Advice and Suggestions, Accessories for Electric Vehicle Virgins. Yes I Popped My Cherry on The MG4 Deal

UltimateAI on 08/11/2024 - 22:18

Hi I popped my Cherry on the recent MG4 deal. Base MG4 on Team Red.

Starting a thread to share any hints\suggestions\learnings;

  • Don't rush into a home charger, if the car comes with a Granny Charger like the MG4 use that for a while to work out what you need
  • Window Tinting makes a huge difference
  • Wireless CarPlay adaptors from Aliexpress work really well
  • Get a V2L adaptor or cable, so you have backup power in a blackout, or just plain fun

Ex-Skyline driver, my biggest takeaway is due to the power, it has really settled down my driving.

What I am still finding weird is no, power on \ off button, no need to even get the keys out of my bag. Always feels like I have forgotten something.

Irony is I also purchased a CX5 earlier in the year, now I hate to drive it and looking to replace with an EV SUV .

Automotive Electric Vehicle MG

Comments

  • Sunny84 on 08/11/2024 - 22:22
    +1

    Get an energy plan with free charging window i.e OVO who do 11am-2pm free electricity daily! Let me know if you need a referral code.

    • UltimateAI on 08/11/2024 - 22:27
      +2

      Thanks, I will check that out. When i looked at Time of use plans earlier, the off-peak and shoulder rates were MORE expensive than my single rate. So really worried about moving from my Single Rate.
      I have a SMALL 6Kw solar system and WFH waiting for the next bill, but doubt it will dent it.
      11am-2pm you say, I still have an old Bitcoin miner in the garage, I've held for sentimental reasons.

      • whyisave on 08/11/2024 - 22:45
        +1

        I still have an old Bitcoin miner in the garage, I've held for sentimental reasons.

        šŸ˜‚

      • pegaxs on 08/11/2024 - 22:59
        +3

        Your power bills are going to go upā€¦ but, the upside is that you donā€™t have to take the car anywhere near a fuel station.

        One of the biggest negative comments I get from people is ā€œbut it will drive up my electricity bill and I canā€™t afford that as it isā€¦ā€ but forget that they now no longer have to buy fuel, so they can use that fuel money to put towards the electricity bill.

        I have the OVO plan and my car is basically free to fill during the day, and at worst is $0.08/kWh after midnight. So my EV costs about $6 to fill compared to $80+ for my last petrol car.

        • UltimateAI on 08/11/2024 - 23:11
          +1

          Well said. I could be getting soft, but getting fuel on a hot day is NOT enjoyable, even paying via the App.
          You mean I have to drive somewhere to fill-up, gaze into space, doesn't it just happen?
          And boy, how I now notice the fumes when starting or re-fueling the CX5.

          • Ozbar Gain on 09/11/2024 - 01:36
            +2

            @UltimateAI: Mate it's like 5 minutes for every 700km travelled, is it really such a big deal?

            • Euphemistic on 09/11/2024 - 06:07
              +2

              @Ozbar Gain: 5min every 700kmnisnt a big deal, but why would you do it if you dont need to?

        • UltimateAI on 08/11/2024 - 23:16
          +6

          I should also mention, the Mrs always wants to drive the EV, not just because it's easier, but mindset wise, she sees it as free.
          I'm like weekend trip to the beach, we have all the gear take the SUV that's why we have it. She's like no, take the EV and save $30+ and get some hot chips.

          • Hardlyworkin on 09/11/2024 - 18:14
            +4

            @UltimateAI: News.com will soon write an article blaming EVs for an increase of seagulls at the beach….

      • freeb1e4me on 12/11/2024 - 00:23
        +1

        I have a SMALL 6Kw solar system

        No need to be on OVO EV plan when you have solar. Just charge your vehicle during the day with the free solar

        • UltimateAI on 12/11/2024 - 08:30
          +1

          That is exactly what I am finding. The Granny charger pulls around 1.8kw, I am normally exporting 2-5kw.
          Winter may be different, but now all it's costing me is reduced FIT, which is SFA.

  • CheapandUsed on 08/11/2024 - 22:25
    +5

    Ex-Skyline driver

    Just swap them in then if you haven't already

  • altomic on 09/11/2024 - 00:03
    +10

    popped your cherry but bought an MG, don't drive it in to a great wall, otherwise you build your dream to be in heaven.

