MG4 SE STD DC ULTRA-RAPID charging | Battery heating | Charging curve…

Hi Guys,
(This is a re-upload of my original video. Due to an issue with a music track. Despite being royally free, it would have been an issue later down the road. The original is now unlisted but I have kept it as there’s such great comments, both useful and supportive of my channel which I don’t want to lose. Thank you)
Today, I take my two week old MG4 SE standard Range for its first 5-80% DC super/ultra charge.
MG quote a maximum charging speed of 117kW for the MG4 SE Standard range on a 150kW or more charger. Let’s see if we can reach the highs and then we’ll go through in detail the whole public charging experience.
Today’s charge (2nd November 2022) with in-app discount was £18.42
Normal cost would have been (£0.50 p/kWh) for 41 kWh £21 (rounded up).
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It also benefits the MG4 community sharing knowledge and promotes the transition to EVs and the MG4.
Since the filming of the video Bonnet’s prices and plans have now changed. See their website for details.
More videos you may enjoy -
MG4 1-Month Later Review
• MG4 Owner’s Review Aft...
70 MPH RANGE TEST (Motorway)
• MG4 SE STD RANGE 70mph...
MIXED DRIVING EFFICIENCY TEST
• MG4 October Efficiency...
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Thanks
Stu
#mg4 #MG4chargingtest

[@tzeimet]

Thanks for doing a video on the standard, most journalists and youtubers have only reviewed the luxury 👍

[@stuart_thomas]

No problem 👍

[@Ian_Woods]

Interesting. As i said before this is probable the 5 or 6th video of charging the MG4 LPF battery that I have seen and as you the others were also getting 88KW peak, seems pretty consistant. But also interesting it taking 4 minutes less than what MG4 publish to get from 10% to 80%. Would tend to maybe suggest that when they finalised the publicity wording etc, which would have been done a long while ago, they were getting 117 kw peaks but with less of a flat charge curve and since then they have tweaked the charging software to get a much better flat curve at the expense of peak KW, but resulting in faster charge time. As to me the actual charge time would be of much more interest than a kw number.

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks Ian - the charging curve is the important bit, peak charging has its place if you’re stopping for a very quick splash and dash if you’re finishing a journey

[@ari197]

flatter charging curve is better for the long run of the battery health ..

[@decimal1815]

Maybe the overall charging time is faster if the charger doesn't hit the 117kw peak, with less battery heating impact?

[@mjmherts]

Hi Stuart. I run a MG4 SE for business. I’m I have charged at my local Ionity three times now and the maximum speeds I have managed are 85 - 88 kw 👍

[@stuart_thomas]

Thank you for posting this. It confirms this the ceiling for this pack unless anyone else can say different.👍

[@stephenholland5930]

I've given up on Bonnet since they "revised" their pricing and gone to Elli. Ionity for 28p/kWh if you go for the £12.99/month plan. Great video.

[@stuart_thomas]

Agreed Stephen and Elli looks a great option.

[@riccardodanesin4531]

hi, no charging losses but you have ac open. remember that normally if the car has some attached, it uses the electricity from the charger not all to the battery. the standard mg4 has different battery that seems they never take 117. otherwise the luxury with 64 kw/h takes 140 kw from 10 to 50% and it's more and more faster. mg4 has in any case a very good line of recharge. mg data are correct. only for 117 kw it's not correct but probably because of temperature. there are many cars that say 250 but it last only 2 minutes...

[@stuart_thomas]

Completely agree Roccardo and this is part of the discrepancy I mention between charger/car delivery/received. Thanks for pointing out. The NMC chem Battery in the LR models is definitely more energy dense and the higher cell voltage makes this possible. I believe it's 4.2v where LFP is 3.4 or something around that but both have great charging curves which is the most important bit. I agree peak charging is short-lived in many EVs however, great if you're just grabbing a quick splash to finish a journey etc

[@MattHill303]

This is exactly what I was looking for after trying the MG4 short range today, I did a quick rapid test and at 60% SOC in freezing conditions I saw about 39kW but I'd forgot about the battery warming setting (my ZS EV is lucky to hit 30kW in similar conditions). I imagine you'll need a nice warm day to hit 100kW+ but for a 11C day in October I'd be pleased with hitting 88kW. Main reason for looking at the MG4 is that my mk1 ZS EV ramps back to 37kW after around 50% making it more of a pain than my previous smaller battery EVs on longer trips but the charge curve on the MG4 looks much more usable. Thanks for posting.

