All the things you’ll want to learn about recharging your EV

In the case of ‘refuelling’, it’s difficult to match an electrical vehicle (EV) to a ‘normal’ automobile with an internal combustion engine because the numbers are totally different. It’s apples and oranges.

But the essential principle is similar: you could have a finite amount of energy to make use of, irrespective of whether it’s stored in a fuel tank or a battery pack, which the engine or motor(s) consumes at a rate that depends upon how and where you drive.

Nonetheless, there may be a major variation in how – and the way long it takes – to replenish that energy if you need more. For petrol-powered vehicles, it’s a fast stop at a service station, whereas an electrical automobile just like the MG 4 must be recharged, which takes longer.

But the great thing about an EV is you’ll be able to do it anywhere there may be electricity. So, here’s all you’ll want to learn about charging an MG 4.

Tons of of recent automobile deals can be found through CarExpert at once. Get the experts in your side and rating an amazing deal. Browse now.

Charging specifications

There are five specification levels for the MG 4 hatchback in Australia and their charging capabilities vary greatly because of various induction rates and battery sizes.

Knowing what each MG 4 specification level is able to will enable you to have realistic expectations about how long it should take to charge each model in common situations.

The next guide is predicated on my extensive city and country driving experience as an MG 4 Long Range 77 owner who has also driven other variants of the model.

Standard power outlet

All Australian versions of the MG 4 include an MG-branded portable charging cable accessory that plugs into an ordinary home power socket. Using an extension cord isn’t really helpful.

Remember that this cable is just rated to 8A (amps), so it may only charge at as much as 80 per cent of the charge rate of an ordinary home 10A power socket.

Don’t operate your MG 4 air-conditioning or heating while using an ordinary power socket to charge the vehicle, as that may decelerate the charge rate even further. Generally, an EV will charge fastest when the vehicle is turned off.

The standard of home wiring, in addition to the age and condition of an influence socket in an Australian home varies greatly, so MG likely decided it was safer to incorporate a charger cable with the MG 4 that didn’t exceed the aptitude of the facility socket it was plugged into. 

In keeping with the NSW Environment and Heritage office: “Australian standards require electricity to be supplied at 230V (+10% to -6%), subsequently providing an allowable voltage supply range between 253V to 216V.”

Assuming your property is supplied with electricity at 230V, an ordinary home 10A socket can charge your MG 4 at as much as 2.3kW.

Because the included MG charger cable is just rated at 8A, probably the most it may supply your MG 4 with is a couple of 1.84kW charge rate.

After a roughly 10 per cent conversion loss from AC to DC, and your automobile using some power for high-voltage battery management and potentially topping-up the 12V battery as well, the charging rate you’ll see in your automobile if using the MG cable is about 1.2-1.5kW.

Many MG 4 owners say the included 8A charging cable is all they use to charge at home every night and it’s good enough to replenish the battery or give it enough charge for commuting to work, or visiting family and friends.

It is feasible to buy a third-party portable charger cable with a 10A output, which can increase the charging rate by 25 per cent in comparison with the supplied MG cable.

This is just really helpful for those who know the facility socket you’re using, and the wiring connected to it, is comparatively recent and of excellent quality.

Dedicated AC charging – home and public

If you could have a dedicated home charger (7/11/22kW) attached to your property or mounted in your driveway/carpark, you’ll enjoy worry free charging.

One in three Australians homes with solar panels can charge an EV throughout the day using excess solar generation, which equates to ‘almost’ free fuel.

Some dedicated AC home chargers akin to the 7kW MG Charge Hub have a tethered built-in Type 2 cable you’ll be able to plug into your MG 4, while others just like the Ohme ePod are untethered and let you utilize an extra-long Type 2 cable.

No version of the MG 4 has a Type 2 cable included, so that you’ll should buy one elsewhere.

For future proofing and the power to charge any Australian EV at its best AC charge rate, a Type 2 cable that supports as much as 22kW and 32A is really helpful. Cheaper cables are sometimes restricted to a 7kW charging rate.

A regular Type 2 cable is five metres long. Nonetheless, we recommend an extended 7m cable as this enables for more flexibility in tricky parking situations, especially public kerbside AC chargers.

Owners who don’t have the choice of charging their MG 4 at home may give you the chance to utilize the a whole lot of recent kerbside dedicated AC 7/11/22kW chargers being installed across major Australian cities. They’re all BYO cable.