    • MS Paint on 09/11/2024 - 01:04
      +7

      Are you HAVAL laugh at OP's expense? Geely, you need to Mahindra own business for f#*ks SAIC.

      • Ozbar Gain on 09/11/2024 - 01:39
        +4

        Jeepers, you Mazda spent ages coming up with that

        • DashCam AKA Rolts on 09/11/2024 - 07:59
          +4

          By Jimny, your right.

        • MS Paint on 09/11/2024 - 09:22
          +4

          Audi, only tuk tuk a mini.

  • Dollar General on 09/11/2024 - 06:12
    +1

    A good phone plan so you can call the dealer and ACCC on an ongoing basis

    • UltimateAI on 09/11/2024 - 07:00

      Fair call. I have 2 Mazdaā€™s so have ACCC on speed dial. Mazdaā€™s are super reliable until they arenā€™t and then youā€™re stuffed. I guess they have so little issues they donā€™t know how to handle them.
      For the MG, thought I had a charging issue, called the dealer who booked me in. Cancelled because I soon realised it was user error. (Unlocking during charging, aborts charging). You can charged while unlocked, but if you lock then unlock it aborts.
      Anyway super impressed with the support from Castle
      Hill MG.

      • Dollar General on 09/11/2024 - 08:09

        Yep Mazda was crap to until the ACCC took them to court and had a victory. Such a horrible way to treat customers for make such a large financial purchase

  • Gunnar on 09/11/2024 - 08:46
    +1

    Ex-Skyline driver

    Details? Model? Mods?

    • bazingaa on 09/11/2024 - 08:55
      +1

      probably not GTR though, could be the base model

      • Gunnar on 09/11/2024 - 10:46

        I was expecting an R32/33 GTS (hopefully T) and really hoped not a V35

    • UltimateAI on 09/11/2024 - 10:22

      Base spec 86 inline six, definitely not GTR or anything remotely special.

      • Gunnar on 09/11/2024 - 10:45

        An R31?

        • UltimateAI on 09/11/2024 - 18:56

          Yep ugly as sin, sounded nice with extractors and a through pipe. Although sitting at 3k there was an annoying droneā€¦. :)

          • Gunnar on 09/11/2024 - 21:09
            +1

            @UltimateAI: I have an R33. Completely different engine but RBs still have said drone at 3k šŸ˜‰

            I drove an R31 recently, bog standard. It was nice to drive a manual in what is a family car

  • GordonD on 09/11/2024 - 09:57
    -2

    Does everyone who buys an EV have to find a way to announce it to the world so they get approval?

    Is that what buying an EV is about, not simply making a sensible decision, but getting approval?

    • UltimateAI on 09/11/2024 - 10:29
      +2

      Intent here is to share learnings / accessories. In my case two teenagers driving purchased the EV for them, really wasnā€™t expecting much as this price point.
      I have a few gripes;
      - inner door handles too close to the hinge, passengers tend to use their feet
      - frame is quite wide so you need to step out to avoid hitting your shin
      - poor rear viability
      - no seat pockets
      - no internal lighting for back seat passengers
      - base has no blind spot monitoring / rear traffic alerts
      - no over the air software updates (basically expect to pay for them)

      As for sensible not convinced buying the CX5 was sensible. EV leasing for 2 years, absolutely spending too much, could have had a much nicer car leasing over 5 years for less monthly spend.

      • arkie0 on 09/11/2024 - 13:36
        -1

        I have to agree, every +100voted 10th post for the last few months is an MG deal just add your feel back there, don't need another EV post

        • UltimateAI on 09/11/2024 - 18:52

          Valid point, I donā€™t know the guidelines, thought a ā€œdiscussionā€ would be more useful to keep the deal posts on-point. Isnā€™t that the purpose of discussions or should I move it to whirlpool.

      • Tricon on 09/11/2024 - 20:18
        +2
        • no over the air software updates (basically expect to pay for them)

        That will be a godsend. You control updates and can hopefully determine if the update is worthwhile. I have heard anecdotally that the software has some niggles (as the software does). Therefore, having such control is very useful.

    • Cave Fire on 09/11/2024 - 20:37
      +2

      Clearly labeled as being an owners discussion thread. Some people have found cheaper accessories etc.

  • foxmulder on 09/11/2024 - 10:03
    +1

    Op mentioned the cherry popping twice I have to look up to confirm what it means.

