Fullscreen HTML5Med Res (??MB)HTML4

Electric vehicle review The MG4 XPower Electric Car by Julian Edgar No technological change seems to inspire love/hate emotions like electric vehicles (EVs). Many people are either intensely for them or intensely against. The truth is much more nuanced, as Julian Edgar describes after nine months and 20,000km with his MG4 XPower EV. H aving been interested in car tech for over 40 years, I’ve watched the advent of EVs with fascination. I first drove a Tesla 15 years ago and was enormously impressed. However, especially living in a rural area, I couldn’t see the worth of buying an EV until about nine months ago. Then, an EV was released that, for the first time in the modern history of electric vehicles, had a significant advantage over any new internal combustion engine (ICE) car in existence. That advantage was the price for the level of performance! With the release of the Chinesemade MG4 XPower, extraordinary performance became available at a cost that, in round terms, was about half that of an equivalent ICE car. For £37,190, you can now get performance that is the province of ICE cars costing at least £70,000. That is simply incredible; it is the most significant change in cars I have ever seen. Of course, if the car itself were ter66 rible, that apparent advantage would count for nought. I went to a dealer and drove the MG4 XPower and was very impressed, so I bought it. Now, nine months later, what do I think of the MG4 – and of owning an EV, generally? The MG4 XPower The venerable UK brand MG has been owned by Chinese company SAIC Motor since 2007 (although it was initially acquired from BMW by another Chinese company in 2005). While the company maintains a small UK design base, perhaps 95% of the car is designed and manufactured in China. A mid-sized hatchback (some people say the car is small; it could only be termed that in an era when very large cars have been normalised), most models of the MG4 use a rear-mounted 150kW (200bhp) electric motor and a 64kWh 400V lithium-­ion battery pack. That under-floor battery weighs 409kg. The sportier XPower uses a 170kW (230bhp) rear electric motor and a 150kW (200bhp) front electric motor, both of which are three-phase, permanent magnet synchronous designs. Compared to the standard car, the XPower has larger brakes, revised suspension and different interior and exterior trim. Its claimed 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time is just 3.8 seconds. That is phenomenally fast – as fast as a Ferrari from a few years ago. The XPower weighs 1800kg (about 4000 pounds), which is not particularly heavy in today’s terms. As opposed to a hybrid car that uses a combination of an ICE engine, HV battery and electric motor, an EV must be charged from mains power. The time that takes depends on the car itself and the charger to which it is connected. With the MG4, the DC charging power to the battery pack can be up to 140kW, meaning that a normal 10% to 80% charge takes about 30 minutes (charging speed isn’t linear). Practical Electronics | November | 2024 MG4 XPower The Chinese-built MG4 is one of the new breed of cost-effective electric cars currently available. This is the XPower version, a very fast car priced about half the equivalent car with a petrol engine. The high-voltage battery is mounted under the floor, with clever styling disguising the increased height of the lower edge of the doors. Of course, that’s only when using a high-power charger such as those found at highway rest stops, shopping centres and the like. Using the provided AC charger (termed by many a ‘granny’ charger because it is so slow!), it takes more than 20 hours to charge the battery fully. I use an aftermarket 3.6kW charger powered from a dedicated 15A home socket, which will charge the battery to 80% overnight from a starting level of about 20%. Electric power is limited when the battery charge drops below about 25%; as the battery charge decreases below that, the available power continues to decline. This caused us a problem only once, when my wife was driving home with a very low battery level and had to climb a long highway hill. In that case, the car would only achieve 80km/h (50mph), which was a bit dangerous on a 110km/h (70mph) road. The official energy consumption of the XPower is 19kWh per 100km (30.6kWh/100mi). That has proven accurate in summer conditions, but the consumption is a bit higher in winter – nearer 20kWh per 100km (32kWh/100mi). With a 64kWh battery, and working from 80% to 10% capacity, the range is about 230km (143mi). Why only 80% to 10%? The manufacturer suggests using the battery in that way under normal conditions Practical Electronics | November | 2024 and only tapping into the full capacity when undertaking long trips. Using the full battery capacity gives a range of about 330km (205mi), but doing that frequently will degrade the battery prematurely. The displayed battery range is very accurate. Initially, I was fearful of letting the battery level get below about 15%. Judging the remaining range of ICE vehicles based on fuel levels can be hit and miss, so I thought the MG4 display might suddenly drop from 15% to zero, stranding me by the side of the road and requiring a flatbed truck to get me home! However, I now realise there are no problems in running the battery down to, say, 5% as the change in the predicted range corresponds very well with the distance travelled. As with all EVs, the MG4 uses regenerative braking (ie, it returns power to the battery under braking). This is achieved in two ways. The first way is as you lift the accelerator pedal, the car automatically starts to