See how charge point numbers are increasing:
Charging your MG ZS EV
Owning an electric vehicle is a completely different experience from owning an ICE car (internal combustion engine.) If you have a driveway, or a garage you can charge at home, so no more trips to the petrol station in the rain. Home charge points are available from many companies including Viridian, Pod Point, Rolec, Zappi and Ohme. There is a government grant available to subsidise your private installation. If you are unable to charge at home, there are over 38,000 charge points now available in the UK with around 400 - to over 700 being added per month as you can see from the images above, provided by Zap Map. Lamp post charging points are being installed in urban areas and petrol stations are increasingly adding EV Charge points on their forecourts. The first electric forecourt built and managed by Gridserve, with 35 chargepoints, is open at Braintree in Essex. It is powered by solar energy. Motorway Service Areas have been beset by the Electric Highway technical problems - but it has been announced in March that a new collaboration with Gridserve is going to lead to a transformation of these charge points funded by Hitachi, which will make a huge difference to all UK EV driver's confidence levels. Story here.
The MG ZS EV has a 44 kWh battery and the MG5 has a 50 kWh battery. They both charge via a charge port situated at the front - featuring both Type 2 and CCS connections. See box below for more questions about charging times and range. Using the granny charger, (the cable supplied with the car plugs into any normal indoor or outdoor household socket) from empty to full will take about 21 hours. Using a 7.4 kW home charge point takes between 5 - 8 hours. If you can access a public rapid charger, then you can expect an 80% charge in as little as 35 - 40 minutes, depending on the state of charge (SOC) when you started the charge. MGZSEV range: it is rated to last 163 on a single charge, which is achievable with economic driving. However, temperature (cold) and driving style will affect this. Urban/city driving is very economical with over 200 miles being achieved according to our members, but winter figures will be considerably lower. The MG5 range is rated to last 215 miles on a single charge.
There are multiple apps available to use on your smart phone or tablet for ChargePoints - some companies require RFID cards (similar to a credit card specific to that company), others are simply Pay As You Go. To name a few: ABRP (A Better Route Planner), ChargeCar, Chargemap, Chargepoint, Electric Highway, Find A Charger, Ionity, Juice Pass, Map, Need to Charge, Open Charge, Plug Share, Plugsurfing, Pod-Point, Ubitricity, Waves, Watts Up and the best known, Zap-Map. Your own home chargepoint can be added to Zap-Map and others like BookMyCharge.com. Public charge points can be found in supermarket car parks, motorway service areas, hotel and pub car parks, petrol stations, shopping centres, multi storey car parks, and some small car parks - sometimes in the strangest, unexpected out of the way villages!
"Hey Google, navigate to my nearest charging point" will take you to a charge point if you have an Android phone. Add in the word free - you might be lucky, especially if you are in Scotland.
One of the difficult things to grasp is the nomenclature - in EV speak, there are: granny chargers, fast chargers, rapids and ultra rapids. But in this case, fast actually means slow. Tricky eh?! Click here for a short video about how to use the in-car navigation system to find a charger near you or on your route. The other difficult thing is the different plug types. See graphic at the bottom of the page which shows all the alternatives.
The MG ZS EV has a 44 kWh battery and the MG5 has a 50 kWh battery. They both charge via a charge port situated at the front - featuring both Type 2 and CCS connections. See box below for more questions about charging times and range. Using the granny charger, (the cable supplied with the car plugs into any normal indoor or outdoor household socket) from empty to full will take about 21 hours. Using a 7.4 kW home charge point takes between 5 - 8 hours. If you can access a public rapid charger, then you can expect an 80% charge in as little as 35 - 40 minutes, depending on the state of charge (SOC) when you started the charge. MGZSEV range: it is rated to last 163 on a single charge, which is achievable with economic driving. However, temperature (cold) and driving style will affect this. Urban/city driving is very economical with over 200 miles being achieved according to our members, but winter figures will be considerably lower. The MG5 range is rated to last 215 miles on a single charge.
