Not getting the advertised range on full charge

[DB Go Rex]

I think if you were to push all the waste heat of an ice engine into the cabin, even on the coldest days you'd be boiling, possibly literally. On the highway, an engine is using some 20 kW of mechanical power to maintain a steady speed, so twice that (assuming about ⅓ efficiency, hence ⅔ waste heat) would be some 40 kW, way too much heat for comfort. Think of an ICE car with a faulty radiator, and all the steam that comes out of that!

Yes of course.
Whether some of that is still wasted anyway or not, It's "free" (or at least waste) energy that an EV has to spend somewhere else.

 

[tezzflyer]

Okay, so as you have the NMC battery, what is your usual charging level set at ?.
Have you tried resetting both of your trips yet ?.
So, you are a relatively a low / average milage user then.
Historical driving data is stored by the car and is used to predict the range ( after you have charged ) on the GOM.
IF you have not reset your trips for a while, this can influence the predicted figures show, as your range after charging.
Resetting the trips prior to charging should offer a figure that is closer to the ball park figure of the estimated WLTP range of the car.
Remember, the cold weather WILL have a big negative affect on that predicted range though.
To offer you a some type of comparison, we also have a Trophy LR that is about 18 months old and has covered, roughly about 15,000 miles.
Long story short, I have been monitoring my predicted range on car from it's collection date in March 2022.
It has been exclusively charged from our home A/C wall box and has not been subjected to D/C rapid charging.
My charging schedule level, has mainly been set to a 80% SOC and with both trips zero'd before charging.
Charging to above 80% has only happened on a handful of occasions.
I have chosen to adopt this because one it suits our needs perfectly and two it offers a means of consistently plotting the cars charging behaviour set against the predicted range it offers.
So, it has returned a predicted range of between 211 - 212 miles consistently, over that time scale.
However, as the ambient temp has dropped recently to as low as -5 degrees here, the predicted range has reduced it it's estimated value.
Why, simply because the HV battery pack is extremely cold.
Our car sit's on the drive 24 / 7 and is exposed to all of the weather elements, either good or bad.
When I completed a charge to 80% a few days ago ( both trips reset ) it predicted a reduced range of 206 miles.
Therefore, this clearly displays the negative effect that low ambient temperatures has on the HV pack.
"This is nothing to see here folks" and should be expected in bad winter conditions.
ICE cars are affected in a similar fashion, but as they are dragging around a huge back up of fuel / energy reserves in their tanks, nobody is that interested TBH.

I don't think the drop from 212 miles range to 206 miles range is worth mentioning, mine has dropped by over a third? That is all useful info though, so thanks for that, i will reserve my worrying about a duff battery till next spring!

 

[RobinH]

I find rain makes as much, if not more of a difference than temperature. Increased rolling resistance, increased demisting, and the energy used to pick up and throw aside literally tonnes of water from the road over the course of a long journey.
In my old Volt I used all the available battery capacity on my daily commute and I found the range could be higher on a cold dry winter day than a warm wet summer day.

 

[Lovemyev]

I don't think the drop from 212 miles range to 206 miles range is worth mentioning, mine has dropped by over a third? That is all useful info though, so thanks for that, i will reserve my worrying about a duff battery till next spring!

Have you tried resetting your trips and how has this changed the predicted range now ?.
Ensure your HVAC is completely turned OFF and you are in the default driving mode when you view the results after a full charge.
YES - I fully conversant with the affects of this action.
@tezzflyer I am not in any way concerned about my drop in range in winter from 212 to 206.
I only provide this in order for you to see what another likewise Trophy LR owner has been seeing.
It was provided purely as a back to back comparison on a like for like basis .

 

[Sotirakis]

My MG ZS EV is a long range and around 8months old. Lately on a full charge I have been getting around 248 miles and it seems to keep dropping every time I charge. Is this normal?

The car has a 75kW dc transformer. Charge it at 50kW. This reduces the magnetic field disturbances in the battery, allowing smoother charging. If you can fast charge up to 80%, then use your 3 pin charger (2kW ac) at home up to 100%, your battery will eventually regulate to give you a higher range. Mine was achieving 375, until I had it serviced. Now it's down to 275m. Whatever they did in the service disturbed the battery.
In the cold weather, you have the same charge as in the hot. But the electrons are more sluggish, so you use more electron for the same performance. No different to a combustion engine. This is reflected when the car calculates the distance when temperature is taken into account. The Mg ZS EV has an optimum speed of 45mph, 5 less than a combustion engine. Whatever car you spike eventually causes damage. Gentle acceleration helps to regulate the chemistry in the battery, improving range, increasing budget tyres to 20000 miles. With engine retardation, there is no appreciable wear on the breaks, something you cannot achieve with a combustion engine.

Yes

 

[Coulomb]

The car has a 75kW dc transformer.

? What makes you say that? It has a ~130kW DC-AC converter (the motor controller) and a ~7kW AC-DC converter (the On-Board Charger).

This reduces the magnetic field disturbances in the battery, allowing smoother charging.

There will be mild magnetic fields associated with any high current conductors, not just in the battery, e.g. when accelerating or rapid charging. But rapid charging is a steady thing, there are no "disturbances" to reduce.

 

[johnnyboy]

My MG ZS EV is a long range and around 8months old. Lately on a full charge I have been getting around 248 miles and it seems to keep dropping every time I charge. Is this normal?

