In their marketing MG Australia promises that the Excite 51, Excite 64, Essence 64 and X-Power versions of the MG4 2023 electric car are all capable of a Single Phase 6.6kW maximum AC charging rate.
The MG4 Essence 77 Long Range is the only model in the series that is capable of Three Phase – 11kW AC charging. I will be testing that in a few weeks time.
At home using a Three Phase 11kW charger the promised charging time from flat to 100% is 7 hours for the MG4 Essence 77 Long Range.
It is a bit disappointing that the Essence 64 and X-Power only support 6.6kW maximum AC charging rate because the older model MG ZS EV supports Three Phase – 11kW AC charging across all spec levels.
At home using a single phase 7kW charger the promised charging time from flat to 100% is 7.5 hours for the Excite 51 and 9 hours for the Excite 64, Essence 64 and X-Power.
I tested the charging rate at my local shopping centre Ocular AC charging station, using my 7m Type 2 to Type 2 EV Charging Cable (22kW, 32 amp) cable and a MG4 Essence 64 2023 RWD (which I had on loan for a week to review).
I plugged one end of the cable into the car charger port.
I plugged the other end of the cable into the Ocular brand AC charging station.
After a few seconds charging started and I saw that the MG4 was charging. Helpfully regardless of whether the car is on or off, the display shows key information of AC charging rate, current battery level and how long it will take to reach 100%.
By the time I returned from a quick shopping trip the total amount sent to the battery was 2.38kWh in 22min 15 seconds minutes, which is roughly 6.41kW/hr. Very close to the promised 6.6kW rate.
You can tell the MG4 Essence 64 only has an onboard Single Phase charger because the Ocular display shown below only shows 1 phase with more than Zero amps.
When I pressed stop the battery was 90% full and the range was 450km in ECO mode (which is what I tested the car in most of the time).
That implies a 100% battery range of 500km in ECO mode which is quite possible for city driving but not for long highway trips. Normal and Sport mode range would be less range obviously. The advertised WLTP mixed urban and motorway range for the MG4 Essence 64 RWD is 435km.
At another time I got to try out the MG4 AC charging rate again at a different location. While that charger was capable of 7.2KW the car was receiving at 6.39kW according to the MG iSmart app.
As a side note one common question about the Australian MG4 Essence 64 2023 is can you can set the maximum charge percentage level using an app?
The answer is Yes, in the Charging Management screen above (touch the triangle pointing up and move it left/right to the percentage level you want) and the in car central tablet charging screen.
This is true for the NMC battery Excite 64, Essence 64, Essence 77 and X-Power. The LFP battery Excite 51 doesn’t allow a maximum charge percentage level to be set.
The MG iSmart app also lets you start/stop charging remotely as well as schedule charging and schedule battery heating.
Type 2 to Type 2 Cable Buying Tips
I recommend buying your Type 2 to Type 2 cable from an Australian retailer like EVSE or Jetcharge so you have a good warranty and are supporting the local EV accessory industry.
You could get a shorter, cheaper 5m cable but I find the 7m length is handy as you never know how far the charging station will be from your car charging port.
Some electric vehicle (EV) owners buy a Type 2 to Type 2 EV Charging Cable (7kW, 32amp) to save a little bit of money.
This is a slower slightly cheaper cable available for purchase for cars like the BYD Atto 3, MG ZS EV 2021, MG4 Excite 2023 and Hyundai Kona EV 2021 that don’t support 11kW AC charging.
However if you later buy a newer electric car that is capable of 11kW AC charge rate or rent an EV capable of 11kW AC charge rate (eg common rental models Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2) then this wastes an opportunity to charge that EV much faster at an AC charging station.
Leave a Reply