There are multiple apps available to use on your smart phone or tablet for ChargePoints - some companies require RFID cards (similar to a credit card specific to that company), others are simply Pay As You Go. To name a few: ABRP (A Better Route Planner), ChargeCar, Chargemap, Chargepoint, Electric Highway, Find A Charger, Ionity, Juice Pass, Map, Need to Charge, Open Charge, Plug Share, Plugsurfing, Pod-Point, Ubitricity, Waves, Watts Up and the best known, Zap-Map. Your own home chargepoint can be added to Zap-Map and others like BookMyCharge.com. Public charge points can be found in supermarket car parks, motorway service areas, hotel and pub car parks, petrol stations, shopping centres, multi storey car parks, and some small car parks - sometimes in the strangest, unexpected out of the way villages!
"Hey Google, navigate to my nearest charging point" will take you to a charge point if you have an Android phone. Add in the word free - you might be lucky, especially if you are in Scotland.
One of the difficult things to grasp is the nomenclature - in EV speak, there are: granny chargers, fast chargers, rapids and ultra rapids. But in this case, fast actually means slow. Tricky eh?! Click here for a short video about how to use the in-car navigation system to find a charger near you or on your route. The other difficult thing is the different plug types. See graphic at the bottom of the page which shows all the alternatives.
The Tesla charging network retained its number one spot on the Which list of charging networks, followed by Osprey at number 2. Ecotricity came in at bottom of the list.
During 2020 it was noticed that a lot of MG's were having trouble rapid charging from GeniePoint, and a few Engie, charge points. The charge was capped at around 15 - 20 kW, rather than 40 +. After multiple comments to research posts on our Facebook page in July, a testing and collaboration period between the technical departments of GP and MG Motor, the problem was solved with a firmware fix. The fix has been rolled out over all 1,000 odd GeniePoint chargers, over Q3 and 420 including 181 at various branches of Morrison, followed by Engie, There are still some ongoing issues in March 21, but the overall picture has improved.
You can find details of GeniePoint's new charge points here.
During 2020 it was noticed that a lot of MG's were having trouble rapid charging from GeniePoint, and a few Engie, charge points. The charge was capped at around 15 - 20 kW, rather than 40 +. After multiple comments to research posts on our Facebook page in July, a testing and collaboration period between the technical departments of GP and MG Motor, the problem was solved with a firmware fix. The fix has been rolled out over all 1,000 odd GeniePoint chargers, over Q3 and 420 including 181 at various branches of Morrison, followed by Engie, There are still some ongoing issues in March 21, but the overall picture has improved.
You can find details of GeniePoint's new charge points here.
Q Which is the best way to charge my MG? There are several options.
A It is strongly recommended that you charge your car regularly using the slow charging method rather than always using rapid chargers, as this ensures the battery is equalised and works optimally.
Q What does equalisation mean with regard to charging the battery?
A It enhances the uniformity of all the cells and keeps them working properly. Once the car has finished charging, the badge will not pulse, but will show solid light. Once this light goes out, the battery has finished the equalisation process.
Q What is the correct order re connecting the charging cable plug and socket at home?
A Open the charging port and remove the blanking plug. Connect the 7 pin charging socket to the car. Connect the plug to your domestic power socket. Switch the plug on.
Q What is the correct order re connecting/disconnecting the cable when using a public charge point?
A This will vary depending on the charge point company. Always read the instructions on the charge point carefully and plug the tethered cable in using the order instructed. Sometimes this is before your credit card has been read, and sometimes after.
Q How do I know if the car is charging?
A The front badge LED lights will pulse on and off and you will see the central display change from "connected not charging" once the cable is attached to "charging". If the badge light is steady on, the battery is equalising. This may take some time. When balancing is completed, the badge light will turn off.
Q What cable do I need to charge at a destination charger?
A You require a cable suitable to handle 32A. They come in various lengths typically 4-5m long, but some people like longer ones in case the charger is blocked by another car.
Q How long will the MG take to charge at a rapid charger
A The MGZSEV will take around 40 minutes at a 50kW charger using CCS to get to 80%, and the MG5 will take around 50 minutes to reach 80%. They charge at a fairly constant speed until the SoC reaches 80%. At 82% it drops to around 16-20kW. If you arrive at a high power charger rated over 80kW with a very low State of Charge (SoC) and your battery is warm, then the MG may charge between 70-80kW for a short time. However, the charge rate slows down a lot quicker than the 50kW chargers so may take a similar time to charge to 80%.
