Loss of power due to empty battery / uphill driving / acceleration / overtaking

Reminder of how Hybrid+ technology works

Thanks to its generous 1.83kWh battery and the adoption of a powerful electric motor, directly connected to the wheels, Hybrid+ technology stands out in 4 major aspects:

1. A driving experience close to an electric vehicle

2. Excellent soundproofing

3. Excellent level of performance

4. Remarkable efficiency

As a reminder, a training course dedicated to Hybrid+ technology is available on your MG Academy training platform.

The architecture of the Hybrid+ technology is designed in such a way that the main traction motor is the electric motor. The combustion engine, for its part, acts as a generator to recharge the battery and supports the electric motor at medium/high speed (parallel hybrid/direct propulsion). Thus, between 0 and approximately 40 km/h: it is only the electric motor that is responsible for driving the wheels.

Power loss phenomenon

During heavy use or intensive driving on roads with steep and long gradients, a loss of power may occur, since the combustion engine must come into action to recharge the battery and/or drive the wheels.


When the battery is discharged - at low speed (between 0 and approximately 40 km/h):

The electric motor is the only traction motor between 0 and 40 km/h. When the battery is discharged, the thermal engine must recharge it through the generator. The power transmitted to the electric motor is therefore that of the generator, i.e. 45kW (approximately 60hp).

When the battery is discharged - at medium/high speed:

The combustion engine is now engaged with the wheels, but the electric motor is no longer engaged or only very little if the battery is discharged. Thus, the power of the combustion engine (75kW or 102hp) is therefore shared between the propulsion of the vehicle and the recharging of the battery via the generator (45kW or 61hp). As a result, the available power may temporarily drop.

As soon as the battery reaches a sufficient charge level (more than 2 bars), this phenomenon disappears and the vehicle regains its initial performance.

Customer case management

First of all, it is imperative to clearly present the benefits and operation of Hybrid+ technology to your customers, explaining the phenomenon of temporary power loss that can be felt in the driving conditions explained above. All this with the aim of giving precise answers to your customers who may be regularly confronted with this phenomenon (daily mountain driving for example), and reassure those who experience it little or not at all (urban driving, or on roads with few hills).

In addition, we are pleased to announce that an update is already available for the ZS Hybrid+ on the After-Sales side. This update must be carried out as part of your new vehicle deliveries under the code PD052. If the vehicle has already been delivered, a standard update of the calculators must be carried out.

This update will significantly reduce this phenomenon during medium/high speed phases, by optimizing the battery recharge phases. In short, it will increase everyday comfort, especially during driving phases with long differences in altitude.


The MG3 Hybrid+, less affected by this phenomenon, has also benefited from an update since September 2024 (No. SI-TB2024110101). Our Research and Development center regularly develops new updates and we will keep you informed as soon as new updates are available.

Please share all of this information with your Sales and After-Sales teams.
 
DMeine said:
Sur le chemin du retour, j'ai encore une fois dû constater que la voiture en mode normal avec ACC n'accélérait pas lors d'un dépassement. La batterie était vide à l'exception de 2 barres et elle n'accélérait plus, et ce à 110 km/h. Si quelque chose comme ça se produit sur une route de campagne, cela peut vite devenir dangereux. Le moteur à combustion veut constamment charger la batterie au lieu de donner toute sa puissance aux roues motrices.

Curieusement, cela arrive rarement lorsque la voiture est conduite en mode ECO avec limiteur au lieu de Normal / Sport avec ACC. Mais cela ne peut pas être la solution

Il nous est également arrivé, en roulant lentement en montée, que la voiture n'accélère plus correctement.

Quoi qu'il en soit, la voiture est de retour à l'atelier aujourd'hui et j'espère qu'il y a déjà une mise à jour pour elle. Car que voulez-vous d'une voiture qui a presque 200 ch et avec laquelle vous ne pouvez même pas dépasser, sinon cela se transforme en un jeu de loterie. Il serait également agréable de pouvoir toujours voir le niveau de la batterie, après tout, il y a suffisamment d'espace sur l'écran pour entretenir le compteur de vitesse ou le compte-tours. MG devrait lire le forum et mieux répondre aux demandes et ne pas transformer les clients en objets de test.
Click to expand...
Bonjour, je rencontre les mêmes problèmes que vous. Cette me paraît dangereuse en montagne et sur l'autoroute. Pas assez de puissance et moteur qui monte à 4000 tours minutes
[ Moderator: Please post in English. ]

Hello, I have the same problems as you. This seems dangerous to me in the mountains and on the highway. Not enough power and the engine goes up to 4000 rpm.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
On the new MG ZS hybrid 2025 who can go around 62 miles in pure ev mode.

