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V2L… again…

MooMooOxford

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Oxford, UK
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MG ZS EV
And so it would appear that some people can use V2L with a stopped ‘n’ locked car while some others (like myself) can’t.
There’s this guy on YouTube who clearly shows he’s able to turn off and lock the car (the video is in German, but you can use auto translated captions in English).
My ZS Trophy was first registered in October ‘22 and I got it in early November.
When I stop the car, I get a message saying that discharge is not possible while the vehicle is “unactivated” and sure enough, 40-45 seconds later, discharging shuts down.

Now why can that German chap do it while I can’t?! Am I doing something wrong? Do I need to go into some random settings screen (maybe through the app or through OBD2)? What am I missing here?

HEEELP!
 
And so it would appear that some people can use V2L with a stopped ‘n’ locked car while some others (like myself) can’t.
There’s this guy on YouTube who clearly shows he’s able to turn off and lock the car (the video is in German, but you can use auto translated captions in English).
My ZS Trophy was first registered in October ‘22 and I got it in early November.
When I stop the car, I get a message saying that discharge is not possible while the vehicle is “unactivated” and sure enough, 40-45 seconds later, discharging shuts down.

Now why can that German chap do it while I can’t?! Am I doing something wrong? Do I need to go into some random settings screen (maybe through the app or through OBD2)? What am I missing here?

HEEELP!
The MG4 can discharge V2L whilst locked and turned off. The ZSEV can't. If you were using it for emergency power in a power cut (thats why I mainly got a cable) you would just need to keep an eye on your car if it is easily accessible from the road. Also put a steering wheel lock on and maybe one of those sheet / covers that go over the entire car. It will make it a lot more hassle for anyone trying to get in it.
 
Page 184-185 of the manual describes the procedure, but it seems to infer that the vehicle is off while discharging, and that you can switch on to check the rate of discharge. No mention of locking the doors.

I used mine yesterday for the first time with my leaf blower, I’ll check this out next time and see if it works while locked.
 
Page 184-185 of the manual describes the procedure, but it seems to infer that the vehicle is off while discharging, and that you can switch on to check the rate of discharge. No mention of locking the doors.

I used mine yesterday for the first time with my leaf blower, I’ll check this out next time and see if it works while locked.
On an earlier thread somebody did turn off and lock up and provided what was being charged / powered was not switched off it continued on. However it seems it drew the power from the regular 12v car battery and not the HV battery if the car was switched off. They were camping and using it to power camp site stuff overnight and woke up to a flat battery.
 
Thank you guys for taking the time to reply.
As it happens, I’ve managed to find a way to lock the doors while the car is kept on: I open the window, get out of the car, reach inside to lock using the button on the door and then close the window.
At this stage the car can only be reopened either by using the physical key or by pressing the button on the door handle, so it’s not a big deal at all.
The only annoying thing is that I cannot switch off the DRL so I don’t think I’ll regularly use V2L at night.
Btw, for those interested, I’ve been able to run both my kitchen oven and a kettle at the same time and all the wiring remained stone cold.
As a separate test, I’ve been running my garden office electric heater (2kWh) for a while (a good couple of hours) and all is well.
Do let me know if there’s a specific test that you’d like me to conduct.
 
Thank you guys for taking the time to reply.
As it happens, I’ve managed to find a way to lock the doors while the car is kept on: I open the window, get out of the car, reach inside to lock using the button on the door and then close the window.
At this stage the car can only be reopened either by using the physical key or by pressing the button on the door handle, so it’s not a big deal at all.
The only annoying thing is that I cannot switch off the DRL so I don’t think I’ll regularly use V2L at night.
Btw, for those interested, I’ve been able to run both my kitchen oven and a kettle at the same time and all the wiring remained stone cold.
As a separate test, I’ve been running my garden office electric heater (2kWh) for a while (a good couple of hours) and all is well.
Do let me know if there’s a specific test that you’d like me to conduct.
How do you close the window. Do you reach and press close window button and then just make sure you pull your hand /arm out in time. Also is there a safety set up so if you didn't get your arm out on time eg you stumbled or a sleeve got snagged on something it wouldn't close on your arm and injure you?