Q What is the difference between a fast and a rapid charger
A A fast charger will charge the MG at a maximum of 7kW, so will take approx 6.5 hours to completely charge the car, whereas a rapid charger may charge the car at anything up to around 80kW and take approx 40 minutes to get to 80%.
Q My charging cable is stuck in the car charge port - how do I release it?
A The emergency release cable is inside the bonnet to the left hand side of the radiator - pull to unlock charge cable. Unlocking, and re-locking may also produce the audible noise which means the cable has released.
Q My car won’t charge, but I’ve plugged it in.
A You need to lock the car to charge on AC, which locks the cable into car to prevent theft. However when using CCS (rapid charging) there is no need to, as the charger locks the cable into the car and releases it when the charge session has completed.
Q I connected my car to a fast charger but it only charged at 7kW.
A To rapid charge you need to use the CCS or sometimes known as type 2 Combo connector
Q Can the MG charge using a 22kW charger?
A Yes, but the car limits the charge speed to 7kW
Q What does GOM mean
A GOM stands for Guess-O-Meter. The name given to the ‘range to empty’ figure displayed by the car. It can vary depending on many variables like driving style, terrain, weather – wind and rain or hot and sunny, plus the load in the car.
Q What will the ZSEV GOM typically display?
A As a guide in Normal mode, KERS 3 and HVAC on in winter the GOM will display around 135 miles. In summer around 148 miles. Turn off HVAC and put in Eco and it will display in the region of 178 miles.
Q Where is the percentage display for the high voltage battery?
A There isn’t one. We have the GOM which is in general accurate and the 8 bars.
Q What do the 8 bars around the lower part of the ‘fuel’ gauge mean?
A Here's the state of charge as per the 8 bar gauge:
8 : 91-100%
7 : 80-91%
6 : 69-80%
5 : 58-69%
4 : 47-58%
3 : 36-47%
2 : 25-36%
1 : <25% (HV battery light comes on)
HV battery light starts flashing at 10% and will warn about aggressive driving. It stops flashing and disappears at 5%.
The GOM turns to --- at 10 miles
Q How far will the ZSEV and MG5 go on one charge in summer?
A On a still day in summer you should get close to the 163 miles WTLP figure in the ZSEV, depending on your speed, however at motorways speeds of 70mph, don’t expect more than 140miles maximum. If it rains then expect a 20% or more drop in range, add in a headwind and that will drop further. Members are reporting achieving 200 miles + in the MG5, but they have not been driven through the summer yet, so accurate summer figures are awaited.
Q How far will the ZSEV go on one charge in winter?
A It depends…. On a freezing day with rain and a headwind at 70mph not very far! Batteries do not like cold weather. It also depends whether it is one journey or lots of shorter ones. It could be as low as 80 miles (at freezing temperatures) or up to 120 miles if better than 5 degrees.).
Q How much does it cost to use a public charge point?
It costs more to use a public charge point than charge your car at home. Fast charging is likely to cost between £8 and £10, and possibly more depending on the vendor. Rapid chargers cost a lot to install and are often obsolete within a few years. Operation costs are higher than other chargers, and you will pay a premium for the convenience of charging faster.
Prices vary across the charging network. Some have a connection fee. Some have a monthly subscription charge. Some issue RFID cards, similar to a debit card and invoice you monthly. Some operate as Pay As You Go and will charge per kWh. You will soon get to know which is the better value, and which are the most expensive, and which are more reliable! A few examples: Shell charge 39p per kWh. Instavolt charge 35p per kWh. Ecotricity and Genie Point both charge 30p per kWh, but charge a £1 connection fee. Polar contactless is 30p per kWh, minimum charge £1.50. Polar Instant charge 25p per kWh, minimum charge £1.20.
Q Can I charge using any of the Tesla chargers?
A You cannot charge your MGZSEV at a Tesla supercharger. However, Tesla also have two types of destination chargers. One has a red sign with white letters which cannot be used either. They second type has a white sign with red letters - these can be used by non Tesla cars.
Q Can I use the granny charger at a caravan or campsite?
A It depends on the supply to where you want to plug in. Some campsites may be 16a, others 10a, yet others less at 6a and can also be shared, so may trip the fuses. If you do use the granny, don’t plug your electric kettle in at the same time, and we would also recommend you don’t leave it unattended. It is always best to check with the campsite operator.
