[Petriix]

We've had the 5 for nearly a week although, with one thing and another, we've done relatively few miles. Mrs Petriix has done most of the driving so far while I've done more of the fiddling with settings and working out the idiosyncrasies. I thought I would post some initial observations...

• We've covered 132 miles and used around 44kWh of energy which correlates exactly with the car's 3 miles per kWh calculation - we picked the car up 97% charged, the Zappi has added 33.5kWh and the SOC is currently 74%.
• I estimate that the heater has used around 7kWh of that energy, averaging 1kW for the 7 hours the car has been 'on'. That would make the driving efficiency around 3.5 miles per kWh, which is pretty good considering the temperature and conditions.
• The heater is very power hungry, peaking at around 4.5kW if the car's power flow display is to be believed (around 12 amps at 375v when heat and blowers set to maximum) so there is a significant overhead to doing sporadic short journeys in the cold weather as the car heats from cold every time.
• Charging works ok, with a couple of quirks:
  • the car is very slow to respond to the Zappi resuming charging. It initially says 'plugged in, uncharged!' while the Zappi says 'Charge delayed' or 'Waiting for EV', then the Zappi says 'Charging' but with power showing as 0 then, after around 60 seconds, the car finally starts to charge. That makes the Eco+ mode a bit painful when there's a few clouds about and seems to break the 'Smart Boost' functionality - I believe because the car doesn't respond fast enough during the test phase so the Zappi calculates that infinite time is required to achieve the selected amount of charging and therefore starts right away.
  • Scheduled charging seems to work fine.
  • when the car is unlocked, charging 'pauses' which makes the Zappi think that the charge is complete so it wouldn't resume again. Thankfully there are some compatibility settings in the Zappi advanced options which can prevent this from happening. After a minute charging resumes.
  • Plugging in when the car is unlocked can be a little temperamental, sometimes the cable lock mechanism whirs a few times before finally charging, other times it starts first time and a couple of times I have needed to unplug and then reconnect the cable.
• There is no obvious indication that the car is charging, but if you press the lock button on the door (without the key in your pocket) then it displays the current SOC percentage, GOM range and estimated time remaining on the driver's display.
• The only method of preheating the car is very clunky but can be done while charging. You have to turn the car on manually and, if you want to lock it and leave it unattended, you have to wind the window down then use the lock button inside the driver's door before winding the window up again (be quick to get your arm out of the way!); then the only way of unlocking it again is with the physical key after removing the end piece of the driver's door handle. I don't think I'll be doing that very often!
• There doesn't seem to be a way of displaying the tyre pressures in PSI so I'll have to get used to BAR.
• The USB ports are quite low powered so phone charging is slow.
• Android Auto can be fiddly to connect but seems to work well once you have the correct settings:
  • make sure developer mode is enabled to allow USB debugging
  • pair the phone to the car with Bluetooth before first connecting
  • set the default behaviour to 'transfer files'
  • unlock your phone before connecting the cable
  • if it's not working it's usually because it's switched back to 'USB Accessory' mode so drag down from the top of your phone, tap on the USB connection and change it back to 'transfer files'.
• The DAB aerial is built into the bottom of the rear windscreen as an apparent continuation of the rear demister; those bottom few bars won't clear because that's not a heating element.
• Some perfectly passable mats are available from Home Bargains for £4.49. They also sell a boot liner and a seat cover.
• Those roof rails are pretty flimsy and clearly under engineered. I suspect that they could easily fail if loaded up. However, the Thule Aero roof bars from my old Peugeot 206sw do fit perfectly so I am likely to come up with a way of using them to transport our canoe; I will ensure that there is an adequate amount of additional support that provides a fully redundant connection to the car so that nothing would come loose even if the roof rails broke or became detached.

 

[Br_Ranger]

Thanks for the useful information. I will also be using a Zappi and android phone so I was glad to see the info. When using the zappi for a timed charge like octopus go would I set it to eco even though I don't have solar and then set the boost timer?

How are you finding the MG5 to drive?

Thanks again for the info.

Sent from my NX629J using Tapatalk

 

[Petriix]

Thanks for the useful information. I will also be using a Zappi and android phone so I was glad to see the info. When using the zappi for a timed charge like octopus go would I set it to eco even though I don't have solar and then set the boost timer?

How are you finding the MG5 to drive?

Thanks again for the info.

Sent from my NX629J using Tapatalk

Set the Zappi to Eco+, then it won't charge (unless you are exporting electricity) until the timed boost kicks in. On Eco it would charge at 6 amps (around 1.4kW) outside the boost times. In the advanced settings, set compatibility mode to on, infinite PWM to on and end charge delay to at least 120s to prevent the 'Charge Complete' when unlocked issue.