Can you drive it on ev mode and have heat on car when its minus 20 outside without the engine to start?
 
dragonevo said:
On the new MG ZS hybrid 2025 who can go around 62 miles in pure ev mode.

Can you drive it on ev mode and have heat on car when its minus 20 outside without the engine to start?
Click to expand...

As the ZS Hybrid has no additional electric heater, you can't really use it with heater on and no combustionm engine for longer drive unless the cabin is really heated up, unfortunately.
 
jack said:
Bonjour, je rencontre les mêmes problèmes que vous. Cette me paraît dangereuse en montagne et sur l'autoroute. Pas assez de puissance et moteur qui monte à 4000 tours minutes
[ Moderator: Please post in English. ]

Hello, I have the same problems as you. This seems dangerous to me in the mountains and on the highway. Not enough power and the engine goes up to 4000 rpm.
Click to expand...
Software PD052 is now available in the UK and Ireland to address this problem.You need to contact your MG dealership for an appointment.I am getting to update on Wednesday,along with another update for ACC.

Anon70 said:
Have a look at this video from timestamp 12:25 onward, might explain the behaviour you are seeing

Click to expand...

Update PD 052 is nowavailable in UK and Ireland.Contact your dealership for an appointment.
 
So the update is installed. I've only driven 15km. What I can say is that it's less agitated, it doesn't yell at me and even at 150km/h it still had enough power to accelerate. From the looks of things, it now does what its competitors do with other brands. Above a certain speed, the combustion engine is the main drive and is supported by the electric motor when necessary, e.g. to accelerate, which saves the battery. I haven't noticed any increase in consumption, but I'll keep an eye on it.
 
The only thing I noticed about the update was when I went up a steep incline to where I work only a few minutes ago was the fact that the climb was really comfortable and there was no struggle to the top of the incline. So I am quite happy with that. I did not get a chance to drive above 80 km/h coming into work or overtake as the route into where I work was fairly busy. I'm looking forward to doing some motorway driving to see how that goes.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
DMeine said:
So the update is installed. I've only driven 15km. What I can say is that it's less agitated, it doesn't yell at me and even at 150km/h it still had enough power to accelerate. From the looks of things, it now does what its competitors do with other brands. Above a certain speed, the combustion engine is the main drive and is supported by the electric motor when necessary, e.g. to accelerate, which saves the battery. I haven't noticed any increase in consumption, but I'll keep an eye on it.
Click to expand...
Please can you let me know if you notice a change in fuel consumption after the update.
 
Mick78 if there is no electric heater in the car how can you put the heating on with the mg smart app?
 
As you can see thede figures are from today.
 

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Set off this morning at +3 degrees, steering wheel and seat heating on, air conditioning was still off. I then set off fully electrically without the combustion engine for about 1.5 km as there is a hill at the edge of town. There the combustion engine started with a half-full battery and I switched on the air conditioning, I drove slowly up the hill, at the top the battery was still half full. Then I drove onto our highway and had to overtake a few vehicles straight away, and the accelerating used up the battery to just two bars and the combustion engine then revved up to 4000 rpm, but only until the battery was half full again, then the rpm immediately dropped. Shortly before work there was another slow stretch where the combustion engine turned at about 2000 rpm until the battery was full and then drove purely electrically.
The fuel consumption according to the BC has not changed from before. What has changed is that it revs faster at low speeds and that when the battery is being charged, it requires a little more rpm from the combustion engine when driving slowly so that the battery is charged faster without constantly revving up for short periods. The vehicle is much more relaxed and therefore also quieter.
 