Q Can I use an extension cable with my granny charger?
A Yes providing it is rated at 13a and is completely unwound, otherwise it will melt We would also recommend a water proof extension cable.
Q Is the supplied granny charger water proof?
A The granny charger is rated at IP67 which means that the device can be submerged in up to one meter of fresh water for half an hour, though we wouldn’t recommend it!
Q Can I use the granny lead plugged into my house electrics?
A Providing the electrics have been checked and rated to cope with a constant draw of 10a for over 20 hours. If you have any doubt about your electrics, don’t until you have had them checked. Although rare, they have been known to melt plugs, sockets & cable,s or potentially could cause a fire. It’s just like having a 3kW electric fire plugged in.
Q Do I need a special adaptor for my granny charger if I take the car abroad?
A The travel adaptors you already have for charging your phone, tablet and computer are only designed to power low current appliances. They often do not connect the earth pin, an issue which is particularly common with European sockets. They are not safe to use when charging your car abroad. You should purchase an EV adaptors that has been designed to handle a full 13 amps, and always connect the earth, making them ideal for high current applications.
A It is strongly recommended that you charge your car regularly using the slow charging method rather than always using rapid chargers, as this ensures the battery is equalised and works optimally.
Q What does equalisation mean with regard to charging the battery?
A It enhances the uniformity of all the cells and keeps them working properly. Once the car has finished charging, the badge will not pulse, but will show solid light. Once this light goes out, the battery has finished the equalisation process.
Q What is the correct order re connecting the charging cable plug and socket at home?
A Open the charging port and remove the blanking plug. Connect the 7 pin charging socket to the car. Connect the plug to your domestic power socket. Switch the plug on.
Q What is the correct order re connecting/disconnecting the cable when using a public charge point?
A This will vary depending on the charge point company. Always read the instructions on the charge point carefully and plug the tethered cable in using the order instructed. Sometimes this is before your credit card has been read, and sometimes after.
Q How do I know if the car is charging?
A The front badge LED lights will pulse on and off and you will see the central display change from "connected not charging" once the cable is attached to "charging". If the badge light is steady on, the battery is equalising. This may take some time. When balancing is completed, the badge light will turn off.
Q What cable do I need to charge at a destination charger?
A You require a cable suitable to handle 32A. They come in various lengths typically 4-5m long, but some people like longer ones in case the charger is blocked by another car.
Q How long will the MG take to charge at a rapid charger
A The MGZSEV will take around 40 minutes at a 50kW charger using CCS to get to 80%, and the MG5 will take around 50 minutes to reach 80%. They charge at a fairly constant speed until the SoC reaches 80%. At 82% it drops to around 16-20kW. If you arrive at a high power charger rated over 80kW with a very low State of Charge (SoC) and your battery is warm, then the MG may charge between 70-80kW for a short time. However, the charge rate slows down a lot quicker than the 50kW chargers so may take a similar time to charge to 80%.
Q What is the difference between a fast and a rapid charger
A A fast charger will charge the MG at a maximum of 7kW, so will take approx 6.5 hours to completely charge the car, whereas a rapid charger may charge the car at anything up to around 80kW and take approx 40 minutes to get to 80%.
Q My charging cable is stuck in the car charge port - how do I release it?
A The emergency release cable is inside the bonnet to the left hand side of the radiator - pull to unlock charge cable. Unlocking, and re-locking may also produce the audible noise which means the cable has released.
Q My car won’t charge, but I’ve plugged it in.
A You need to lock the car to charge on AC, which locks the cable into car to prevent theft. However when using CCS (rapid charging) there is no need to, as the charger locks the cable into the car and releases it when the charge session has completed.
Q I connected my car to a fast charger but it only charged at 7kW.
A To rapid charge you need to use the CCS or sometimes known as type 2 Combo connector
Q Can the MG charge using a 22kW charger?
A Yes, but the car limits the charge speed to 7kW
Q What does GOM mean
A GOM stands for Guess-O-Meter. The name given to the ‘range to empty’ figure displayed by the car. It can vary depending on many variables like driving style, terrain, weather – wind and rain or hot and sunny, plus the load in the car.