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks for tuning in Matt. It does have a good curve and battery precondition will certainly help achieve that hood curve. I have a new video out tomorrow on mixed driving in zero degrees conditions and now to compares to a Tesla model 3

[@typxxilps]

be carefull and do not mix them up cause 51 kWh standard is LFP and has a net capacity of 50,8 kWh. The comfort and trophy have Li Ion batteries with a gros capacity of 64 kWh and net of 61 kWh cause they have a smaller size per kWh than the LFP and do not fit in the MG4 in such 61 kWh configuration. The charging curve of the 61 kWh edition comfort / trophy are much faster at low temperatures cause this one will go down to 65 kW at 6°C and 10% SOC The trophy charged in the same situation and conditions with 121 kW and 100 kW average in the first 10 minutes where it achieved 16,5 kWh.

[@rickmoz]

MG has said the Phase 2 MG4 SR has an updated BMS and is now able to adjust the charging parameters in real time (voltage, current and temperature) to reach the peak charge as soon as possible and maintain it for as long as possible. This modification entails a reduction in the charging power from 117 kW to 88 kW but in return the charging time improves in three minutes from 10 to 80% (only 37 minutes). Sounds like 117 was never every implemented

[@stuart_thomas]

Completely agree, 117kw was a cigarette packet figure they accidentally passed onto marketing

[@Tsenngu]

I did my first charge on a tesla supercharger last week. It was -10 degrees celcius and i had 30% soc. The car ended up topping at 137Kw until over 60% !!! I have never seen that speed in any other supercharger. it stayed stable at around 135-137kw from 30-60% then it dropped down to around 100 until i stopped at 65%. That is a superb speed to get. I had been driving for about 1 hour before charging. And yes i took a photo so can provide if needed :D

[@stuart_thomas]

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing!

[@Madonsteamrailways]

I’m driving a Renault Zoe and want to be able to charge it at a decent charging point. That’s why I would like to see Ionity charging stations in the Hertfordshire Borough of Broxbourne.

[@Madonsteamrailways]

We need more Ionity charging stations so that they’re supposed to be good chargers. I live in Hertfordshire and there are none of their charging stations available that I know of.

[@danuk2005]

I've subscribed as I've ordered the standard range in blue. I used to have a 24kwh leaf as a second car which I sold a few years ago and will be trading in my kia niro plug in for this so the MG4 will be my main car. I would love the LR but just can't justify the extra cost for the few long range trips I do each year. I've never charged at a public charger so it will be a learning curve knowing what apps etc I need. A little nervous being my main car hopefully I won't regret it.

[@stuart_thomas]

It will have a better range than the Leaf, you will be fine I'm sure. Public charging is getting better every day and is generally full of like-minded people to chat with so if you do need to stop for a quick juice up it should hopefully be a pleasant one.

[@dmaidmen]

Very useful infoemation thanks Stuart. Had a trophy delvered on Thursday and gave it first public charge yesterday. Trophy was only down to 68% but wanted to visit a convinient rapid charger. Unfortunately Bonnet kept giving rejecting the session so i had to download and register tje MFG app. I started at just over 60kW and it took 12m to top up to 80% using the 150l kW charger. I hsd a choice of all eight chargers during rush hour on a bank holiday friday on a coast bound A road. I look forward to experimentong and trying to achieve the mystical 135kW 😂

[@stuart_thomas]

Good chargers the MFG, they have a great set up. Just to note they only deliver 100kW to 400v EVs (like MG4) but even around 100 is good.

