MG4 in Australia

[wattmatters]

For most of our driving it is great. Local town or our nearest regional centres. And my charging is all from home solar PV (diverted 26 kWh of solar into the car today). Took SOC from 29% to 71%. Before leaving on our trip I charged it to 100% SOC with our solar PV.

But once I go past ~160km then I'm going to need to rely on the charger network to get home. So I can possibly do a return trip as far north as Maclean, as far south as Port Macquarie and as far west as Armidale without a charge, provided I start with 100% and be conscious about consumption. Armidale would be tricky as it's hilly driving.

I booked a hotel in Sydney for us which advertised destination charging, indeed it's a filter option when searching. That was misleading to say the least. I think the booking site must just ask them if their parking area has a power point somewhere in the vicinity and they then tick the box "destination charging available".

I will persist, I'm committed now, and hope that the network does in fact improve.

BTW - I got a response to my email to Chargefox about the Karuah charge stop (no working screens, issues getting charge started, no toilets):

Hi ****,

Thanks for getting in touch.

We are sorry to hear about the poor experience.

The chargers on our network are owned by site hosts - councils and businesses like shopping centres, restaurants and service centres. We provide software platform for charge station owners to manage their chargers and for drivers to be able to find and use them. The site hosts decides on the make and model of charger, location and price. As for the facility at this site, we have passed on your feedback to NRMA.

The charge station owner is aware of issue with the screen on the charger. They are currently waiting on the replacement to be delivered. We will continue to follow up with the owner for updates. Any further update will be posted in the app.

Best regards,
The Chargefox Team

IOW, "it's not us, even though we asked for your feedback anyway".

A lack of accountability.

What does concern me about the regulations for service standards is whether it will just result in stations shutting down, or far fewer actually being built.

 

[Corindikev]

The problem is obvious to me. The network operator doesn't own the chargers. Chargenet in NZ own and operate about 300 chargers & from comments and videos I have seen they are very reliable.

I think Tesla chargers are owned and operated by Tesla as well, but the BP pulse are owned and operated by BP & these are not reliable. Evie partners with Councils, Supermarkets, fast food outlets, NRMA etc and these are also unreliable.

NSW government is offering grants for destination chargers abut who owns installs and maintains these I have no idea.

I have read complaints about some of the BP pulse installations that they have a pair of 75kW chargers but only work well when there is 1 vehicle being charged with some reviews saying that it worked fine till another car hooked up to the other charge and then the speed dropped right back to granny charging speed. This indicates poor installation with insufficient supply capacity.

 

[Coulomb]

have read complaints about some of the BP pulse installations that they have a pair of 75kW chargers but only work well when there is 1 vehicle being charged with some reviews saying that it worked fine till another car hooked up to the other charge and then the speed dropped right back to granny charging speed. This indicates poor installation with insufficient supply capacity.

Or a bug in the charger software/firmware. Why not let both EVs get about half of what is available? Half of "fine" should be a lot faster than granny speed.

 

[Corindikev]

I agree but the real problem is that the supply cable does not have the capacity to supply 150kW as a minimum. This is most likely a BP management decision as the electrical contractors would have known this during installation.The additional cost would likely be pretty high and not in the construction budget.

 

[wattmatters]

The other aspect of highway charging is because the time required to refill is much longer, the facilities need to be supportive of that. Else the transition to electric will struggle.

Clean accessible toilets
Shade/cover/protection from the elements
Somewhere to sit/relax
Security / lighting
Food/drink
Wider charging bays for disabled access (I had a fair bit of trouble getting out of my car at some charge bays)
Queuing bays which are obvious, perhaps even a queuing process
Drive through bays for vehicles towing
Assistance if needed

And of course actual working chargers which are easy to use, not this inconsistent mess we currently have. I have six different charger apps, one RFID card plus two charge station support apps.

With my regular car I can just rock up at any servo, fill up using the exact same process no matter who the operator of the bowser is, and pay with my credit/debit card.

A highway charge station should be either:
i. Tap your credit/debit card, plug in and it starts charging, or
ii. Plug in, it recognises the car, starts charging and bills your car's linked account.

 

[Corindikev]

I don't necessarily agree. All a fast charger needs is a power supply unlike a petrol station which needs a lot of infrastructure. Installing them at shopping centres and existing servos is a no brainer if the necessary power can be supplied.

