MG makes its ZS electric vehicle affordable

[madhav]

On 8/11/2019 at 7:19 PM, mistral53 said:

One concern raised by other posters is the charging infrastructure - what is your take? Have you done some research on this for trips to outside the city? I have an app (EA anywhere) but unfortunately that only shows the Energy Mahanakhon charging points, I have not yet found an app that covers all charging points.

 

I test drove the MG EV, its a nice car for the price, but it is definitely low end, but compared to the Nissan Leaf starting at THB 2 mil, its a mighty attractive package.

This is one of the better apps that show the charging stations I believe: 

 

https://www.mea.or.th/minisite/meaev

[brfsa2]

21 hours ago, madhav said:

This is one of the better apps that show the charging stations I believe: 

 

https://www.mea.or.th/minisite/meaev

Thanks for the link, I was not aware of this app.

It includes both EA-Anywhere and MEA charge stations, which is great. I also see the MEA stations marked as free.

Is that really free charging? if so that would be awesome. I pass by at least one of them while commuting.

 

[beddhist]

On 8/5/2019 at 8:50 AM, brfsa2 said:

There are Fast charge stations in most big cities now, just takes 40 minutes to recharge on those EA-Anywhere stations.

It seems not. According to plugshare.com there are no fast chargers north of Nakhon Ratchasima. I checked EA Anywhere's web site, but they don't even tell you which chargers are fast and which aren't.

[beddhist]

On 8/11/2019 at 6:19 PM, mistral53 said:

One concern raised by other posters is the charging infrastructure - what is your take? Have you done some research on this for trips to outside the city?

That and the price killed it for us. We live 180 km north of Bkk and my mother-in-law needs to make a monthly trip to hospital in Bkk. Since the car can't make the trip both ways on one charge a trip downtown to a fast charger would be required. The family objected.

 

I would stay away from the Leaf: as far as I can tell its (small) battery has no cooling system. I don't know how they think they can get away with that in this climate.

 

The only EV that would work for us at the moment is the Hyundai Kona with the big battery. I would love to buy that car, but it's twice the price. I could buy a Benz or BMW PHEV for about the same money and not worry about the range.

 

We bought a demo Mazda 3 for half the price. In a few years we may change it for an EV, when/if the situation has improved.

[JoePai]

23 hours ago, beddhist said:

It seems not. According to plugshare.com there are no fast chargers north of Nakhon Ratchasima. I checked EA Anywhere's web site, but they don't even tell you which chargers are fast and which aren't.

Look harder e.g. chargers at Udon airport, K.K., Phitsanulok

[beddhist]

Both these are type 2. As far as I know that is 11kW, not a fast charger. Additionally, the one in KK is 3-phase. I'm not sure how one would use that with an EV. I think you need an adapter for that to work.

 

Fast chargers are shown in brown. I can't see any North of NR when I zoom out.

[madhav]

Try living in the south, according to the app there is almost nothing. If you want to drive from Bangkok to Samui, forget it. Is impossible to do in a day.

 

I do think there are more than what is listed in that app however, because is states Phuket has none. However when I search online I find references to a few luxury hotels listing that they have them.

 

Anyhow one thing is for sure there is a lot of room for improvement if we compare to other countries like Norway.

 

 

[brfsa2]

On 9/18/2019 at 2:28 PM, beddhist said:

Both these are type 2. As far as I know that is 11kW, not a fast charger. Additionally, the one in KK is 3-phase. I'm not sure how one would use that with an EV. I think you need an adapter for that to work.

 

Fast chargers are shown in brown. I can't see any North of NR when I zoom out.

Type-2 is only the plug type. Not about power.

The EA Anywhere type-2 charger is rated 22kW, that means 2 hours to full (80 Baht). I haven't tested myself only saw it written.

 

The home charger which is also type 2 is rated 7.2kW a more reasonably safe current for most of newer houses cabling.

39A, just below the 50A standard meters maximum current.

 

DC fast charging is supported in the MG at 50kW (40 minutes)

 

I was looking at South for Stations, definitely not way it's possible to go south. Not even the long range Kona EV.

 

I think the Kona long range is so much better in everything. Just too expensive... Like you said, BMW 330e is a great option on the same price range.

[beddhist]

Thank you for that important info. That makes the whole charger mess even more complicated. The industry needs to sort this out before people will buy EVs in numbers.

