My MG ZS EV: Extracting the maximum real-world range

Despite having driven the electric vehicle for close to 30,000 km over the past year, the mileage returned per full charge hasn't reduced much.

BHPian srimedico recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Greetings all,

May this thread be used to share the real-world statistics and roughly arrive at battery degradation and range drop. Also, discuss possible ways to decrease the degradation, if it's worthwhile.

March 2020 ~ 300kms on the odometer: Night journey 4 p.m. to 4 a.m., cool climate, 434 km Tirupati to Gannavaram, not sure about the altitude, Headlights on, No AC, only fan, windows rolled up, ~50% of the journey behind slow-moving large trucks to decrease air resistance, myself solo occupant, Eco, kers3, Cruise Control @ 40 km/h, only 2 stops of ~90 minutes, 100% (better balanced through granny charger) to 9%, 434 km.

August 2021 ~27000 km on the odometer: Day journey 3 a.m. to 3 p.m., Hot climate (active battery cooling kicked off quite frequently), 387kms, Ibrahimpatnam to Kurnool, not sure about the altitude (but had Hilly area runs of certain km), Headlights off, No AC, only fan, windows rolled up, did not run behind big trucks this time, so more air resistance, myself solo occupant, Eco, kers3, Cruise Control @ 37 km/h, few stops, 100% (poorly balanced through granny charger) to 12 %, 387 km.

Mask, Distance, Vaccine, Dharma.

Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say on the matter:

Congratulations on the ZS. Real-life experiences by actual owners are the best judge of the car’s capabilities. To me, your post highlights two things.

• Your battery has held up pretty well and is offering about the same range after 30k odd km as it did on day 1.
• As good as the range you have achieved is, comfortable long-distance touring in EVs is still some time away. If I have to drive for 400km without AC at a 40 km/h cruise, I’ll go mad. Maybe there weren’t any fast charging facilities in your route. Any car has to be able to deliver a minimum 250km range with AC at 80-90kmph to be practical for intercity use.

Here's what BHPian abhishek46 had to say on the matter:

You should avoid following Heavy Vehicles closely for extended distances.

There are scenarios, which may put you in trouble, like for example, a huge stone/concrete block in the middle of the road or stuff falling out of the truck's loading area.

If you are following a Heavy vehicle closely, and all of sudden there is a huge stone/concrete block in the middle of the road, you will have no chance of avoiding it.

This has happened to me personally, and because of this kind of unpredictable stuff, I either overtake the Heavy Vehicle as soon as possible or maintain a three-car lengths gap.

Here's what BHPian flanker had to say on the matter:

The BMS has a buffer, the Indian version of ZS EV has less buffer and hence the pack voltage at 100% charge is near 455V. In the UK (and EU) they have updated the BMS software to drop the pack voltage to 450v as the top buffer wasn't sufficient. I think it is best to not charge the battery 100% often.

The most accurate way to check degradation is by plugging in an OBD port reader and getting the stats for each cell and the maximum imbalance.

Rough degradation can be calculated by noting the total cell voltage after 100% charge and balancing. In India, it should be near 455V.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Thanks for sharing the real-world range. This has so much more informational value than the useless ARAI stats.

I can understand the obsession with range, but please also enjoy the drive. After all, we live to drive. Drive normally, enjoy your machine, the road and the views.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.