Q What will the ZSEV GOM typically display?
A As a guide in Normal mode, KERS 3 and HVAC on in winter the GOM will display around 135 miles. In summer around 148 miles. Turn off HVAC and put in Eco and it will display in the region of 178 miles.
Q Where is the percentage display for the high voltage battery?
A There isn’t one. We have the GOM which is in general accurate and the 8 bars.
Q What do the 8 bars around the lower part of the ‘fuel’ gauge mean?
A Here's the state of charge as per the 8 bar gauge:
8 : 91-100%
7 : 80-91%
6 : 69-80%
5 : 58-69%
4 : 47-58%
3 : 36-47%
2 : 25-36%
1 : <25% (HV battery light comes on)
HV battery light starts flashing at 10% and will warn about aggressive driving. It stops flashing and disappears at 5%.
The GOM turns to --- at 10 miles
Q How far will the ZSEV and MG5 go on one charge in summer?
A On a still day in summer you should get close to the 163 miles WTLP figure in the ZSEV, depending on your speed, however at motorways speeds of 70mph, don’t expect more than 140miles maximum. If it rains then expect a 20% or more drop in range, add in a headwind and that will drop further. Members are reporting achieving 200 miles + in the MG5, but they have not been driven through the summer yet, so accurate summer figures are awaited.
Q How far will the ZSEV go on one charge in winter?
A It depends…. On a freezing day with rain and a headwind at 70mph not very far! Batteries do not like cold weather. It also depends whether it is one journey or lots of shorter ones. It could be as low as 80 miles (at freezing temperatures) or up to 120 miles if better than 5 degrees.).
Q How much does it cost to use a public charge point?
It costs more to use a public charge point than charge your car at home. Fast charging is likely to cost between £8 and £10, and possibly more depending on the vendor. Rapid chargers cost a lot to install and are often obsolete within a few years. Operation costs are higher than other chargers, and you will pay a premium for the convenience of charging faster.
Prices vary across the charging network. Some have a connection fee. Some have a monthly subscription charge. Some issue RFID cards, similar to a debit card and invoice you monthly. Some operate as Pay As You Go and will charge per kWh. You will soon get to know which is the better value, and which are the most expensive, and which are more reliable! A few examples: Shell charge 39p per kWh. Instavolt charge 35p per kWh. Ecotricity and Genie Point both charge 30p per kWh, but charge a £1 connection fee. Polar contactless is 30p per kWh, minimum charge £1.50. Polar Instant charge 25p per kWh, minimum charge £1.20.
Q Can I charge using any of the Tesla chargers?
A You cannot charge your MGZSEV at a Tesla supercharger. However, Tesla also have two types of destination chargers. One has a red sign with white letters which cannot be used either. They second type has a white sign with red letters - these can be used by non Tesla cars.
Q Can I use the granny charger at a caravan or campsite?
A It depends on the supply to where you want to plug in. Some campsites may be 16a, others 10a, yet others less at 6a and can also be shared, so may trip the fuses. If you do use the granny, don’t plug your electric kettle in at the same time, and we would also recommend you don’t leave it unattended. It is always best to check with the campsite operator.
Q Can I use an extension cable with my granny charger?
A Yes providing it is rated at 13a and is completely unwound, otherwise it will melt We would also recommend a water proof extension cable.
Q Is the supplied granny charger water proof?
A The granny charger is rated at IP67 which means that the device can be submerged in up to one meter of fresh water for half an hour, though we wouldn’t recommend it!
Q Can I use the granny lead plugged into my house electrics?
A Providing the electrics have been checked and rated to cope with a constant draw of 10a for over 20 hours. If you have any doubt about your electrics, don’t until you have had them checked. Although rare, they have been known to melt plugs, sockets & cable,s or potentially could cause a fire. It’s just like having a 3kW electric fire plugged in.
Q Do I need a special adaptor for my granny charger if I take the car abroad?
A The travel adaptors you already have for charging your phone, tablet and computer are only designed to power low current appliances. They often do not connect the earth pin, an issue which is particularly common with European sockets. They are not safe to use when charging your car abroad. You should purchase an EV adaptors that has been designed to handle a full 13 amps, and always connect the earth, making them ideal for high current applications.