[VocalNeal]

On 9/21/2019 at 7:29 AM, madhav said:

Try living in the south, according to the app there is almost nothing. If you want to drive from Bangkok to Samui, forget it. Is impossible to do in a day.

 

I do think there are more than what is listed in that app however, because is states Phuket has none. However when I search online I find references to a few luxury hotels listing that they have them.

 

Anyhow one thing is for sure there is a lot of room for improvement if we compare to other countries like Norway.

 

 

Surely electric vehicles are an answer to localised pollution in major conurbations. I don't think Samui counts?

[Bandersnatch]

I would be interested to hear any feedback from MG ZS EV owners. I am expecting delivery of mine in a couple of weeks. I just downloaded the English Manual from the UK site. At over 300 pages, there is a lot to get to know.

[macahoom]

7 hours ago, Bandersnatch said:

I would be interested to hear any feedback from MG ZS EV owners. I am expecting delivery of mine in a couple of weeks. I just downloaded the English Manual from the UK site. At over 300 pages, there is a lot to get to know.

 

I have had my car for over three weeks.

 

Have you any specific questions?

 

Re. the manual. It is unnecessarily over-complicated in my opinion. 

[Bandersnatch]

51 minutes ago, macahoom said:

 

I have had my car for over three weeks.

 

Have you any specific questions?

 

Re. the manual. It is unnecessarily over-complicated in my opinion. 

Thanks macahoom. I will be charging mine at home and want to make the most of my solar production, so ideally I would like the car charging when I have excess solar between 10am and 4pm. The MG home charger does not appear to be a smart charger ie the ability to set time of charge and set maximum charge level. So I assume I will have to plug the car in and set a reminder to unplug it.

 

I understand that there is an app which works with the car, have you tried it?

 

I made a list from the manual of all the features that are not on my current car:

 

Any comments on any of these?

 

Hill Descent Control (HDC)
Hill Start Assist
Hill Hold Control (HHC)
Auto Hold - hold the vehicle at lights or stopped traffic 
Pedestrian Alert Control System
Energy Regeneration (KERS)
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
Alarm System
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)
Electronic Brake Assistance (EBA)
Active Rollover Protection (ARP)
Emergency Braking Hazard Warning Lights Control (HAZ)
Electronic Parking Brake (EPB)
Start Assist
Stability Control System (SCS) 
Traction Control System (TCS)
Ultrasonic Sensor Parking Aid
Blind Spot Detection (BSD) 
Lane Change Assist (LCA) 
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Speed Assist System (SAS)
Lane Departure Warning System (LDW)
Lane Departure Prevention System (LDP)
Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
MG Pilot System
Forward Collision Warning System (FCW)
Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEB)
Automatic Emergency Braking System for Pedestrians (AEBP)
 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Bandersnatch

[beddhist]

Then make your solar system smart. Use an Arduino or single board computer to operate an appropriately rated contactor to cut the power off when not enough solar is available. A simple switch bypasses that, in case you want to charge regardless.

 

Wow for all those missing features. We just bought a Mazda 2 top spec and reading the online manual a similar thing has happened here. Manufacturers seem to think Thailand does not warrant such safety features.

 

Watching a review video last night the reviewer said that after rebates the top spec MG sells for 26000 GBP (IIRC). So it looks like we are asked to pay 3 times the money for half the car?

[Chazar]

True  Range is  about 160 UK  Miles as they cant get away with bs  figures there like they can here

[Chazar]

1 hour ago, macahoom said:

 

I have had my car for over three weeks.

 

Have you any specific questions?

 

Re. the manual. It is unnecessarily over-complicated in my opinion. 

Whats the true range?

[Chazar]

On 6/21/2019 at 9:28 AM, newnative said:

  Would not consider all electric but next car might be a hybrid.

Twice as  many things to go wrong imo

[macahoom]

6 minutes ago, beddhist said:

Then make your solar system smart. Use an Arduino or single board computer to operate an appropriately rated contactor to cut the power off when not enough solar is available. A simple switch bypasses that, in case you want to charge regardless.

 

Wow for all those missing features. We just bought a Mazda 2 top spec and reading the online manual a similar thing has happened here. Manufacturers seem to think Thailand does not warrant such safety features.

 

Watching a review video last night the reviewer said that after rebates the top spec MG sells for 26000 GBP (IIRC). So it looks like we are asked to pay 3 times the money for half the car?

 

What missing features are you referring to? The Thai car actually has more features than the UK version.

