96% and the charging had stopped.
BTW - on my old leaf - the charging connector can be set to auto release after a charge has stopped, allowing others to use the tethered cable - this doesn't seem to be an option on the MG.

you can charge to 100% on a rapid charger, the car will slow the charge rate down as you get nearer to 100%, it's not quite the doomsday scenario that some would have you believe. Balancing is not harmful you are right, but it is only needed every now and then.

To be honest I don't think I would be very happy knowing that someone else was going to be unplugging my car (whether finished charging or not), I get quite precious about my vehicles and someone else touching it without my permission is a huge no no in my books.

 

[biffo]

you can charge to 100% on a rapid charger, the car will slow the charge rate down as you get nearer to 100%, it's not quite the doomsday scenario that some would have you believe. Balancing is not harmful you are right, but it is only needed every now and then.

To be honest I don't think I would be very happy knowing that someone else was going to be unplugging my car (whether finished charging or not), I get quite precious about my vehicles and someone else touching it without my permission is a huge no no in my books.

If someone’s car was at 100% and unattended, and I was able to unplug, I absolutely would - in the highly unlikely event that my car was in this situation, I’d be happy for someone else to unplug me. If damage was caused, whether due to unplugging or bashed in a carpark, etc - I’d rightly be annoyed.

I wouldn’t stop someone’s charge irrespective of percentage though.

 

[Kithmo]

Does it release the CCS plug when at 100% on a DC rapid charger ?

 

[biffo]

Does it release the CCS plug when at 100% on a DC rapid charger ?

Nah - most don’t so a moot point. But, I think legally they all should. You’re essentially in a contract with provider whilst charging, once you reach 100% then I see that as an end stage where your car should release the leased connector.

Just an opinion though ?‍

 

[hmadsen]

Nah - most don’t so a mute point. But, I think legally they all should. You’re essentially in a contract with provider whilst charging, once you reach 100% then I see that as an end stage where your car should release the leased connector.

Just an opinion though ?‍

While i agree, i have not seen a lot of chargers where it would actually be possible for someone else to park in a way, that made it possible to use the cable.

My car does not let go of the CCS unless i unlock the car, even if it is at 100%

Also, if someone was able to take the cable, and not close the door for the chargeport, someone might drive off without closing it. I mean, its not like MG put a switch in there to warn if it is open.

 

[Recombinant]

Hi,
Renault Zoe driver here. We have an old 2017 20kwh Zoe and a newer 40kwh model. Both are fitted with high speed AC charging but no DC charging sockets. The older one has a 40kw charge speed capacity, the newer one has "only" 20kw charge speed. Blocking the rapid charger might have inconvenienced us because we have no DC option. Charging is complicated though and you are living and learning so no hard feelings. ?
BP polar 7kw chargers have caused me issues in the past. Their helpdesk advised me to close all doors and windows and ensure the vehicle is in "Park" before charging. The chargers run electrical safety tests before charging and an open vehicle is electrically different to a closed and locked vehicle allegedly. Anyways I have found this advice to help get these posts working.
HTH

 

[Coulomb]

the dealership would have charged it on a 7kw before handing you the keys so would have been balanced before you picked it up..

Actually, one non-rapid charge is probably not enough to completely balance a car that has spent weeks on a boat, perhaps a week at the dealer, and who knows how long in China waiting for parts. Especially as the dealer probably doesn't have the time to let the balance complete.

 

[MichaelJHunt]

Actually, one non-rapid charge is probably not enough to completely balance a car that has spent weeks on a boat, perhaps a week at the dealer, and who knows how long in China waiting for parts. Especially as the dealer probably doesn't have the time to let the balance complete.

Balancing ensures that each cell is at the same voltage level as it discharges, or at least close to the same level.

Each battery cell within the battery pack will charge and discharge at a slightly different rate and will “unbalance” after several cycles. It would take a lot of charge/discharge cycles to cause an issue, but eventually the unbalance may cause internal battery pack problems. When the unbalance reaches a predefined level the car will advise that the balance process is carried out.

As such, even if you only ever run the battery between 40% to 80% the cells will eventually become unbalanced.

The app for the Nissan Leaf is really good and produced a graph showing the individual cell levels. It shows minimum, maximum and average cell voltage levels. It is very easy to see if there are faulty cells in the battery pack. The dealers I assume have the same capability with software tools provided to them by MG.

A battery pack standing unused at around 50% for a few months will not cause much of an imbalance issue.

 

[Coulomb]

A battery pack standing unused at around 50% for a few months will not cause much of an imbalance issue.

But a new car hasn't had much of a chance to balance the cells at all. All the cells are likely manufactured on the same day, but there are still inevitable variations in cell capacity and SoC.