The car is lovely to drive. It has more power than I will ever need and it is very smooth. The suspension is a little woolly but that makes it quite forgiving over bumps. It's pretty sure footed in the corners with minimal roll. It does have a tendency towards understeer due to the weight of the batteries and it's pretty easy to spin the front wheels if you try to pull away quickly in any kind of low grip.

For the main part, though, I'm enjoying planning ahead trying to maintain as much of my momentum as possible and flicking between the KERS modes and using the friction brakes as little as possible apart from the occasional firm press to keep the rust off the disks.

 

[RichStubbs]

We've had the 5 for nearly a week although, with one thing and another, we've done relatively few miles. Mrs Petriix has done most of the driving so far while I've done more of the fiddling with settings and working out the idiosyncrasies. I thought I would post some initial observations...

• We've covered 132 miles and used around 44kWh of energy which correlates exactly with the car's 3 miles per kWh calculation - we picked the car up 97% charged, the Zappi has added 33.5kWh and the SOC is currently 74%.
• I estimate that the heater has used around 7kWh of that energy, averaging 1kW for the 7 hours the car has been 'on'. That would make the driving efficiency around 3.5 miles per kWh, which is pretty good considering the temperature and conditions.
• The heater is very power hungry, peaking at around 4.5kW if the car's power flow display is to be believed (around 12 amps at 375v when heat and blowers set to maximum) so there is a significant overhead to doing sporadic short journeys in the cold weather as the car heats from cold every time.
• Charging works ok, with a couple of quirks:
  • the car is very slow to respond to the Zappi resuming charging. It initially says 'plugged in, uncharged!' while the Zappi says 'Charge delayed' or 'Waiting for EV', then the Zappi says 'Charging' but with power showing as 0 then, after around 60 seconds, the car finally starts to charge. That makes the Eco+ mode a bit painful when there's a few clouds about and seems to break the 'Smart Boost' functionality - I believe because the car doesn't respond fast enough during the test phase so the Zappi calculates that infinite time is required to achieve the selected amount of charging and therefore starts right away.
  • Scheduled charging seems to work fine.
  • when the car is unlocked, charging 'pauses' which makes the Zappi think that the charge is complete so it wouldn't resume again. Thankfully there are some compatibility settings in the Zappi advanced options which can prevent this from happening. After a minute charging resumes.
  • Plugging in when the car is unlocked can be a little temperamental, sometimes the cable lock mechanism whirs a few times before finally charging, other times it starts first time and a couple of times I have needed to unplug and then reconnect the cable.
• There is no obvious indication that the car is charging, but if you press the lock button on the door (without the key in your pocket) then it displays the current SOC percentage, GOM range and estimated time remaining on the driver's display.
• The only method of preheating the car is very clunky but can be done while charging. You have to turn the car on manually and, if you want to lock it and leave it unattended, you have to wind the window down then use the lock button inside the driver's door before winding the window up again (be quick to get your arm out of the way!); then the only way of unlocking it again is with the physical key after removing the end piece of the driver's door handle. I don't think I'll be doing that very often!
• There doesn't seem to be a way of displaying the tyre pressures in PSI so I'll have to get used to BAR.
• The USB ports are quite low powered so phone charging is slow.
• Android Auto can be fiddly to connect but seems to work well once you have the correct settings:
  • make sure developer mode is enabled to allow USB debugging
  • pair the phone to the car with Bluetooth before first connecting
  • set the default behaviour to 'transfer files'
  • unlock your phone before connecting the cable
  • if it's not working it's usually because it's switched back to 'USB Accessory' mode so drag down from the top of your phone, tap on the USB connection and change it back to 'transfer files'.
• The DAB aerial is built into the bottom of the rear windscreen as an apparent continuation of the rear demister; those bottom few bars won't clear because that's not a heating element.
• Some perfectly passable mats are available from Home Bargains for £4.49. They also sell a boot liner and a seat cover.
• Those roof rails are pretty flimsy and clearly under engineered. I suspect that they could easily fail if loaded up. However, the Thule Aero roof bars from my old Peugeot 206sw do fit perfectly so I am likely to come up with a way of using them to transport our canoe; I will ensure that there is an adequate amount of additional support that provides a fully redundant connection to the car so that nothing would come loose even if the roof rails broke or became detached.

just be careful fella as no matter how well you support the roof rails if anything untoward happens your insurance will be void. I toiled for three days with my car waiting before i cancelled my order as i will defo have to use a roof-box 4/5 times a year as my doggo takes up half the boot!!!! Glad you're enjoying the 5 though, i've ended up purchasing the HS PHEV as there is no other EV anywhere near on price or correct size as the 5.