[@dmaidmen]

​@@stuart_thomas I went on a long trip and ended up running the Trophy right down to near empty. It wasn't my intention for such an extreme test but we had a deadline so couldn't charge until after the event. I was in unfamiliar terroirty and he first rapid charger the MG4 suggested seemed to be up a farm road so I headed on to a Morrisons store that had a GeniePoint 14 charger station. It had a mixture of 7kw to 300kw chargers. I parked at a 150kw charger but unfortunately the GeniePoint app didn't seem to be talking to any of the chargers and Bonnet showed the site as offline however I was able to start a charge using the contactless payment option. I had a range of 5 miles and 1% charge when I pulled up at the charger. Peak charging was around 135kW according to the car and charger read-outs. It took 29 minutes to go from 1% to 80% so we had a walk around the very nice Little Clacton Morrisions store and grabbed a coffee. Charger 81%, 50.60kWh charged, 29:14 Charging time Charging costs seemed to be dynamic and it had a petrol station type large LCD at the entrace. It was 64p kWh for rapid. Weather was mild on May 2nd so I wouldn't have pre-warmed even if I had some spare charge ;) Had to take photos the screens as I knew I wouldn't get a receipt. Total cost was £32.48 So pros a good fast, cheap charge that got me out of a really sticky situation. Negatives: yet again, hassle to charge as neither dedicated app or Bonnet would work.

[@stephenodonohue9876]

Great review on real world charging Stuart. Just a note, while realising you needed to change soundtrack, for us older folk, try never to choose music with a snare drum or electronic beat... it's agony to listen to (this is what you all have to look forward to as you age :) As per last video comment, we went for our 100km range tests in our new BYD Atto 3 (in Mandurah Western Australia). 50km at freeway speed of 110km/h, 40km at 60-80km/h, and 10km at 50km/h. Manufacture's range is listed at 420km WLTP (however, dash still shows Chinese standard range of 480km). The 3 tests were on consecutive days at 4pm and 24°C (oops sorry, we're in early summer here:) First drive at posted speed limits resulted in a disappointing 325km. 2nd drive at 10km less than posted speed limit was a more respectable 375km. 3rd day with 20km/h less on freeway and 10km/h less on remainder was the jackpot of 450km. So, as per driving anywhere in the world, try to avoid highway speeds as much as possible. We're retired, so no rush for us, however, 125km extra for a 5-10mins longer drive is pretty good value I would say. Lastly, we've just changed our electricity to variable rates, which now gives us 6 hours of charging per day at 8c per kw. So, over several days, we can charge our car for $8 (under 5 pound Sterling). Not bad for 400km.

[@stephenodonohue9876]

Sorry, those distances above were obviously extrapolated from the 100km round journey.

[@Chrisbrei2502]

Watched it again for the algorithm. Almost as good as the original upload, I didn't like the music so much in the reupload though. It was a bit distracting

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks for re-watching! And for the feedback much appreciated as always

[@paulo3564]

Great but unfortunately we can't order in Brazil.

[@stuart_thomas]

Hopefully you might soon 😊

[@marinecastle]

Well recently using a Tesla Supercharger in France, I got 108.4 Kw rate on my MG4 Trophy ( called Luxury here) when the temperature indicated was 14deg C. That was at 49% SOC. Didn’t do any battery precondition. Took delivery in early December. Loath the lane assist function which is lethal on minor departmental roads & even some of the Route National ones and you have to reset it every time. Like the advice in the manual, to wit, if you are experiencing poor driving conditions particularly heavy rain, turn this function off. Yes ok, at a point where the workload is at maximum, turn your attention to this screen and spend 10 seconds finding the function and responding positively to the question of are you really sure to confirm this action. Finally, where do they hide the Odometer functions, older screen shots show it on the drivers screen, but not on my Trophy/Luxury.

[@stuart_thomas]

That’s great charging speeds at 49% SOC. it’s a great car for charging. Many other cars wouldn’t get about 100kw at 50% and above. lKA is a challenging one and I’m sure it will get better with some software updates that’s the downfall of owning a car which is relatively new to market.

