Owning and using an MG ZS EV electric car

We have recently purchased our first electric car - a second-hand MG ZS EV 2022 Essence model. I have been keen to drive and EV for over a decade.  

MG ZS EV Essence

MG ZS EV Essence

We plan to use the EV for mostly city trips, replacing a 10 year old diesel  Opel Astra.

A wider variety of EVs are now available in 2024 (even in Australia!). 

Reasonably priced vehicles are available and there are numerous charging locations.

What I really like about the MG EV:

• Its quiet and has good performance and handling
• Regenerative braking saves energy
• No carbon emissions pollution at tailpipe
• Self folding mirrors when locking car
• Type 2 charge connection (the most common)
• 320km range is acceptable
• Good design - speed and other information are on the dash in front of the driver like conventional cars
• SUV style - good ground clearance and seating position. Good size rear seating.
• The information display screen in the centre of the dash is well positioned and a good size (not too big!)
• 20,000km service intervals! Services cost around $200.
• Air-conditioning works well
• Camera shows rear of car when reversing and front when going forward during parking
• Its reasonably priced and some good second-hand vehicles are available.

Excellent tech features:

• 360 degree camera, and blind spot assistance (Essence model only)
• Built in GPS navigation easy to use (without Android auto)
• Android Auto support (to get wireless you need a wireless dongle such as AAWireless)
• Vehicle to Load (VTL) support can provide a connection from the car battery to 240V sockets for running 240V appliances up to 2.2 kW(separate connecter cable is required for this).

Some things I have discovered:

• The supplied 240V charger takes up to 40 hours to fully charge a flat battery
• A domestic AC wall charger can be installed for around $2500. Single phase provides 7-9kW, three phase unit provides up to 22kw. The MG allows a maximum AC charge of 11kw so we will install the single phase - either a Zappi 2.1 or a Wallbox Pulsar Max with solar integration
• To fast charge the car at an Ampol service station I installed the AmpCharge app.  In 35 minutes 18.3 kWh charged about 40% of the battery for $12.91
• Some Tesla chargers have been made available to other car brands, but not many.
• The PlugShare app and website is great for locating charging points and seeing if they are available.
• Chargers are either tethered (with lead and plug) or untethered (no lead or plug). You need to carry a Type 2 charge cable to use untethered chargers.  EVSE have reasonably priced cables.
• The 2022 MG ZS EV model has a better lithium ion battery than earlier models and better range

Problem with binding car to app/account

• The MG iSMART app can be used to access car features, including its location.
• However the vehicle can only be "bound" to one account.
• The previous owner deleted his account before unbinding the car. I cannot bind to it.
• The car has to go to an MG dealer to unbind it so I can access it via the app (quoted cost $120 but they did it for free).

MG iSMART mobile app functions 

• Remotely turn on the aircon
• Lock/unlock the car
• Check the battery and see charging status
• Set a geofence with alerts and see the car's location. 

Service intervals

Service intervals are every 20,000km!  However, when visiting the dealer to get the unbinding done they said they need the car all day for a major software update, so I have booked that in.

Features missing from Australian model

• Car voice commands (but note that Android Auto voice commends work)
• Electric tailgate
• Rear seat centre armrests and cup holders

Under the bonnet

Charging the MG ZS EV

Ampcharge app information while charging

Misinformation about EVs is rife at the moment - 

This is presumably originating from 20C car makers and some fossil fuel companies worried about losing their markets for polluting fossil fuel vehicles and fuel. Some examples include:

• "Embodied energy" - all vehicles have "embodied energy" - the energy consumed to produce them
• "Battery life"- EVs have advanced battery management with the battery designed for 10+ years use
• "Not suitable for long trips" - charging stops do need to be factored in, especially on busy routes (e.g. Melbourne to Sydney). Its recommended to stop every 2 hours on long trips.

"Hydrogen powered cars will be better"

• Rolling out hydrogen refuelling infrastructure will be very expensive and slow
• Brown hydrogen is extracted from fossil fuels including coai, the process produces large quantities of carbon emissions 
• Blue hydrogen uses steam to separate hydrogen from natural gas
• Green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis, requiring significant amounts of electricity from renewable energy 
• See Green, blue, brown: the colours of hydrogen explained, CSIRO and The colours of hydrogen explained, Swinburne 

Senator Kim Carr happily subsidises fossil fuel but not electric vehicles

It is very disappointing that the Australian Government continues to provide massive subsidies for fossil fuels - around $9 billion per year - while Senator Kim Carr has ruled out any subsidies for electric vehicles.

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

The federal government instead believes the future of the car industry lies in the development of existing technology across petrol, diesel and LPG engines.

''It's not our intention to run programs to support any particular form of technology,'' Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Kim Carr said.

This is yet another example of the failure of the Australian Government and our elected representatives to provide leadership towards a low carbon future.

Electric vehicles can reduce our carbon emissions if they replace fossil fuel powered vehicles, and they can achieve zero emissions when the source of electricity for recharging them is 100% renewable energy.

This is also a missed opportunity to develop an electric vehicle that could be exported around the world.  China, France, Japan, the United States, Germany, Korea and India are all building electric vehicles.

Kim Carr's so called "green car fund" spends $1billion of Australian taxpayers money on very dubious projects such as a "green 6 cyclinder motor" (Ford Australia).

Not surprisingly, the oil companies in Australia regard their profits from fossil fuels to be "safe for 10 years".

Kim, the government should subside the development of low emissions technologies.  You should also remove all subsidies on fossil fuel use.

Electric vehicle on show in Melbourne

I took some photos of the Mitsubishi iMiEV electric vehicle that was on display in Melbourne on 9 April 2009. The car has 30% of the carbon emissions of a comparable petrol car. There is no availability to date for Australia however.


More information and photos: http://www.greenlivingpedia.org/IMiEV_electric_car

Unfortunately the best that General Motors Holden has come up with so far in Australia is to commit to building another four cylinder petrol car - with generous government handouts. They don't seem to realise we are running out of petrol and the age of the electric vehicle has arrived.

Like dinosaurs, these industries will go extinct if they don't adapt. General Motors in the United States is very nearly bankrupt and about to go into receivership.

We need electric cars and we need them now

The Australian car industry is going the way of the American one - a headlong rush to extinction. With long term rises in oil prices inevitable, the days of large petrol and diesel powered vehicles are numbered.

Cars with electric drive trains produce 30% less carbon emissions than those powered by internal combustion engines - even taking into account the emissions from coal fired power stations to generate the electricity. They can also transition to being supplied by zero emissions electricity as supplies come on line. Plug in hybrids would be suitable for those requiring a longer range.

Blade Electric Car

Yet, no major Australian manufacturer yet makes an electric car that would be suitable for the majority of short trips made every day in the city. There are less than 300 electric vehicles on Australian roads right now. Unfortunately, the $6.2 billion allocated by the Australian government to make the automotive industry more economically and environmentally sustainable is still focused on tinkering with making internal combustion engines more efficient and hybrids that still require petrol to operate.

This is a missed opportunity. We need electric cars to dramatically reduce our carbon emissions, and we need them now.

Links

• Green cars, Greenlivingpedia
• A New Car Plan For A Greener Future, Media release, Minister - Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Kim Carr and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
• Blade Electric Vehicle - Australia's first production electric vehicle