I'd prefer to see more chargers at more locations which I think would spread the load more than having the same number at fewer locations because there is shopping etc.

The 4 at Helensvale train station car park has the toilets nearby and the shopping centre about 7 or 8 minutes walk. This is not ideal for anyone who has a physical disability but good for me as I get a bit of exercise & by the time I get back there is probably sufficient charge to resume my journey for another 2 hours or so.

More hotels and motels should install destination chargers in an effort to encourage EV owners to visit and stay there. There is an investment required but the NSW government is offering grants to install these. Even all weather GPOs would be better than nothing if you can charge for 10 or 12 hours with the granny charger.

 

[wattmatters]

I don't necessarily agree. All a fast charger needs is a power supply unlike a petrol station which needs a lot of infrastructure. Installing them at shopping centres and existing servos is a no brainer if the necessary power can be supplied.

That makes sense.

I'd prefer to see more chargers at more locations which I think would spread the load more than having the same number at fewer locations because there is shopping etc.

Yes to that too!

This is not ideal for anyone who has a physical disability but good for me as I get a bit of exercise & by the time I get back there is probably sufficient charge to resume my journey for another 2 hours or so.

For sure, however what us men think is adequate does not mean it is suitable for all.

For instance, women will have quite a different view on what feels safe/secure for them.

When we stopped at a spot which turned out had no toilet, well I just found a tree. My wife though, not so fast. Fortunately we found a local shopkeeper willing to help her out.

I asked my wife at each location whether she would stop at a given charge station if it were just her. Her answers were pretty revealing. Some she thought were really good (charger performance aside), while others she would be pretty nervous/uncomfortable and would avoid if possible.

A poorly lit charge station located away from facilities or a facility with no staff on site or closed is not an appealing place to be stuck for 30 minutes or so, especially at night in an unfamiliar location.

More hotels and motels should install destination chargers

Definitely. That hotel car park I posted a picture of, it would be so easy and and pretty cheap for them to do.

 

[wattmatters]

A change of pace.

Car was topped off this morning to 80% SOC with the solar. Only needed bit over 7 kWh to get there.

The AC power demand chart:

The power varies depending on available solar.

At the moment I cap AC charging to 25 A, although sometimes I set that to 16 A so as to drag out the charge session duration (it helps to have some load throughout the peak solar output hours to help keep grid voltage down on that phase). I probably should have done that today as I've run out of storage loads.

Note the trickle charge right at the end for about 10 minutes. I've noticed that before when it reaches the 80% (or higher) charge setting - it seems to be doing some cell balancing.

Here's a zoom in to see what sort of power it is drawing during those minutes:

 

[Miles]

I have owned my MG4 Essence 64 for just over 3 weeks and it is time for its first charge. Everything worked to plan (as you would expect) and the app noted a 5.1 kW "Charging Power". Not quite the 6.6 kW I expected. I read the Owners Manual and it is good but talks about "battery types 1, 2 and 3" with tables and explanations etc. BUT what battery pack do I have? I have read about the chemistry in this forum, but there must be some label in the car that (when deciphered?) will tell me or a service person with what we/they are dealing.

I am only using a one phase cable (32A) so expect no more; but can I get more AC kWs?

Cheers
Miles

 

[wattmatters]

I have owned my MG4 Essence 64

BUT what battery pack do I have?

The Essence 64 has the 64 kWh Lithium NMC battery pack.

Everything worked to plan (as you would expect) and the app noted a 5.1 kW "Charging Power".

What sort of charge station are you using?

 

[Miles]

Thanks wattmatters,
NMC is a chemistry. The Owners Manual says nothing about chemistry, but Types 1,2,3. I can find nothing that relates vehicle to Type.

The local unit is 3-phase, capable of 11kW on a mate‘s EQC. Me: 5.1.
Also tested on a 1-phase home EVSE, same result for me.

 

[Corindikev]

The Essence 64 only has a single phase charger so connecting it to an 11 kW 3 phase charge will only charge on 1 phase. The other 2 have no pins. So the maximum you can charge at is 3.7 kW.

Also a single phase charger is usually capable of 32 amps which at 230 volts is 7.36 kW. The car's charger is limited to 6.6 kW. The supply cable to the EVSE should be big enough to supply a constant 32 Amps. The cable to mine is 6 mm² and over the distance of 12 metres is capable of delivering 50 amps at 45 deg C with minimal voltage loss of 1.1% or 2.7V.