[@decimal1815]

They should have dedicated hardware switches for important functions like lane assist. I hate the reliance on huge screens in a car. If the screen fails, you just have to park up and wait to be rescued?

[@decimal1815]

They should have dedicated hardware switches for important functions like lane assist. I hate the reliance on huge screens in a car. If the screen fails, you just have to park up and wait to be rescued?

[@Ouvavou]

No flat rate with bonnet anymore unless you I”had built up credit before the change. It’s just 10% or 15% discount depending on you monthly subscription amount.

[@stuart_thomas]

It’s a shame it was a great app. elli looks pretty good 👍

[@M.Maxlev]

Nice video! This car also sell in Thailand and they advertised 88kW for charging speed on website i guess they are same spec.

[@stuart_thomas]

That’s good to know maxlev. Good to see they’re publishing a more accurate number

[@terryrigden4860]

Thanks, very informative but I found the music rather irritating

[@JeanLoupRSmith]

We were driving back up to Scotland about a week and a half ago and had to stop to charge for the last leg as I noticed my estimated range was getting smaller than the distance to our house. We have the MG4 SE Long Range and I was curious what the maximum speed we would get. It wasn't a particularly hot night but it was comfy enough, we'd been driving for just under 2 hours strictly on the motorway (hence the quickly disappearing range) and we plugged in to an Applegreen charger that was freshly installed at the services we stopped at. Top speed CCS of 185Kw from the machine, I know for a fact we got up to 135Kw but we may have gone as high as 150Kw, my daughter thinks 144Kw. No battery conditioning or anything like that, I really was just curious if we'd manage to get to that 117Kw number which we had not managed at the previous charging station we stopped at. IT didn't take long to get us back up to a reasonable charge (though I should have used the Gridserve one across the lot as it was slightly cheaper and with a similar output, oh well)

[@stuart_thomas]

Great charging speeds for the MG4. I’m sure those cells were nice and toasty running for two hours solidly. Thanks for the comment it’s great to hear feedback

[@allinsiteUK]

Maybe the battery preconditioning gets throttled back when you are driving at 5 》10% state of charge, maybe? 😉

[@stuart_thomas]

Definitely worth considering 👍

[@matthewbrady1922]

Hey Stuart, do you know if the MG4 has an obd port? Could be worth getting a Bluetooth dongle and downloading a scanning app to check the battery temp. The onboard battery precondtioning may not have had time to get the pack to optimal temp to achieve max charging rate given the ambient conditions in your video? Would be interesting to know what the pack temperature sweetspot needs to be to achieve this 🤗

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks Matthew. Thought has crossed my mind but unfortunately it’s an expense down a pecking order of things. Definitely one for the future👍

[@Ian_Woods]

@@stuart_thomas a decent one is only around 30 to 40 euros, with free software app like car scanner. (Although to buy the software is only 4 or 5 euros) just don't buy the really cheap knock offs they really don't work

[@stuart_thomas]

@@Ian_Woods thanks Ian, that’s helpful. I’m an IOS user. Am I right in thinking these devices only work with android (mainly the software)

[@theoldbuzzard5239]

I know prices date faster than anything but it would be interesting to know the difference in price between fast and slower charge rates. Time, apparently, is money.

[@Ian_Woods]

I think all cars since 2004 have a obd port I know the MG ZS has one so I imagine this would have one

[@SomindraKannangara]

Got our Trophy and range is about 220 - 230 which is not bad. Max input I ve seen about 56kw. Didn’t hear up the battery though. Driving is super comfortable mate. Regen is not bad either. Any tips and hints to extend the range?

[@stuart_thomas]

That’s fantastic! You’ll get much better speeds if you deplete the battery further 10-15%. Best way to increase range is simply drive slower and more efficiently. Gentler use of the accelerator and less heavy breaking (opposite to my driving lol)

[@JonathanPriceUK]

I’m getting 119kW at a Tesla supercharger at 59% SoC in my Trophy long range … it reduced the rate after that but still very good.

[@fastfreddy19641]

Very interesting. Do you get a type 2 cable with the car or have to buy separately?

