[Venkatesh]

MG Motor India on Monday said it has partnered with e-waste recycling and end-to-end service provider, TES-AMM for recycling of batteries of its electric vehicle ZS EV.

MG Motor India President and Managing Director Rajeev Chaba said, We strongly believe that battery management is a critical area that needs focus. Our partnership with TES-AMM builds along these lines and ensures that batteries not only reenter the value chain, but are also recycled while following the most eco-friendly protocols. We believe it will go a long way in India's sustainable e-mobility future.

Source

[coolkurt]

MG ZS EV has reported retail sales at over 1,000 units. This makes it the second best selling EV in the segment, after Nexon EV – which has reported sales of over 2,200 units till date.

[Venkatesh]

Jaipur MG ZS EV owners recently joined the green revolution with the Go Green Rally to create awareness about EVs.









Link

[aryayush]

I test drove the Nexon EV and inspected the ZS EV in Gurugram today. While the Tata showroom visit was a good experience, the MG visit was anything but.

They said they had the test drive vehicle ready, but when I reached there shortly after, they said there had been a miscommunication and that the vehicle was in another showroom six kilometres away. I asked them to have it brought there while I waited but they said that it was already 6 PM on the clock and all the drivers had left for the day.

Impressions

From the outside, there's no question that it's the superior vehicle among the two. It has a mature European design that I vastly prefer over the overstyled Nexon, and the larger dimensions give it a presence and premium feel that the Nexon cannot hope to match.

Even the interiors up front, at first glance—with the larger cabin, electronically adjustable driver's seat, richer centre console, better integrated and larger display and that gorgeous panoramic sunroof—feel far more upmarket than the Nexon's.

However, the superiority ends there, and then it's all downhill. When you sit in the driver's seat, and after you've gotten over having that vast expanse of glass overhead, you begin to notice that there's an awful lot of hard plastics everywhere, and it looks and feels cheaper than what you get in a Maruti these days.

There's not much else to complain about in the front, but as you open the door and make your way to the back, you know that even if the rear seats are straight out of a Lexus, you won't be able to explain to yourself why you spent ₹25 lac on a vehicle that looks like that at the front.

Then you sit in the rear seat. This is it. Even if this vehicle ran on water, you'd never buy it.

MG wants ₹25 lac for this car and it couldn't be bothered to throw in an armrest in the middle of the seat. It couldn't be bothered to make the seat deep enough to accommodate your thighs. The back of the centre console in front not only has no AC vents, but even the finishing and materials used in shaping it look like they're of the cheapest variety available.

The seats, though furnished in a leather-like material, have none of the plushness you associate with the material. The rear bench, the door pads, the roof lining are all plucked from cars that sit two segments below the vehicle you are sitting in.

You look out the window at the huge Hector standing next to it and realise that, at an asking price about ₹5 lac cheaper than the vehicle you came to see, you'd be getting a much larger car that has been far more lovingly furnished than the one you're sitting in. You start to wonder if you're ready to make such steep compromises for the pleasure of driving an electric vehicle.

The Competition

The Tata Nexon, by comparison, is a generously furnished offering. The rear seats aren't luxurious by any means but they're sculpted for comfort and support. The top of the folding armrest in the centre is bouncy and comfortable. You can imagine spending hours in this seat as you conduct your phone calls while being driven about the city.

The ratio of hard to soft plastics is tilted the right way, both in the front and the rear, and even the hard parts feel like they're from a factory that knows how to make them right. The ergonomics are good and the overall feel of the cabin seems to justify the price you are paying for it—keeping in mind the premium for the capable electric powertrain.

It is by no means "perfect". If only it had been a larger vehicle, if only it had a sunroof worth calling it that, if only it was styled with more restraint, if only it shipped with an auto dimming IRVM, it would have been deserving of that descriptor.

As it stands today, the Nexon EV is a compromise in several ways, but between it and the ZS EV, I think the Nexon makes the right set of compromises. Crucially, given its much lower asking price and the much greater value it delivers for your Rupee, it is the right choice to make for most people. It's no surprise that it is dominating the EV market in India right now.

[coolkurt]

Another brilliant "StoriesofMG" video. MG does deserve points in the marketing department. Pulls the right strings.

https://youtu.be/uXBJvVG_vAU

[yajaman99]

Very interesting, come Monday 8th of Feb , there is going to be a new MG ZS EV 2021.
The online auto news streams are a buzz.

Below youtube video from MG India which will go live on 8th Feb 8am.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA6EsfmbHZo

Autocar online has the below article, no major changes on the outside.
It does hint at a price hike.

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...-8-2021-419855

The time is nearing for my lease to end, hopefully the new features do not hike the price too high and make it beyond my reach.

Will wait for Monday's unveil.

[yajaman99]

The Unveil was a quick one
Change in Battery tech to get more out of the 44.5kWH, increase in ground clearance and price increase.

Screen capture from Youtube.






Increase of Rs11,800 for Excite and Increase of R 60,000/- on ex-showroom.

[aryayush]

Has MG added a centre arm rest for the rest seat?

[SuyashBansal]

Originally Posted by aryayush

Has MG added a centre arm rest for the rest seat?