With this supply setup I get 6.59 kW constantly so more or less full charge capacity..

Type 1, 2, & 3 batteries refer to:

• 1 the 51 kWh LFP battery in the Excite 51,
• 2 the 64 kWh NMC battery in the Essence 64, and
• 3 the 77kWh NMC in the Essence Long range 77.

 

[Miles]

Type 1, 2, & 3 batteries refer to 1 the 51 kWH LFP battery in the Excite 51, 2 the 64 kWH NMC battery in the Essence 64 and 3 the 77kWH NMC in the Essence Long range 77.

Corindakev,
Thanks. This forum is excellent.

May I ask where this information is published? Or even better can it be deduced from a label attached to the vehicle. (By the way MG MOTORS does not know or chooses not to share with a casual enquirer, me)

 

[wattmatters]

NMC is a chemistry. The Owners Manual says nothing about chemistry, but Types 1,2,3. I can find nothing that relates vehicle to Type.

Corindikev has answered you well.

MG have a specifications document on their website which you might like to download for future reference:

MG Motor Australia

Learn more about the all-new MG4 Electric

mgmotor.com.au

Scroll down until you see the option to "View Specifications". That will open up or download a pdf document with all the specs.

 

[RP67]

I've done:

• Remove centre headrest.
• Replacement interior LEDs
• Add mudflaps
• Replace tweeters and door woofers with Sony.
• Add a plastic boot liner

Mats were included

Looking into dashcams and towbar options at the moment.

How do you feel about the new speakers? Did they improve the sound quality at all?

 

[coff33]

Chargenet in NZ own and operate about 300 chargers & from comments and videos I have seen they are very reliable.

I did travel in NZ with an EV and did come across a couple of Chargenet chargers that were out. But more than that, the biggest issue was that at almost all sites there was only 1 charger (CCS), only few had a couple. So on busy weekends if a few EVs show up then you have to wait. Why is it that only Tesla can install multiple chargers? I did a trip from Auckland to Wellington and best place to charge was the Tesla superchargers that have been opened up to other cars. But they are very expensive.

 

[PeterM]

But once I go past ~160km then I'm going to need to rely on the charger network to get home. So I can possibly do a return trip as far north as Maclean, as far south as Port Macquarie and as far west as Armidale without a charge, provided I start with 100% and be conscious about consumption. Armidale would be tricky as it's hilly driving.

100% this.
We went with the Excite 51 as 99% of our driving is Sydney metro and we have a 2nd (larger) car for family trips.
Until the new chargers are installed along the M1 we can't even make the return trip in the MG4 to my inlaws who are in the hunter region, unless we slow charge at their house (which is the last thing I want to do!).

It's one thing to install infrastructure along main routes that enable people to get from A to B, but it's another thing when people want to explore and they make 75 detours along the way from A to B.

 

[leonkernan]

How do you feel about the new speakers? did they improved the sound quality at all?

Even just the new tweeters in the dash made an astounding difference. The stock ones are just awful.

I'm still to put speakers in the rear doors.

 

[Corindikev]

I was a rabid audiophile when I was in my 20s with some of the best audio gear around. I still have the Celestion Ditton66 studio monitor speakers I bought in London in 1974. Now my 73 year old ears are not so sensitive.

I found that by tweaking with the equaliser, sound balancing, virtual subwoofer and other sound settings the sound is quite acceptable, better than I have heard in some other cars with 8 speakers. I haven't listened to the latest Tesla model Y system though. It has 17 speakers. There will always be some external noise from the tyres and wind so sound will never be perfect

 

[Corindikev]

I did travel in NZ with an EV and did come across a couple of Chargenet chargers that were out. But more than that, the biggest issue was that at almost all sites there was only 1 charger (CCS), only few had a couple. So on busy weekends if a few EVs show up then you have to wait. Why is it that only Tesla can install multiple chargers. I did a trip from Auckland to Wellington and best place to charge was the Tesla superchargers that have been opened up to other cars. But they are very expensive.

I think Tesla chargers are free to Tesla owners but are very expensive in Australia too but they always seem to be at least 4 double outlet chargers installed. Cost seems generally related to charging speed so 350kW chargers are always the most expensive so the fuel cost is not that much less than petrol.