If set to charge at the utmost rate, dedicated AC chargers are between six and nine times faster than when using the portable MG charging cable at home, so long distance drivers like salespeople can drive several hundred kilometres a day and be protected within the knowledge that they’ll recharge back to 100 per cent overnight with no worries.

All versions of the MG 4 may be charged from nearly empty to full again while the owner sleeps overnight.

Despite having the most important battery, the Long Range 77 charges the fastest of all MG 4 variants whether it is connected to a charger that may supply AC three-phase power.

That’s since the Long Range 77 can refill its battery at as much as an 11kW AC charge rate while all 4 other versions of the MG 4 in Australia charge at a 6.6kW single-phase charge rate.

Excite 51 owners can charge their automobile with a dedicated AC 7kW charger from nearly flat to full 1.5 hours faster than Excite 64, Essence 64 and XPower owners because those cars have a much bigger battery to fill.

EV road trips – accommodation and highway cruising

When planning an EV road trip, attempt to book accommodation that means that you can plug your MG 4 into either an outside standard power socket (bring your 8/10A portable charging cable) or dedicated AC charger (bring your Type 2 cable).

During a 12-hour overnight charging session this will add roughly 20-30 per cent to the battery of an MG 4. Using an extension cord isn’t really helpful.

Ask for permission to charge your EV and offer to pay, because the electricity you utilize costs the accommodation owner money, especially during peak tariff times akin to late afternoon and evening.

If staying at accommodation that has a 7/11/22kW dedicated AC charger, all versions of the MG 4 can charge from nearly flat to full overnight.

DC fast-charging

Australian MG4s are compatible with any of the country’s DC charging networks from relatively slow 25kW JOLT to fast 300kW Evie chargers. That is unlike another EVs, akin to the 2023 BYD Atto 3 which cannot use V3/V4 Tesla Superchargers.

All Australian MG 4s can use open-access Tesla Superchargers, that are probably the most reliable DC fast-chargers. About 60 per cent of Tesla Superchargers in Australia are open-access to any brand of EV. The remaining are exclusive to Tesla EVs.

When comparing the MG 4 to other smaller EVs, keep in mind that the majority specification levels of the MG 4 support peak DC fast-charge rates of about 140kW, which far exceeds the height DC fast-charge rate of most small/medium Chinese EVs. The MG 4 Excite 51 has a peak of 88kW.

A peak DC charge rate of 140kW is far faster than similar sized competitors akin to the BYD Dolphin (60-88kW), GWM Ora (80kW) and more upmarket EVs just like the Hyundai Kona (100kW).

Fast DC charging capability means you’ll be able to charge an MG 4 64/77/XPower relatively quickly during highway rest breaks and be in your way sooner.

As these even have a bigger battery than the slower DC-charging Excite 51, it also means they should stop and charge less often during long road trips.

MG 4 DC fast-charging tests

Unlike AC charging, which is often at a flat, constant charge rate, the DC fast-charging rate of an electrical automobile just like the MG 4 can vary quite a bit depending on:

• How full the automobile battery is if you plug it in
• Ambient air and automobile temperature
• The speed of the DC charger you plug it into
• Whether the charger is shared with one other EV plugged into the opposite side
• Whether all charger ports at a location are in use at the identical time

During real-world conditions at Christmas time in 35-degree heat, my Long Range 77 charged on the Tesla Yass open-access Supercharger from 40 to 80 per cent in 26 minutes.

Although that is longer than the 19 minutes expected of this automobile from 40-80 per cent, it is sort of satisfactory as all 12 bays of the charger were getting used repeatedly by a series of rotating EVs during a heat wave.

It is probably going that Tesla algorithms were dynamically reducing the height charging speed available to every of the connected 12 EVs so the location didn’t exceed the grid connection capability, since the Long Range 77 charge rate went up and down between 60 and 110kW relatively than slowing down easily.

The next charging data was obtained with an MG 4 Essence 64 on an Evie 150kW DC fast-charger.

Conditions were ideal because the battery was mostly empty, the weather was mild and one other EV wasn’t connected to the identical charger.

The Essence 64 charged from 25 to 80 per cent in 21 minutes, barely exceeding the quoted peak charge rate by hitting 142.4kW at 52 per cent.