    • donga100 on 09/11/2024 - 12:37

      What does it mean?

      • Nugs on 09/11/2024 - 18:55
        +2

        It involves a donga (most of the time)
        .

  • payless69 on 09/11/2024 - 10:37
    +1

    You need that bumper sticker: MG4 Cherry Popper Inside

  • Brick Tamland on 09/11/2024 - 12:52

    What kinda fun with the V2l Adaptor?

  • freefall101 on 09/11/2024 - 15:51
    +2

    To throw in some opposing thoughts (this is the internet, after all)

    Don't rush into a home charger, if the car comes with a Granny Charger like the MG4 use that for a while to work out what you need

    They're fairly cheap and make sense if you export any electricity at all. Less than $1k installed and it does the majority of my charging. It's crucial to soaking up excess from solar and being able to charge overnight (instead of 20+ hours)

    I wouldn't wait more than a couple of weeks and I wouldn't overthink it. I put in a basic 7kw charger, made sure I could use it just to use excess solar and had it in within a week of buying the car. That first week sucked having to trickle charge all the time.

    Wireless CarPlay adaptors from Aliexpress work really well

    I had two and they were awful to use with my BYD. Dunno what the issue was (could have been user error). The wireless carplay update was a godsend, I'm never buying a car without wireless carplay again.

    Get a V2L adaptor or cable, so you have backup power in a blackout, or just plain fun

    While it's an awesome talking point, I have used mine zero times, even through blackouts. Running an extension lead into the house just to plug in the TV didn't seem worth the hassle. Granted, I have a battery for my sleep apnea machine, which is fairly critical. If I didn't have that I'd probably run the cable.

    One other learning, I forgot to charge it for the first time last weekend (in 18 months of owning). Was heading to a concert and didn't have enough juice, didn't have time to charge at home, didn't have the plugshare app setup and started scrambling through apps, google searches and such to try figure out how I was going to get there and home while also getting it charged. I took an uber in the end.

    Make sure you setup plugshare (it'll tell you where you can charge your specific car and how powerful the chargers are at each spot), know where the closest fastcharger is in a pinch and learn how to use navigation software that suggests a route with charging on the way. It was a bit anxiety inducing to need to do that on the fly without being late.

    • UltimateAI on 09/11/2024 - 16:33

      Good advice.

      • WhyAmICommenting on 24/11/2024 - 20:31

        Hey OP, do you know anything about just getting a 15A outlet in the garage vs a proper wall charger? I wonder what the rough price difference would be.

        • UltimateAI on 24/11/2024 - 22:07

          Varies too much, best way to get a few quotes.
          I know people that did this with just an outlet change, others had to run new wires and a breaker. So very much depends on site specifics.
          Personally think I would go the 15amp outlet vs hard wire the charger.

          • WhyAmICommenting on 26/11/2024 - 08:25
            +1

            @UltimateAI: Go 15A Because itā€™s cheaper and you donā€™t need the speed or fancy features of a wall charger?

            • Nom on 26/11/2024 - 16:09
              +2

              @WhyAmICommenting: It's not really cheaper - you're paying the sparky the call out and the hour's work, no matter what they install onto your wall. So you may as well get the biggest socket you can.

              I got this 32Amp socket installed into my garage - https://www.sparkydirect.com.au/p/nls-66cv532-5-pin-32amp-swā€¦ and it runs directly back to it's own dedicated breaker in my fuse box. It's only a few meters to the fuse box, so the install for the sparky was super simple.

              I plug this charger into it - https://inchargex.com.au/products/portable-ev-charger-32a-5pā€¦ - which is user switchable between 10A, 16A, 20A, 24A and 32A.

              • WhyAmICommenting on 26/11/2024 - 18:06

                @Nom: Well, thatā€™s a $380 charger on top of the sparky. If I use the supplied one I think itā€™s rated for 12A or so.

                Sparky reckons $400-$500 for the 15A

                Thanks for the suggestion though, Iā€™ll think about it. How much was the 32A installation?

        • AccuracyAdvocate on 26/11/2024 - 20:45
          +1

          If the 15 A outlet requires new cabling (likely) then get cabling to support 32 A even if you only install a 15 A outlet. This allows future you to charge another EV or increase charge rate by adding/changing outlets only.

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