My upcoming MG ZS EV

[Lancpudn]

I got a courtesy call off MG Wigan this morning, It's the first time I've spoken to them since buying it as they've been on furlough for months.


She was asking how I'm going on with the MG ZS ev & the 7kw charger installation, I said the car is fabulous and a dream to drive but the 7Kw charger didn't happen because of our antiquated electricity supply & all the hassle that went with it so I told her I installed my own 7kw charger.


She said she gave a lady a courtesy call yesterday who bought the MGZS ev & the OLEV people wouldn't install a 7kw charger at her house because she didn't have a dropped kerb into her driveway

[edwardmk]

so I told her I installed my own 7kw charger.

Curiosity got the better of me. What grade cable did you go with?
6mm or 10mm?

[Lancpudn]

Originally Posted by edwardmk

so I told her I installed my own 7kw charger.

Curiosity got the better of me. What grade cable did you go with?
6mm or 10mm?

I went with 6mm2 SWA cable.

[Lancpudn]

Originally Posted by Lancpudn

I went with 6mm2 SWA cable.

I should have elaborated more, As edwardmk said a 10mm cable would definitely future proof your installation and if you're charging to 100% on a daily basis then yes 10mm cable would be better. But for my own personal use the 6mm2 SWA was adequate enough.


We don't do high mileage or use the car everyday, I've only used the 32A/7kw option on this adjustable charger once to make sure it was working OK. I'm only charging the car twice a month and I just use the 16A option which is plenty fast enough for our use. I was initially going to go with a 16A charger but this 10A,16A,20A,24A,32A adjustable charger worked out cheaper to buy.

[Lancpudn]

As these MG/Roewe BEV's in Europe & UK cannot use the remote i-smart app due to data protection laws there are some apps available that give you more details/functions as to what is going on other than the dashboard readouts.
I bought a OBD diagnostic scanner & the Nissan Leaf Spy app years ago when I was looking into getting a Leaf but it never came about.










There are a couple of apps on Google play store so I downloaded the Car scanner pro & it paired up straight away with bluetooth to the scanner tool I wasn't expecting it to as it's over 5 years old but hey oh it works.
It's on charge at the minute but I'll have a better look at the app & customise it later.


This is just a one screen example.

[Lancpudn]

This MG ZS ev has been averaging 4.2-4.3 miles/Km which I'm really happy with for this crossover vehicle. I've been sorting out the bluetooth scanner on my mobile phone for real time accurate readings of the battery SOC (state of charge) among dozens of other sensor reading.When the dashboard reads 100% charged it's actually 96.8% which is the upper buffer limit.



If you're planning on running the battery down to the wire this scanner tool will give you a lot more accuracy as to the charge left in the battery.









I believe when it goes in for service the software update will reduce the 455.2 V down to 450V to make a bigger buffer so as to let the braking regen put power back into the battery straightaway instead of waiting until the battery is depleted a little from a 100% charge.


I'm still only charging the battery to 75-80% which is the sweet spot if you're not using the car everyday, Not good letting a 100% charged ev sit for days.

[Lancpudn]

Well the AEB (active emergency braking) works well! It's the first time I've encountered it. As I slowing up to the traffic lights some clown decided to change lanes directly in front of me no indicator & the auto AEB kicked it and stopped the car dead without me touching he brake pedal
It makes a weird juddering ABS noise as there's no vacuum on these cars, Damn clever dicky if you ask me.