I don't think so. I got an extended TD back in September 2020 and some of my major observations are still not addressed with this revision - no fog lamps, no center armrest for rear seat, no rear AC vent, no auto-dim IRVM, and some others which I don't recall right now on the top of my mind.

Also, the biggest issue I faced was with the availability of charging. None of the fast/moderate speed chargers were working in 30 KM radius around Noida. I even checked with 3 different MG showrooms and all of them were having earthing issues with there DC chargers. Got very disappointed with the service and cannot recommend this to anyone with similar driving needs.

[harish5000]

I did a TD of Tata Nexon and the MG ZS EV last week and to my surprise I felt the Nexon is much better in certain aspects. In terms of power, yes, the Nexon lags a bit from the ZS EV but it'll still put a smile on your face when you press the pedal in the S Mode especially for most of us having driven a petrol or diesel engine cars.
The one that disappointed me in the ZS EV is the suspension. It has got a very stiff ride and I think it is because of the fact that it is a CKD vehicle and not made to acclimatize Indian roads. The car was completely unsettled even on a properly finished road. Even a slightest of the bump will bring a thud to the passengers' ears. Further, missing of fog lamps and the rear seat arm rest, a very ordinary looking dials and MIDs added to my disappointment.
The controlling of KERS is a good option in the ZS EV which is absent in the Nexon. The ZS EV has a humming sound of the EV motor which might invite mixed reviews but the Nexon is just super silent. It is just the tyre noise that creeps in yet it is still contained thanks to the decent NVH levels in the Tata.
MG scores on the interior fit and finish though. The electronic parking brake comes in hand in the ZS EV and the alloy design too stands out from the Tata and rest of the cars.
But still heart goes out for Tata. An Indian product with so much effort and competing with the international versions of other brands is a commendable one. And as everyone said, the only fact that blocks me from going ahead and book one is the lack of infrastructure especially in my Coimbatore city.

[flanker]

The range I get with the ZS EV is around 450 to 490 km in city driving (Delhi NCR). The last drive of 64.8Km led to 15% battery consumption. The reported efficiency was 10.2 km/kwh (11 and 9.8 km/kwh for back and forth part of the trip).

The usable capacity of the battery pack by these reported consumption figures is around 44.9 kwh. Which is very odd.

About 48 km of the trip, the speed was between 50 to 70 kmph. Rest of the distance the speed was between 40 to 60 km. Essentially always close to the speed limit of the specific road or what the traffic would allow. The average speed was 34.5 kmph (32 and 37 kmph). Air conditioning was used on the last part of trip for about 20 minutes.

This are probably very near the max range one can get from the ZS EV in a real world situations. With constant 40kmph, Bjorn Nyland (Youtube) did achieve a range of 500 km.

[virkdoc]

Went to see the ZS EV. Have to admit in all honesty even being a petrohead I was floored. The interiors and fit and finish are really nice. Space is much more than a Kona.
And living in a city like Chandigarh it could make sense to get. Lets see how it works out.

[Venkatesh]

MG Motor India has joined hands with IIT Delhi’s Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART) for ground-breaking research in the field of electric and autonomous vehicles.





The carmaker has also donated its ZS EV vehicle to IIT Delhi.



The research will include Connected Mobility for areas including Route Planning and Navigation, Obstacle Detection, Seamless and Natural Human Interaction, and AI for Inferring and Decision-making.

Link

[NotanF1driver]

Hello everyone,

I have one question with respect to electric cars. Similar to other electronic devices which use batteries, electric car batteries would also wear out, wouldn't it? At that time, similar to a cell phone battery, it might need a replacement. Does anyone have information on how much one need to shell out for a new set of batteries? I think till the 8th year of ownership, batteries are covered by warranty (Tata or MG). When it is outside warranty, how much would one have to spend? Without a replaced battery (at least once in it's lifetime), would the car be worth anything in the 10th year?

I know of a case where one of our friends owned a Reva electric (I know that it used some primitive batteries in it - tubular, I guess). After 5 years or so, he was not able to find a buyer for it. Ultimately, when it was sold, the buyer could not drive it till his home before it ran out of charge - he hired a trailer and gave it back. Ultimately, I guess he had to scrap it! The cost of replacing batteries was not justifiable at that time.

[yajaman99]

Originally Posted by NotanF1driver

Hello everyone,

Does anyone have information on how much one need to shell out for a new set of batteries? I think till the 8th year of ownership, batteries are covered by warranty (Tata or MG). When it is outside warranty, how much would one have to spend? Without a replaced battery (at least once in it's lifetime), would the car be worth anything in the 10th year?

This is a very good question and not something the sales team like to advertise. Similar to setting up a 7.4Kw AC fast charger at home.

I am planning for the MG ZS EV and let me ask this to the Executive i am dealing with.

The below article talks about this which was written for consumers in Australia.

https://thedriven.io/2021/07/23/how-...-in-australia/

Do give it a read.

On another note found this YouTube video by PowerDrift.
A drag race between the MG ZS EV and the VW Polo GT TSI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNN7N5KsxuU&t=29s

An Interesting watch.