brake regeneratively, a bit like engine braking with an ICE car in gear. The amount of regeneration can be seen on the driver display; it is seamlessly varied with the right foot. As with many modern cars, instruments and most controls are via LCD screens. The centre is a touch screen; the buttons below it are the only buttons on the car! 67 Electric vehicle review The environmental footprint One reason many people are for or against EVs relates to the environmental footprint. There is so much information (and misinformation) on this topic. However, major peer-reviewed studies show that the total lifecycle environmental footprint (including building the car, running it and disposing of it) is less for an EV than an ICE car. That is the case even when the EV is charged mainly from coal power. However, hybrid cars can be very close depending on the exact power-generating mix. But for me, some of this debate loses the wood for the trees: it’s far better for the environment to ride a bicycle or take public transport. Or even to retain the old ICE car and use it only for short trips. The second way regenerative braking occurs is when the brake pedal is pressed. That increases the level of regeneration over that achieved by lifting your foot off the accelerator pedal and, if the brake pedal is applied harder, the friction (conventional) brakes also help to slow the car. Regenerative braking is so effective that the disc brakes become slightly rusty from a lack of use and can squeak a little when applied. One hard braking event then cleans them again. The stand-out feature of the XPower is its amazing drivetrain. With 600Nm of torque, the XPower is extraordinarily strong, linear, refined and responsive. The only ICE car I’ve driven that comes close to its effortless performance is a twin-turbo V-12 Mercedes and, of course, the XPower is much faster. We’re talking about a wave of torque that just hurls the car forward, making driving situations like overtaking on country roads ridiculously easy. The drivetrain is the most impressive I have driven in 35 years of professionally testing cars; it makes my Porsche 981 Cayman engine and transmission look positively agricultural. The ability to ‘play a tune’ on the accelerator pedal, seamlessly moving from immense power to braking, is simply wonderful. It’s a delight I enjoy every time I get into the car, whether in city stop/start traffic or driving down a twisty country road. The design and build quality of the MG4 are excellent. The paint is very good and panel margins (gaps between adjoining panels) are consistent. Even when delving under the plastic covers positioned over so many of the mechanicals, the engineering and build quality look good. You must search hard to find deficiencies, but an example is the stitching on the underside of the head restraints. It looks as if the person op68 erating the machine was looking the other way at times! The interior of the car is quite minimalistic; some would call it plain. There are the two displays, a short row of buttons, a charging pad for your phone and not much else. To some people, it looks cheap and nasty; to others, it is sleek and modern. I fall midway between the two camps – I’d like to see more control buttons and bigger screens, but otherwise, the interior austerity doesn’t concern me. Regarding the screens, the central unit measures 10.25 inches (26cm), but unfortunately, the screen behind the steering wheel is only 7 inches (18cm). With the small font that’s often used, the latter can be hard to read at a glance, although familiarity has improved this. Nearly all the controls are operated through the central touch screen, with only seven physical buttons provided below it. The central screen can be slow to react, especially when the car is first started, and accessing controls that in other cars would be a simple button-push away can become a clumsy dance of fingers. However, two of the steering buttons are programmable so, for example, some of the heater/air conditioner controls can be accessed through a steering wheel button and then adjusted via a steering wheel toggle. The air conditioner uses a high-­ voltage electric motor to power the compressor and it works extremely well. Heating is by a resistance heater rather than using the air conditioning system as a heat pump. Interestingly, in some overseas markets, the MG4’s heater does use the air conditioner; they must not think it ever gets cold in Australia! The seats and steering wheel are heated; these work very effectively, and I tend to use these functions rather than the cabin heater itself. Where the technology fails – and it utterly fails – is in some of the driver assistance systems. The Lane Keeping Assistant is the worst. It is so bad that it needs to be switched off; otherwise, it beeps and yanks on the steering wheel at every imagined driving misdemeanour. On unmarked country roads, it is positively dangerous. Frustratingly, it cannot be permanently disabled but must be switched off every time the car is driven. Another technology that is below par is the active (radar) cruise control. It’s almost as if the system was not recalibrated for the greater performance of the XPower, as it tends to be too heavy-handed with both acceleration and braking. Certainly, any competent driver can be much smoother than cruise control – in this regard, even a 15-year-old Holden Commodore is much superior. Other MG4 users have additionally reported autonomous braking for phantom events; however, luckily, I have not experienced that. Hopefully, MG will release software patches to solve these problems. These require a dealer visit as no over-theair