 

[Petriix]

just be careful fella as no matter how well you support the roof rails if anything untoward happens your insurance will be void. I toiled for three days with my car waiting before i cancelled my order as i will defo have to use a roof-box 4/5 times a year as my doggo takes up half the boot!!!! Glad you're enjoying the 5 though, i've ended up purchasing the HS PHEV as there is no other EV anywhere near on price or correct size as the 5.

You would be liable all the same if your roof box fell off a car with type approval for a roof load; there is no legal distinction. Whatever I do will be secure.

 

[Bendo]

The difference is, your insurance company is likely to seek any 3rd party costs from you if you have used the badly designed rails that are approved for decoration only.

As an aside, does the Excite have a rating, if so there's a chance someone might do an aftermarket bars kit that bolt straight on, although unlikely as it probably won't be a big enough seller.

 

[Donought]

We've had the 5 for nearly a week although, with one thing and another, we've done relatively few miles. Mrs Petriix has done most of the driving so far while I've done more of the fiddling with settings and working out the idiosyncrasies. I thought I would post some initial observations...

• We've covered 132 miles and used around 44kWh of energy which correlates exactly with the car's 3 miles per kWh calculation - we picked the car up 97% charged, the Zappi has added 33.5kWh and the SOC is currently 74%.
• I estimate that the heater has used around 7kWh of that energy, averaging 1kW for the 7 hours the car has been 'on'. That would make the driving efficiency around 3.5 miles per kWh, which is pretty good considering the temperature and conditions.
• The heater is very power hungry, peaking at around 4.5kW if the car's power flow display is to be believed (around 12 amps at 375v when heat and blowers set to maximum) so there is a significant overhead to doing sporadic short journeys in the cold weather as the car heats from cold every time.
• Charging works ok, with a couple of quirks:
  • the car is very slow to respond to the Zappi resuming charging. It initially says 'plugged in, uncharged!' while the Zappi says 'Charge delayed' or 'Waiting for EV', then the Zappi says 'Charging' but with power showing as 0 then, after around 60 seconds, the car finally starts to charge. That makes the Eco+ mode a bit painful when there's a few clouds about and seems to break the 'Smart Boost' functionality - I believe because the car doesn't respond fast enough during the test phase so the Zappi calculates that infinite time is required to achieve the selected amount of charging and therefore starts right away.
  • Scheduled charging seems to work fine.
  • when the car is unlocked, charging 'pauses' which makes the Zappi think that the charge is complete so it wouldn't resume again. Thankfully there are some compatibility settings in the Zappi advanced options which can prevent this from happening. After a minute charging resumes.
  • Plugging in when the car is unlocked can be a little temperamental, sometimes the cable lock mechanism whirs a few times before finally charging, other times it starts first time and a couple of times I have needed to unplug and then reconnect the cable.
• There is no obvious indication that the car is charging, but if you press the lock button on the door (without the key in your pocket) then it displays the current SOC percentage, GOM range and estimated time remaining on the driver's display.
• The only method of preheating the car is very clunky but can be done while charging. You have to turn the car on manually and, if you want to lock it and leave it unattended, you have to wind the window down then use the lock button inside the driver's door before winding the window up again (be quick to get your arm out of the way!); then the only way of unlocking it again is with the physical key after removing the end piece of the driver's door handle. I don't think I'll be doing that very often!
• There doesn't seem to be a way of displaying the tyre pressures in PSI so I'll have to get used to BAR.
• The USB ports are quite low powered so phone charging is slow.
• Android Auto can be fiddly to connect but seems to work well once you have the correct settings:
  • make sure developer mode is enabled to allow USB debugging
  • pair the phone to the car with Bluetooth before first connecting
  • set the default behaviour to 'transfer files'
  • unlock your phone before connecting the cable
  • if it's not working it's usually because it's switched back to 'USB Accessory' mode so drag down from the top of your phone, tap on the USB connection and change it back to 'transfer files'.
• The DAB aerial is built into the bottom of the rear windscreen as an apparent continuation of the rear demister; those bottom few bars won't clear because that's not a heating element.
• Some perfectly passable mats are available from Home Bargains for £4.49. They also sell a boot liner and a seat cover.
• Those roof rails are pretty flimsy and clearly under engineered. I suspect that they could easily fail if loaded up. However, the Thule Aero roof bars from my old Peugeot 206sw do fit perfectly so I am likely to come up with a way of using them to transport our canoe; I will ensure that there is an adequate amount of additional support that provides a fully redundant connection to the car so that nothing would come loose even if the roof rails broke or became detached.