 

With regard to the Thai price:

 

There's only one version of the MG being sold in Thailand and it's the top model. The top model in the UK is 882,000 baht. And when the UK's initial £3500 (131,000 baht) discount ends, the UK price will rise to 1,013,000 baht. 
 
That's pretty close to the Thai price of 1,190,000 baht. So I don't know where you're getting your numbers from. 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2019 by macahoom

[macahoom]

10 minutes ago, Chazar said:

Whats the true range?

 

I haven't let the battery go to less than 40% charged, so I cannot accurately answer your question.

 

At the moment, the battery is 68% charged and the guess-o-meter range left is 247 kms.

 

Based on my experience so far, I expect I will get over 300 kms on a full charge. Bear in mind that I live in Phuket which has heavy traffic and little opportunity to drive fast - ideal for optimum range in an EV.

[macahoom]

35 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

Thanks macahoom. I will be charging mine at home and want to make the most of my solar production, so ideally I would like the car charging when I have excess solar between 10am and 4pm. The MG home charger does not appear to be a smart charger ie the ability to set time of charge and set maximum charge level. So I assume I will have to plug the car in and set a reminder to unplug it.

 

I understand that there is an app which works with the car, have you tried it?

 

I made a list from the manual of all the features that are not on my current car:

 

Any comments on any of these?

 

Hill Descent Control (HDC)
Hill Start Assist
Hill Hold Control (HHC)
Auto Hold - hold the vehicle at lights or stopped traffic 
Pedestrian Alert Control System
Energy Regeneration (KERS)
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
Alarm System
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)
Electronic Brake Assistance (EBA)
Active Rollover Protection (ARP)
Emergency Braking Hazard Warning Lights Control (HAZ)
Electronic Parking Brake (EPB)
Start Assist
Stability Control System (SCS) 
Traction Control System (TCS)
Ultrasonic Sensor Parking Aid
Blind Spot Detection (BSD) 
Lane Change Assist (LCA) 
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Speed Assist System (SAS)
Lane Departure Warning System (LDW)
Lane Departure Prevention System (LDP)
Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
MG Pilot System
Forward Collision Warning System (FCW)
Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEB)
Automatic Emergency Braking System for Pedestrians (AEBP)
 

 

I only got my app installed a few days ago and have not yet used it when charging the car. But it appears, if you have the cable attached to the car, you can start the charging and set the number of minutes you want it to charge for - all using your phone.

[beddhist]

41 minutes ago, beddhist said:

.. the top spec MG sells for 26000 GBP (IIRC). So it looks like we are asked to pay 3 times the money for half the car?

I better correct myself here. 1.2MB is about 33k GBP, so it's more money for less car. Nothing new here...

[Bandersnatch]

34 minutes ago, beddhist said:

Then make your solar system smart. Use an Arduino or single board computer to operate an appropriately rated contactor to cut the power off when not enough solar is available. A simple switch bypasses that, in case you want to charge regardless.

sounds a bit beyond my abilities ???? I would need a device to record the state of charge of the battery bank, then write a program to interface with power cut off switch.

 

I will try the MG app first. If that doesn't work, I could source a smart charger or maybe just set an alarm on my phone to remind me to unplug.

[macahoom]

41 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

Thanks macahoom. I will be charging mine at home and want to make the most of my solar production, so ideally I would like the car charging when I have excess solar between 10am and 4pm. The MG home charger does not appear to be a smart charger ie the ability to set time of charge and set maximum charge level. So I assume I will have to plug the car in and set a reminder to unplug it.

 

I understand that there is an app which works with the car, have you tried it?

 

I made a list from the manual of all the features that are not on my current car:

 

Any comments on any of these?

 

Hill Descent Control (HDC)
Hill Start Assist
Hill Hold Control (HHC)
Auto Hold - hold the vehicle at lights or stopped traffic 
Pedestrian Alert Control System
Energy Regeneration (KERS)
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
Alarm System
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)
Electronic Brake Assistance (EBA)
Active Rollover Protection (ARP)
Emergency Braking Hazard Warning Lights Control (HAZ)
Electronic Parking Brake (EPB)
Start Assist
Stability Control System (SCS) 
Traction Control System (TCS)
Ultrasonic Sensor Parking Aid
Blind Spot Detection (BSD) 
Lane Change Assist (LCA) 
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Speed Assist System (SAS)
Lane Departure Warning System (LDW)
Lane Departure Prevention System (LDP)
Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
MG Pilot System
Forward Collision Warning System (FCW)
Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEB)
Automatic Emergency Braking System for Pedestrians (AEBP)
 

I love the car. The acceleration is wonderful. The only negatives (other than the overly complicated manual) are to do with the over the top electronics which I still haven't fully got my head around. For example, I keep getting warning bongs but no warning display to tell me what the problem is.  