[@stuart_thomas]

You should do although I’d ask MG dealer to confirm

[@tommyjakobsen5504]

And you have run to low on battery, also properly not preheated before charching neather. so of cause it will start with slow charge at start maybe not even reach maximum while that charge.

[@redjohn20001]

Thanks for the video, very helpful. But to change the subject, have you had any moisture clouding in the top of your rear light cluster? I have had my car just a few weeks and both lights are quit badly affected.

[@stuart_thomas]

Hi John, thanks for tuning in. None as such. Do expect some as the LEDs get warm. There are tiny holes in the plastic to help reduce this and it should clear. If it's not i'd drop MG a call

[@henryhall2554]

Yup, just noticed today on Trophy LR when OAT is around 0 degrees c. We'll see what happens tomorrow after a long run.

[@Its_a_kind_of_magic71]

Please just tell us how much it cost you that charge IONITY Chipping iirc 👍

[@stuart_thomas]

👋 it’s in the video description

[@ianmarshall7860]

How long before you start to charge do you start to precondition the batteries.

[@stuart_thomas]

About 45mins to 1hr

[@typxxilps]

11°C and 84 kW but at 6°C only 65 kW even with 10% SOC is not what people expect reading 118 kW in the spec sheet - due to LFP chemistry cause the Li Ion batteries charge in same condition a lot faster , over 120 kW real lift same ionity charger.

[@stuart_thomas]

I agree, it's misleading and I'm not 100% sure dealerships are educating customers about it

[@michaelh5942]

Some people here claim that the standard does not have a battery heater. you can only select it in the menu but it has no function 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@stuart_thomas]

There is a battery heater on SR

[@michaelh5942]

Maybe you can make a video of the difference with and without the battery heater activated. below 10° do you need it?

[@reefermark5298]

how much did this session cost and how many miles did you get for the price ...thanks

[@stuart_thomas]

Hi mark, it’s all in the video description. In terms of miles I was getting 3 miles per kWh on arrival (all be it spritely) so 3x41kW is 123 miles roughly speeking

[@reefermark5298]

@@stuart_thomas ok thank you keep up the good vids..

[@cloggsy1971]

Is this a re-upload? 🤔 Sure I’ve seen this before…

[@stuart_thomas]

It is Clive, I had a copyright issue with music I used despite it being royalty free.

[@MikeDWinter]

The music really isn’t adding anything, especially where you’re talking over it where it becomes annoying. It’s fine to have some between spoken bits, but it’s too loud when you’re speaking. All that said, helpful video with useful information - I think LFP charge speed is going to struggle in winter unless the battery has got nice and toasty. Your 2kW discrepancy is likely happening as you’ve got HVAC on when you were charging.

[@stuartalexander3]

The more I watch these videos the more I want to keep my petrol car. Only 5 minutes at a petrol station for a full tank of petrol with 381mile range instead of 30mins + to get just 200mile approx range. £10,000+ extra to purchase an EV over a petrol model, £200 extra insurance premium over my Peugeot 2008 2020 GT LINE, £1000+ to have a home charger supplied and fitted. Then next year £165 for road tax. I have looked at the MG4 SE and Trophy and not very impressed as the dealerships I visited didn't know much about the car. They could not confirm if the cars would arrive with a simple 3pin charge lead or that the car will still include the front camera as apparently some cars have had these items missing. Yes you save on petrol cost but it will take years to recoup the extra costs by which time we will need a new car because of battery deterioration.

[@Ian_Woods]