Thanks for such a great update. I picked my 5 up tonight and gave up trying to get the android play to work. Will sort it tomorrow using your detailed explanation. Can't thank you enough. One thing I am struggling with is the brightness of the display at night, it's far too bright for me evening on night mode...although as I type I am wondering if night mode may make it brighter and perhaps I need day mode on permanently?? Another thing to sort tomorrow. I ended up turning the whole display off, which is a pain in the neck to need to do every time. I'm still feeling sick driving in it though :-(

 

[Petriix]

I've not changed the brightness so not 100% sure, but I think it's in the settings defaulted to auto. If the android auto still won't work then you may need a new cable.

If it's your first EV experience then the motion and momentum changes are very different to the feel of an ICEv. I suggest you try stick in KERS 1 and eco to help with the sick feeling. Mrs Petriix still gets travel sick when I drive so I have to be super gentle with changes of speed.

 

[Donought]

I've got the brightness at 1, lowest I believe, but still way too bright at night. I'll play around and see if I can set up any shortcuts so I can turn it off. Haven't decided whether I'll be using android auto or just using my pixel buds. I prefer the ease of calling and accessing music through them anyway but seems a shame not to use the full functionality of the car.

Good idea re KERS 1. My journey tomorrow will be 95% motorway so we'll see how I fare but fingers crossed it improves. If not, I will slowly build up to KERS 3. And yes, I am an EV newbie. Just been reading around home chargers etc and that's another minefield, although I do have a podpoint on order we plan to use the free charging at work. Currently I'm just frustrated that I have a very expensive driveway ornament

 

[Petriix]

I only ever use KERS 3 temporarily when I'm slowing for a junction or 30 limit etc. I prefer to reduce speed more gradually most of the time for a smoother ride and to make the best use of that kinetic energy I've already got.

I'm lucky to have got my EVSE when prices were lower and the grant was higher. For me, seeking out the free charging is a big part of the fun of EV ownership. We will definitely be doing a few trips to the coast for exercise in this lockdown.

 

[Br_Ranger]

With reference to android auto. I had to delete the app and then plug into the car and download when prompted. Now sort and love it. Shame it's not wireless though. Stereo seems very quiet.

Car charges on timer with my zappi which is great. And will be even better when I get my solar in the future or maybe just a battery for the house, as seems less work.

I find the 5 drives nice, but I'm finding it very low verses the soul I had. When I picked it up new it showed 175miles and seemed about right, however that was all motorway to get it home from Burnley to Derby.

In conclusion. I really like it, I'm also happy that it's low tech, as I don't want a rolling iPhone that is out of date in a year, or that I feel I only have a software license to drive it rather than really own the car.

Sent from my NX629J using Tapatalk

 

[Carty]

I've got the brightness at 1, lowest I believe, but still way too bright at night.

If you find the info screen still to bright for you at night, then this maybe a quick fix to consider, pay a visit a local window tinting firm and ask them to put you a piece of film over the screen!.
It comes in many different levels of darkness, which should not affect the screen sensitivity to much.
Try a lighter shade to start with, about 70% tint and go from there.
You could always have the rear windows and rear windscreen done at the same time of course !.
It will make a big difference in the summer time.
I guess the MG5 will be the same as the ZS EV in regards to the lack of tint / UV protection in the glass direct from the factory.
I know there are a number of ZS EV owners that have already had their cars upgraded already, it makes the rear seats in the car a much better in the hot weather.
Maybe something to consider for the summer time ?.
I know some people struggle with regards to motion sickness when first driving an EV.
It can feel a little disconcerting if you have been using only ICE cars for many many years.
All that silence etc just feels a little weird to your head at first.
I agree, put the car in Eco mode to reduce the sensitivity of the “Go Pedal” and select the lowest level of “Regen” as the car will allow.
Apart from the silence of course, this will make the car feel a little more like a ICE car.
I never had any issues with regards to adapting to the car, but I know some people do find it a little strange at first.
I know the senior tech at my local VW dealer said he felt a little “ODD” when he first drove a VW e.Up for the first time.

 

[Donought]

Thanks @Carty - good idea. I'll see how the first summer goes. My solution currently is to just turn the thing off. I never use it anyway and seems to work for incoming phone calls even in 'off' mode.