How do you close the window. Do you reach and press close window button and then just make sure you pull your hand /arm out in time. Also is there a safety set up so if you didn't get your arm out on time eg you stumbled or a sleeve got snagged on something it wouldn't close on your arm and injure you?
Also it would be good if there is a way o switch the daytime running headlights off. Is there a means to do this?
 
How do you close the window. Do you reach and press close window button and then just make sure you pull your hand /arm out in time. Also is there a safety set up so if you didn't get your arm out on time eg you stumbled or a sleeve got snagged on something it wouldn't close on your arm and injure you?
Good questions.
Yes, that’s exactly how I do it.
I tested how quick the electric window safety switch kicks in by using a rubber pipe and it cuts out very soon - so I’m not overly concerned about safety for myself. Would I ever recommend it to strangers? No. But personally, it’s a risk I’ve calculated and deemed to be acceptable for myself.

Also it would be good if there is a way o switch the daytime running headlights off. Is there a means to do this?
I’m all ears (aka eyes 👀) if anyone has a suggestion but I’ve searched high and low and there doesn’t seem to be a low-tech way of achieving it.
 
I used mine last week for 3 hours to run my home office, had the car locked and off. It must have used the HV battery as I had a fan heater going the whole time. Mine was delivered beginning of November last year, built in August so may be a software issue if you cant do this.

I had to switch the car on ready mode, turn on V2L, then I turned the car off and locked it. Stayed running the whole time.
 
I used mine last week for 3 hours to run my home office, had the car locked and off. It must have used the HV battery as I had a fan heater going the whole time. Mine was delivered beginning of November last year, built in August so may be a software issue if you cant do this.

I had to switch the car on ready mode, turn on V2L, then I turned the car off and locked it. Stayed running the whole time.
I used mine last week for 3 hours to run my home office, had the car locked and off. It must have used the HV battery as I had a fan heater going the whole time. Mine was delivered beginning of November last year, built in August so may be a software issue if you cant do this.

I had to switch the car on ready mode, turn on V2L, then I turned the car off and locked it. Stayed running the whole time.
following exactly the same sequence, mine turns itself off within 45 seconds :-(
 
The 1st batch software you could lock car and use V2L but people were reporting flat 12 volt battery so new software came out about the same time as the DC charging fix so a good indicator is if you can remove change cable by unlocking car it's on the newer software and V2L will only work in ready mode and you don't need to worry about bricking car at DC chargers
so if you need to end charge to remove cable your on the older software and V2L will probably work with car locked but would steer clear of DC chargers and remember to keep an eye on the 12v battery
 
I used mine last week for 3 hours to run my home office, had the car locked and off. It must have used the HV battery as I had a fan heater going the whole time. Mine was delivered beginning of November last year, built in August so may be a software issue if you cant do this.

I had to switch the car on ready mode, turn on V2L, then I turned the car off and locked it. Stayed running the whole time.
That is very interesting !.
Has anybody else with a ZS EV facelift model, ever been able to achieve this ???.
V2L load in CONSTANCE use with the car in READY mode, then leave the car AND then lock the doors with the fob and the V2L keep supplying power to the appliance you have plugged in !.
Miles reported on one of the pod cast that a software update had been released to enable this to happen, but I am unable to get this confirmed !.
Unless it was included in a software update, that allowed the charging to be halted by opening the car with the fob.
I know my mid March delivery Trophy LR does not have this facility.
I am pretty sure the 1st update for the facelift model was released at the end of March / beginning of April 2022.
I have received the cars first service reminder yesterday from the dealer at Chorley.
That is when it is likely to get any software updates done ✅.
It’s a 200 mile around trip, so if the MG data base is off line when my car is in for service, I will not be a very happy bunny ! 😞.
 
I should have been more explicit - I have an Android box connected in the car and have the Thai MG app loaded on that. Connect an OBD dongle to the OBD port and run the app - that gives you the option to switch off the DRLs.

If you search Thai MG app on this site there are a few posts about it.
 
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