@stuartalexander3 So you drive 381 miles without stopping, every long trip?? My car can go more than 600 miles between stops but I don't attempt it. the most I do is like 250 miles but thats on a one off trip on my own but on a long trip my wife is complaining well before this 🤣 that she wants to have a pee and get something to eat and i doubt very much if somebody with children will get that far without having to stop. When we stop even when I'm in a hurry dont think I've ever got back on the road again before gone 40 minutes or so. And of course the MG4 long range can charge from 10% to 80% in 25minutes for that 200 miles, but I bet we and most people will be closer to 100% by the time we have finished eating and peeing etc. "by which time we will need a new car because of battery deterioration" 🤣🤣I doubt!!! Modern batteries with proper cooling and heating, like most New EV's means The car will fall to bits for other reasons before the battery is dead and even then after the car is scrapped you could take the battery out and use it for home storage as its second life. Plus in 10, 15 years time (if you actually keep your car that long) EV batteries will probable be a commodity and cheap as chips, ok maybe I'm hoping a bit there😁 My insurance will be actually cheaper than my present car search around. Home charger either put your own dedicated circuit in or get a local electrician to put one in using 32am rated industrial sockets, doubt it would cost more than a couple of hundred (I'm installing my own) then buy a portable 32a dumb variable EVSE with an industrial plug on for around 120 pounds. MG4 can schedule the charge from the car or app depending on model. lastly saving over petrolieum well that of course depends on how many miles you do and how you charge. I personally have 6250 watts of solar.

[@stuart_thomas]

Couldn't have put it better Ian

[@catalincazacu3319]

Mine at 57% never went over 48 kw on charging. Should I reset the car's computer?

[@stuart_thomas]

If you pre-heat the car for a sufficient time prior Doty should be able to get over that.

[@catalincazacu3319]

@@stuart_thomas how I preheat it? Apart of that settings intelligent something ?

[@maxym777]

@@catalincazacu3319you can heating your battery from app MG iSMART just click on 🔋

[@650GSF]

unrelated to this video, but noticed on your video doing the bonnet struts, that on the left hand side under the bonnet what looked like the normal radiator expansion bottle with the pink fluid, that on a normal car is water and antifreeze mix for the engines cooling system, so couldn't help wondering what that actually is on an EV car ?

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks and great question! They are both coolant reservoirs. 1 for the high voltage battery pack and the 2nd is for the transmission. I know they use ethylene glycol for the battery but as they’re the same colour I’d assume it’s the same fluid for the transmission. I hope this helps.🤗

[@650GSF]

@@stuart_thomas thanks for the reply, i thought it might be cooling the batteries some how, or maybe the actual electric motor, it just got me curious with it looking just like the coolant on a petrol car.

[@benguestmusic8373]

How much does it cost on a rapid charger?

[@stuart_thomas]

All rapid chargers cost differently. Many seem to be around 60-80p per kWh. However if you have access to an Electroverse card from octopus you can get some great discounts down to 35p. The various unlocked to all Tesla super chargers depending on the time of day also charge similar

[@benguestmusic8373]

@@stuart_thomas how does the electro verse card work how do I get it cheaper

[@stuart_thomas]

@@benguestmusic8373 it’s a free card through Octopus Energy. Using their interactive app you can plan journeys accessing regular chargers en route or one of the many thousands of chargers linked to the Electroverse. Swipe the electroverse card instead of a credit/debit card at those stations to get an improved rate per kWh. Sometimes it’s minimal but others like at Porsche it’s half the price. Your charge will get billed to your home utility also which is great.

[@mev202]

Do you record the voiceover under your duvet at 2 am in the morning and you don't want to wake your mum in the next room? Just trying to understand why it's so monotonous and zero energy.

[@stuart_thomas]

Lols. No I don’t. Unfortunately, YT destroyed my audio on this one and there’s nothing I can do other than reupload the video

[@TassieEV]

There wasn't a 150kW fast charger to use anywhere? Just better courtesy to only use what your car can take and a 150kW is perfect for this EV's max charging rate is less than that whereas a 350kW isn't going to charge it any faster only take a spot that a Taycan, Ioniq 5, EV6, M3, etc could use. I see it was at night and there wasn't anyone else there but something to think about particularly at busy locations.

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks for tuning in and the question. I’m an EV driver of experience so I’m quite fluent in charging etiquette. Sometimes you have no choice or it’s half the cost as you’re on a subscription model like during this particular session. As you pointed out I was the only one there for the whole session👍 thanks for mentioning it is something everyone new to EVs is having to deal with it and understand.

[@brianholding4357]

The background noise is very irritating,

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks for the feedback Brian