 

See my comments beside some of the features below:

 

Hill Descent Control (HDC) - Tried this once. Granny drives, very badly, down a steep hill! Never again! It might be useful if you were on a steep hill in a muddy field.
Hill Start Assist - This seems to work the same as the Auto Hold without having to turn the Auto Hold on.
Hill Hold Control (HHC) - Is this different than Hill Start Assist?
Auto Hold - This works well. The manual has a lengthy, over the top description of this feature. All it needs to state is: "Leave this switched on all the time and the handbrake will be automatically applied when you stop, and released when you drive off." 
Pedestrian Alert Control System - Never had the opportunity to test this.
Energy Regeneration (KERS) - Brilliant! I only wish the control for it was on the steering wheel. This feature means that you rarely have to use your brakes. The strongest level (3) is very effective. And every time you use it, you're charging your battery.
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
Alarm System
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)
Electronic Brake Assistance (EBA)
Active Rollover Protection (ARP)
Emergency Braking Hazard Warning Lights Control (HAZ)
Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) 
Start Assist
Stability Control System (SCS) 
Traction Control System (TCS)
Ultrasonic Sensor Parking Aid - Works well.
Blind Spot Detection (BSD) - Works well. 

Lane Change Assist (LCA) - Works well. 
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) - Works well. 

Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) - Love it! Can also check the pressure on your phone. 
Speed Assist System (SAS)
Lane Departure Warning System (LDW) - Works well, providing the lines on the road are in good condition.
Lane Departure Prevention System (LDP) - Works well, providing the lines on the road are in good condition.
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) - Works well, providing the lines on the road are in good condition. 
MG Pilot System - This is the "self-driving" mode. It keeps the car between the white lines and, if you’re going off course, it gently steers you back into the optimum position. It will even steer the car round bends. However, if you take your hands off the wheel for 10 seconds, you get a loud warning noise and a display that says “Grip the steering wheel” (or something like that). You can set a fixed speed you want to travel at and when the car detects another slower moving car or motorbike in front, it brakes and stays behind it at one of three programmable distances. When you pull out to overtake the car or bike in front, the MG accelerates back up to the speed originally set. I have been using it quite a lot but, for me, it has novelty value only. I find it makes me concentrate far too much as I am scared of it making a horrific mistake. I guess I will stop using it soon (today?) when the novelty has worn off.  
Forward Collision Warning System (FCW) - Never had the opportunity to test this.
Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEB) - Never had the opportunity to test this.
Automatic Emergency Braking System for Pedestrians (AEBP) - Never had the opportunity to test this.

 

[macahoom]

39 minutes ago, beddhist said:

I better correct myself here. 1.2MB is about 33k GBP, so it's more money for less car. Nothing new here...

 

Did you see my reply: Post #78?

 

Still don't know why you're saying "less car". The Thai car has more features. The UK one doesn't even have the app.

 

I think I know why you're talking about missing features: you've misunderstood Bandersnatch who said his/her current car (not the MG) does not have that list of features that the MG has. He said: "I made a list from the manual of all the features that are not on my current car".

 

 

[beddhist]

Yes macahoom, you are absolutely right and I have to eat my words.

[beddhist]

2 hours ago, macahoom said:

Hill Descent Control (HDC) - Tried this once. Granny drives, very badly, down a steep hill! Never again! It might be useful if you were on a steep hill in a muddy field.

My understanding of this feature is it's for steep descents on slippery surface, eg. gravel, snow, etc., where in a manual car you would engage 1st or 2nd gear to descend slowly. I suspect most SUV owners aren't even aware their car has the feature.

[mistral53]

6 hours ago, macahoom said:

 

Did you see my reply: Post #78?

 

Still don't know why you're saying "less car". The Thai car has more features. The UK one doesn't even have the app.

 

I think I know why you're talking about missing features: you've misunderstood Bandersnatch who said his/her current car (not the MG) does not have that list of features that the MG has. He said: "I made a list from the manual of all the features that are not on my current car".

