Charging woes. Am I just being dense?

[Maximillian]

Hi MG forum. This is my first time here. I came to it the way most do... searching Google for a solution for Charging woes with MG .
The problem. Car was new last July time. it has worked well and is just what we needed in a first time all electric. We have done 1 long journey but mostly all our trips are 30 miles or less. We have been charging from a home BP pulse charge point** and this last month to 6 weeks the batteries will not charge to full capacity. We have tried doing a few slow charges with the 3pin as this is what the manual seems to suggest. How much charge it takes varies a lot from just over 100 miles to sometimes 140 ish but never to the full 160 it used to. Is this normal? Does capacity fall off this quickly or are we doing something wrong or should we talking to the dealership? Any help greatly appreciated.

**what a performance getting that was,, but thats a whole other story

 

[Jomarkh]

You should be able to balance on a 7.5kw unit just leave it on an extra few hours, it will only draw what it needs then turn off.
The cold weather has really hit the range so if you are using the heater etc it will drop a lot. Try getting in with nothing turned on and see what it says?

 

[Bazzer44]

Done c 8000 since purchase in January this year , only once got over 163 and every other time got 145 to 156 on eco , have used rapid,fast and slow chargers, not been a problem but will watch you rep.ies with a great deal of interest , good luck

 

[Maximillian]

Thanks for the replies Jomarkh and Bazzer44

Going to do a slow 3pin charge again tonight. Miles remaining show as 103 range left so will see where it charges to. (Is it better to run car until low battery warning comes on then slow charge from there to get a better charge?)
I am going past the dealership at the weekend so I'm going to pop in and see what they recommend. Will report back then.

 

[BruceT]

Thanks for the replies Jomarkh and Bazzer44

Going to do a slow 3pin charge again tonight. Miles remaining show as 103 range left so will see where it charges to. (Is it better to run car until low battery warning comes on then slow charge from there to get a better charge?)
I am going past the dealership at the weekend so I'm going to pop in and see what they recommend. Will report back then.

I'm going to assume your BP charge point is 7-7.5 Kw? you will absolutely be fine doing a balancing charge with that, i.e. no benefit from using the granny charger. Basically, plug it in and leave it until tomorrow. in the morning reset the trip meter, turn off HVAC and check the voltage and range on the GOM........ report back to the 'hive mind'

 

[Gomev]

... (Is it better to run car until low battery warning comes on then slow charge from there to get a better charge?)
...

No. Plug in and recharge/balance at any state of charge. You only need to run it down to about 90/95% SOC and do the slow charge/balance from there. That will also save you time.

 

[mcjadt]

Really obvious, but worth remembering ... if air con is on when you start the charge it is automatically on when you power up afterwards. That might account for the missing miles.

 

[Lovemyev]

I'm going to assume your BP charge point is 7-7.5 Kw? you will absolutely be fine doing a balancing charge with that, i.e. no benefit from using the granny charger. Basically, plug it in and leave it until tomorrow. in the morning reset the trip meter, turn off HVAC and check the voltage and range on the GOM........ report back to the 'hive mind'

Good advice !.
Just to add, you can charge from a rapid, but you can not perform a balance cycle from one !.
You have to use a A/C unit to carry out a balance.
Don’t stop the charge or remove the cable when the car displays “Charge Complete”.
This when the balance cycle commences !.
Leave it connected and the car will automatically turn off the wall box or “Granny” when it finishes the balance.
This can take anything from 1 hour to 8 hours depending on out of balance your pack really is.
It will max out at around 10 hours if it is unable to balance the pack completely.
You will notice that the MG badge will omit a slow steady pulse while charging.
It will change to a soft constant glow when it is in balance mode.
With the badge light goes out, it is finished.
Reset BOTH of your mileage trip recorders before you start.
Then when the balance is complete, eave your foot OFF the footbrake and boot up the car.
Make sure EVERYTHING in the car is switched OFF !.
Now scroll through the menu’s until you reach the battery menu shown in the dash panel.
What does the voltage and predicted range say now ????.

 

[Lovemyev]

Really obvious, but worth remembering ... if air con is on when you start the charge it is automatically on when you power up afterwards. That might account for the missing miles.

Good shout !.
Make sure you turn off the HVAC before you power down the car !.
If you don’t, when you boot up the car the following day, it will automatically reduce the predicted range instantly !.

 

[Maximillian]

Thanks MG EV forum. . Its great to know there are so many people ready to help and give good advice. Lovemyev: That's is really helpful. I did not realise it had to be left on when it was done charging. Will certainly give that a try.
Due to a family illness I may not be able to report back for a few days but will as soon as possible.

 

[Lovemyev]

Thanks MG EV forum. . Its great to know there are so many people ready to help and give good advice. Lovemyev: That's is really helpful. I did not realise it had to be left on when it was done charging. Will certainly give that a try.
Due to a family illness I may not be able to report back for a few days but will as soon as possible.

Your very welcome !.
Hope your family recovers quickly.
Take good care.