That would have been my experience on a smaller scale as my commute is purely urban with one steep hill to contend with.The fastest that I would drive in that commute is 80KM/PH, However since the update I have also noticed that the revs are reducing quicker and the drive of the car is compatible with other hybrids that I driven.
 
john0555 said:
Mick78 if there is no electric heater in the car how can you put the heating on with the mg smart app?
Click to expand...
If you start the heater form the iSmart app, which you can, it will start the combustion engine, but also display a warning that you should make sure that this is legal in your area (which, in most European countries, it isn't). As DMeine said, no electric heater in the MG.
 
To be honest I have not even tried that.I had a MG4 prior to the ZS and I did not use that function.I would not be not one to use it.I would use the heated steering wheel only.I am not aware of any such lawin Ireland though.
 
FromParis said:
Reminder of how Hybrid+ technology works

Thanks to its generous 1.83kWh battery and the adoption of a powerful electric motor, directly connected to the wheels, Hybrid+ technology stands out in 4 major aspects:

1. A driving experience close to an electric vehicle

2. Excellent soundproofing

3. Excellent level of performance

4. Remarkable efficiency

As a reminder, a training course dedicated to Hybrid+ technology is available on your MG Academy training platform.

The architecture of the Hybrid+ technology is designed in such a way that the main traction motor is the electric motor. The combustion engine, for its part, acts as a generator to recharge the battery and supports the electric motor at medium/high speed (parallel hybrid/direct propulsion). Thus, between 0 and approximately 40 km/h: it is only the electric motor that is responsible for driving the wheels.

Power loss phenomenon

During heavy use or intensive driving on roads with steep and long gradients, a loss of power may occur, since the combustion engine must come into action to recharge the battery and/or drive the wheels.


When the battery is discharged - at low speed (between 0 and approximately 40 km/h):

The electric motor is the only traction motor between 0 and 40 km/h. When the battery is discharged, the thermal engine must recharge it through the generator. The power transmitted to the electric motor is therefore that of the generator, i.e. 45kW (approximately 60hp).

When the battery is discharged - at medium/high speed:

The combustion engine is now engaged with the wheels, but the electric motor is no longer engaged or only very little if the battery is discharged. Thus, the power of the combustion engine (75kW or 102hp) is therefore shared between the propulsion of the vehicle and the recharging of the battery via the generator (45kW or 61hp). As a result, the available power may temporarily drop.

As soon as the battery reaches a sufficient charge level (more than 2 bars), this phenomenon disappears and the vehicle regains its initial performance.

Customer case management

First of all, it is imperative to clearly present the benefits and operation of Hybrid+ technology to your customers, explaining the phenomenon of temporary power loss that can be felt in the driving conditions explained above. All this with the aim of giving precise answers to your customers who may be regularly confronted with this phenomenon (daily mountain driving for example), and reassure those who experience it little or not at all (urban driving, or on roads with few hills).

In addition, we are pleased to announce that an update is already available for the ZS Hybrid+ on the After-Sales side. This update must be carried out as part of your new vehicle deliveries under the code PD052. If the vehicle has already been delivered, a standard update of the calculators must be carried out.

This update will significantly reduce this phenomenon during medium/high speed phases, by optimizing the battery recharge phases. In short, it will increase everyday comfort, especially during driving phases with long differences in altitude.


The MG3 Hybrid+, less affected by this phenomenon, has also benefited from an update since September 2024 (No. SI-TB2024110101). Our Research and Development center regularly develops new updates and we will keep you informed as soon as new updates are available.

Please share all of this information with your Sales and After-Sales teams.
Click to expand...
My car has gone back to the dealer for this issue - apparently they've found no faults and diagnostics says all is okay. No update required when they've checked their systems. Does anyone know how is this update being rolled out? I'm in UK
 
mgzshybrid said:
My car has gone back to the dealer for this issue - apparently they've found no faults and diagnostics says all is okay. No update required when they've checked their systems. Does anyone know how is this update being rolled out? I'm in UK
Click to expand...
As an experiment I rang round 10 UK dealers. None of them were aware of any updates. None of them were aware of any loss of acceleration issues. In fact… none of them were aware of anything and couldn’t seem to answer any questions I had. I’m a potential buyer but I’m now starting to have considerable doubts. Seems like they haven’t much clue.
 

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