Always remember, the more you switch on, the more power you use, eg infotainment system, lights, heater etc, all use power & so decrease your range

 

[taylorg]

My MG ZS EV is a long range and around 8months old. Lately on a full charge I have been getting around 248 miles and it seems to keep dropping every time I charge. Is this normal?

my car is only three months old and on 100percent it is only showing 220 miles wish i had not got it worst decision of my life taylor g.

 

[apzs]

my car is only three months old and on 100percent it is only showing 220 miles wish i had not got it worst decision of my life taylor g.

It is really cold right now. Batteries don't like cold temperatures. The range will increase in warmer months. Things you can do to make sure the car delivers the best range is. Pre-heat the battery before setting off on long distances, drive on eco, use heated seats. I don't really agree with driving slow at 50mph because that just defeats the point but pre heating the battery has yielded good range even in winter months.

 

[Ruislip Resident]

my car is only three months old and on 100percent it is only showing 220 miles wish i had not got it worst decision of my life taylor g.

That would be correct for this time of year. It will show circa 300 in the summer.

 

[Lovemyev]

my car is only three months old and on 100percent it is only showing 220 miles wish i had not got it worst decision of my life taylor g.

Before you conduct your NEXT full charge to 100%.
Try resetting both of your trip recorders FIRST.
Now...... What does the GOM predict ?.
Aarhhhhh - That's a bit better .

 

[apzs]

Before you conduct your NEXT full charge to 100%.
Try resetting both of your trip recorders FIRST.
Now...... What does the GOM predict ?.
Aarhhhhh - That's a bit better .

Keyword is GOM. It will drop again based on driving but does give some reassurance

 

[Lovemyev]

This is true of course, IF the usage pattern, weather conditions and the heavy continued use of the cabin heater etc, remains the same in cold weather conditions.
All of the above are contributing to the what some new EV owners become extremely concerned and therefore worried about the health of the traction batter, when there reported range after a full charge appears to be continuing to drop after each and every charge.
The car will store all historical usage data and then uses this in an attempt to PREDICT the range for the next trip on the GOM after a charging cycle.
Resetting the trips will at least offer a little reassurance to a new EV owner, that the traction battery has not suddenly deteriorated as badly as the figures on the GOM might first suggest.
Batteries are a little like us, they operate and function better, when the abient temperatures are a little kinder .

 

[Silver estate]

This is true of course, IF the usage pattern, weather conditions and the heavy continued use of the cabin heater etc, remains the same in cold weather conditions.
All of the above are contributing to the what some new EV owners become extremely concerned and therefore worried about the health of the traction batter, when there reported range after a full charge appears to be continuing to drop after each and every charge.
The car will store all historical usage data and then uses this in an attempt to PREDICT the range for the next trip on the GOM after a charging cycle.
Resetting the trips will at least offer a little reassurance to a new EV owner, that the traction battery has not suddenly deteriorated as badly as the figures on the GOM might first suggest.
Batteries are a little like us, they operate and function better, when the abient temperatures are a little kinder .

Should I put cider in my coolant bottle then

 

[hmadsen]

my car is only three months old and on 100percent it is only showing 220 miles wish i had not got it worst decision of my life taylor g.

The first advice i see when people ask "Why is my range not what it was advertised" on the Tesla forum i frequent, the answer is always the same.

Range is dynamic and affected by a thousand parameters, change the readout to % and forget about the range figure.

It's a bit like wanting your mobile phone to show the remaining state of charge, measured in hours and minutes, i think most people would understand, that this would never be very accurate as it depends on how much screen on time you have, how many phone calls you make and so on.

I only look at 2 figures to be honest....State of charge in percentage and wh per mile) and those 2 numbers give me a lot more accurate information on how far i can expect to travel on the remaining charge.

 

[fred12345]

my car is only three months old and on 100percent it is only showing 220 miles wish i had not got it worst decision of my life taylor g.

is that the only reason you regret buying ZS? surely you paid much less for it than for something that achieves 300 miles in winter? unless you drive 200 miles without stopping, really not a big deal to top up the battery whilst you grab a coffee... even with my old diesel, I had to stop every 2-3 hours to "refresh" ...

 

[Lovemyev]

is that the only reason you regret buying ZS? surely you paid much less for it than for something that achieves 300 miles in winter? unless you drive 200 miles without stopping, really not a big deal to top up the battery whilst you grab a coffee... even with my old diesel, I had to stop every 2-3 hours to "refresh" ...

My bladder has less capable range than my car these days

 

[DB Go Rex]

my car is only three months old and on 100percent it is only showing 220 miles wish i had not got it worst decision of my life taylor g.

Mine only shows 140 and it’s still workable. You regularly drive large distances?

Winter range isn’t great in this car, granted.

It needs a heat pump

If you are buying an EV in future also prioritise one with with good aero. Dense, cold air with jacked up SUV style bodies are not good for efficiency.

The Ioniq with a heat pump, great aero and NMC battery is much better in winter.

 

[RichyGriff]

Trophy Connect Long Range 23 plate.
About 200-220 miles at the minute.
Hilly, wet and cold where I live. Heater on ALL the time. Drive in comfort. Don't care about the range.

Mines has been down to 196 lately. I’ve just reset both trip clocks and now it’s gone back up to 262. So 11 miles lost in 16 months. I’m happy with that’s

 

[DB Go Rex]

Mines has been down to 196 lately. I’ve just reset both trip clocks and now it’s gone back up to 262. So 11 miles lost in 16 months. I’m happy with that’s

Obviously, this is all GOM figures, not an exact state of health by any stretch