updates are available despite the car having a 4G connection. Editor’s note: given that some vehicles have been remotely ‘bricked’ or had features removed after purchase, I think that is a good thing. The good and the bad of EVs At this stage, and especially in rural and regional Australia, EVs do not make for a persuasive case for many users. More than anything else, the issues are range and charging infrastructure. Basically, for long trips, EVs are terrible. Sure, the web is full of EV discussion groups where people claim that long trips are not only possible in EVs but are, in fact, delightful. Just stop every 2-3 hours for 30 minutes of charging, and since those stops correspond to when you’d want a break anyway, what’s the problem? The reality is different. First, you must find a high-speed charger – and compared to ICE fuel pumps, they are as rare as hens’ teeth, especially off main routes. Then, the charger needs to be available. Many are broken, while others already have EVs plugged in. Imagine how long a fuel fill would take if every ICE car required half an hour at the petrol pump! Practical Electronics | November | 2024 MG4 XPower The XPower uses both front and rear electric motors, giving all-wheel drive. This is the view under the bonnet. Its build quality is excellent overall. The MG4 has a phone app that can remotely check the battery level, lock or unlock the car and turn on the heater or air conditioner. Here, it is at 63% charge, charging at 2.7kW on its way to 80%. The XPower sits a bit higher than a traditional hatchback due to the underfloor battery pack. It helps to keep the centre of gravity low. Practical Electronics | November | 2024 69 Electric vehicle review Yes, you can do it, but taking an ICE car with a decent range (these days, all ICE cars) is vastly less stressful. On a long trip, the ICE car is also much quicker. Having tried it a few times, I now rarely take my MG4 on trips over 300km (186mi). Next on the downsides is the financial uncertainty. People often quote the meagre ‘fuel’ cost of an EV versus an ICE car. And, especially if charged from a home PV solar system, the running costs will indeed be a lot lower. However, the major cost of buying a new car is depreciation – the amount the car loses in value each year. At this stage, it very much looks like EVs will have fast depreciation – that has been the case in markets that are more mature than Australia in terms of EV penetration. There are several reasons why. First, as technology rapidly improves, people value the older EVs less highly. Second, battery life. While the manufacturer often guarantees EV batteries for a set period (eg, seven years), the fine print shows that the guarantee is typically for 70% charge retention. Multiply the worst range by 0.7, and the real-world range of many EVs is likely to become marginal without any real recourse. And what if the battery degradation is even greater than 70%? The reality of older used EVs in Australia, like the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi MiEV, is that these cars often have a range that’s now as little as 70-80km (40-50mi). Yes, they use older battery technology – but they are real examples of older EVs. Most ICE cars still run just fine after 7-10 years (as long as they’re maintained) and don’t lose range. Also, EV proponents often overlook the purchase cost. As the MG4 XPower demonstrates, in the expensive car market, EVs are now more than competitive with ICE cars. But what of those who are less wealthy? A competent second-hand ICE car can be bought for well under £6,000. No such alternatives currently exist for EVs. As for the good aspects of EVs, they require almost no maintenance. I was initially sceptical of this, but my MG4 XPower has not seen the inside of a workshop in its first 20,000km (12,500mi). The first scheduled service interval is 40,000km (25,000mi) – for most people, that’s every three years! In terms of convenience, that is a major plus. Driven hard, I don’t think the tyres on my car will last more than about 30,000km (18,500mi), so it will be a tyre shop that I first visit. Another positive is that, depending on your use, an EV is very convenient. Plug it in each night just like your phone, and it’s ready the next morning. No visits to petrol stations; just unplug and go. And, as discussed, the cost of charging an EV can be very low, especially if charging during the day from solar panels or using a low offpeak overnight tariff (where available). I’ve already discussed driveability. Truly, no ICE car can compete with the superb flexibility and throttle control that EVs have. Some people suggest that EVs are rather uninvolving and aren’t fun to drive – I think that is just balderdash. So where does that leave us? I love the MG4 XPower. It’s a car that is practical, a joy to drive and gives me performance unmatched by anything at its price. As for EVs in general, I think that at this stage, they’re perfect for some and quite unsuitable for others. If you’re relatively wealthy, live in a city, have PV panels (and especially a storage battery) and commute daily, they are perfect. However, if you’re not very wealthy, take many long trips and don’t have a home charging facility with at least 3.6kW, steer clear for now. If you’re listening to people discussing EVs and they say, “EVs are fantastic!” or conversely, “EVs are terrible!”, remember that they’re both likely to be wrong. The truth is much PE more nuanced. The XPower uses larger brakes and orange covers over the brake calipers. The brakes are strong but with regenerative braking, they are seldom needed! 70 Practical Electronics | November | 2024