 

 

Thanks for your explanations - I am curious about the (Thai) voice commands - do they also work for English voice commands, or is it strictly for Thai?

[tifino]

7 hours ago, macahoom said:

I love the car. The acceleration is wonderful. The only negatives (other than the overly complicated manual) are to do with the over the top electronics which I still haven't fully got my head around. For example, I keep getting warning bongs but no warning display to tell me what the problem is.  

 

See my comments beside some of the features below:

 

Hill Descent Control (HDC) - Tried this once. Granny drives, very badly, down a steep hill! Never again! It might be useful if you were on a steep hill in a muddy field.
Hill Start Assist - This seems to work the same as the Auto Hold without having to turn the Auto Hold on.
Hill Hold Control (HHC) - Is this different than Hill Start Assist?
Auto Hold - This works well. The manual has a lengthy, over the top description of this feature. All it needs to state is: "Leave this switched on all the time and the handbrake will be automatically applied when you stop, and released when you drive off." 
Pedestrian Alert Control System - Never had the opportunity to test this.
Energy Regeneration (KERS) - Brilliant! I only wish the control for it was on the steering wheel. This feature means that you rarely have to use your brakes. The strongest level (3) is very effective. And every time you use it, you're charging your battery.
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
Alarm System
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)
Electronic Brake Assistance (EBA)
Active Rollover Protection (ARP)
Emergency Braking Hazard Warning Lights Control (HAZ)
Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) 
Start Assist
Stability Control System (SCS) 
Traction Control System (TCS)
Ultrasonic Sensor Parking Aid - Works well.
Blind Spot Detection (BSD) - Works well. 

Lane Change Assist (LCA) - Works well. 
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) - Works well. 

Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) - Love it! Can also check the pressure on your phone. 
Speed Assist System (SAS)
Lane Departure Warning System (LDW) - Works well, providing the lines on the road are in good condition.
Lane Departure Prevention System (LDP) - Works well, providing the lines on the road are in good condition.
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) - Works well, providing the lines on the road are in good condition. 
MG Pilot System - This is the "self-driving" mode. It keeps the car between the white lines and, if you’re going off course, it gently steers you back into the optimum position. It will even steer the car round bends. However, if you take your hands off the wheel for 10 seconds, you get a loud warning noise and a display that says “Grip the steering wheel” (or something like that). You can set a fixed speed you want to travel at and when the car detects another slower moving car or motorbike in front, it brakes and stays behind it at one of three programmable distances. When you pull out to overtake the car or bike in front, the MG accelerates back up to the speed originally set. I have been using it quite a lot but, for me, it has novelty value only. I find it makes me concentrate far too much as I am scared of it making a horrific mistake. I guess I will stop using it soon (today?) when the novelty has worn off.  
Forward Collision Warning System (FCW) - Never had the opportunity to test this.
Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEB) - Never had the opportunity to test this.
Automatic Emergency Braking System for Pedestrians (AEBP) - Never had the opportunity to test this.

 

so, along with all the above, added to what @Bandersnatch started off with; Is there any (gps) related feature that points you towards convenient charging stations?  or do you have to ust relay on the google maps for that as well? 

Looking at Google maps, for 'EV Charging Stations' shows a bleak outlook currently for longer distance journeys.  

Apart from the multitudes around the Bangkok area, the pickings are slim unless you are aiming for SamutSongkhram, Pattaya, or ChiangMai if you are really daring fate in the eye 

 

[thequietman]

On 6/25/2019 at 3:16 PM, rickudon said:

I have seen a Tesla in Udon Thani outside my daughters school ….

 

Yes, electric cars too expensive and most people would need a new electric supply for the charger. The real opportunity is for electric bikes/motorbikes/trikes. Need far less power to charge, so could do in many homes, and much more affordable. I have my eye on a small tuk-tuk version, about 45,000 baht. Just want to <deleted> off the Tesla owner!

Yes, seen online about the tuktuk from China. Let me know if you ever try for one. Maybe we can get a good price for 2. ????

[macahoom]

1 hour ago, mistral53 said:

Thanks for your explanations - I am curious about the (Thai) voice commands - do they also work for English voice commands, or is it strictly for Thai?

 

To be honest, I haven't bothered with this feature. I also had it in my last car and didn't use it.

 

As far as I know the only voice command that works with the MG is one to open the very nice, oversized sunroof, and it's in Thai language only.

 

By the way, who needs a sunroof in Thailand?