Thought I'd feedback with some observations now I've had it for a whole month! I love it. I love it's an automatic, I love that it's so smooth and I love that it's super cheap to drive. I use KERS3 almost always and am incredibly lazy at braking now. I have no motion sickness anymore unless I'm not concentrating with the KERS and the weirdest thing, that I've not had the chance to properly explore, is that Sport more may be the most economical. I'll do some testing and feedback next month.

I don't like the small rear window but it's still possible to reverse park easily. I do not really use the camera but am finding myself starting to. I find the miles left too small to read at night and only just readable during the day. I appreciate that it si more my eyesight but given it's such an important number I'd have thought it would be larger or more prominent.

Charging is going well, only used home charger once and it was easy. I am using a free work charger about once a week, which is quite handy. Given the cold weather I'm not getting more than 180 out of a charge and usually running it down to between 20-30 miles before I charge it. Today's charge was over 200 for the first time but was slightly warmer.

I would prefer a longer range but so long as I am more or less fully charged I can do a full trip to work, and any run arounds I need to do making it safely home with miles to spare. All in all only sad I'm not getting to drive it more.

 

[Sandy]

You can (assuming the MG5 is the same as ZS) set the brightness for night mode really low, I have mine set to 5-10% (I did the same in my Zoe) and higher setting in day mode. Set it to dark mode first rather than auto, then tweak the brightness down then turn back on auto mode and it will return to your dark setting when it kicks in.

 

[Nelly215]

We've had the 5 for nearly a week although, with one thing and another, we've done relatively few miles. Mrs Petriix has done most of the driving so far while I've done more of the fiddling with settings and working out the idiosyncrasies. I thought I would post some initial observations...

• We've covered 132 miles and used around 44kWh of energy which correlates exactly with the car's 3 miles per kWh calculation - we picked the car up 97% charged, the Zappi has added 33.5kWh and the SOC is currently 74%.
• I estimate that the heater has used around 7kWh of that energy, averaging 1kW for the 7 hours the car has been 'on'. That would make the driving efficiency around 3.5 miles per kWh, which is pretty good considering the temperature and conditions.
• The heater is very power hungry, peaking at around 4.5kW if the car's power flow display is to be believed (around 12 amps at 375v when heat and blowers set to maximum) so there is a significant overhead to doing sporadic short journeys in the cold weather as the car heats from cold every time.
• Charging works ok, with a couple of quirks:
  • the car is very slow to respond to the Zappi resuming charging. It initially says 'plugged in, uncharged!' while the Zappi says 'Charge delayed' or 'Waiting for EV', then the Zappi says 'Charging' but with power showing as 0 then, after around 60 seconds, the car finally starts to charge. That makes the Eco+ mode a bit painful when there's a few clouds about and seems to break the 'Smart Boost' functionality - I believe because the car doesn't respond fast enough during the test phase so the Zappi calculates that infinite time is required to achieve the selected amount of charging and therefore starts right away.
  • Scheduled charging seems to work fine.
  • when the car is unlocked, charging 'pauses' which makes the Zappi think that the charge is complete so it wouldn't resume again. Thankfully there are some compatibility settings in the Zappi advanced options which can prevent this from happening. After a minute charging resumes.
  • Plugging in when the car is unlocked can be a little temperamental, sometimes the cable lock mechanism whirs a few times before finally charging, other times it starts first time and a couple of times I have needed to unplug and then reconnect the cable.
• There is no obvious indication that the car is charging, but if you press the lock button on the door (without the key in your pocket) then it displays the current SOC percentage, GOM range and estimated time remaining on the driver's display.
• The only method of preheating the car is very clunky but can be done while charging. You have to turn the car on manually and, if you want to lock it and leave it unattended, you have to wind the window down then use the lock button inside the driver's door before winding the window up again (be quick to get your arm out of the way!); then the only way of unlocking it again is with the physical key after removing the end piece of the driver's door handle. I don't think I'll be doing that very often!
• There doesn't seem to be a way of displaying the tyre pressures in PSI so I'll have to get used to BAR.
• The USB ports are quite low powered so phone charging is slow.
• Android Auto can be fiddly to connect but seems to work well once you have the correct settings:
  • make sure developer mode is enabled to allow USB debugging
  • pair the phone to the car with Bluetooth before first connecting
  • set the default behaviour to 'transfer files'
  • unlock your phone before connecting the cable
  • if it's not working it's usually because it's switched back to 'USB Accessory' mode so drag down from the top of your phone, tap on the USB connection and change it back to 'transfer files'.
• The DAB aerial is built into the bottom of the rear windscreen as an apparent continuation of the rear demister; those bottom few bars won't clear because that's not a heating element.
• Some perfectly passable mats are available from Home Bargains for £4.49. They also sell a boot liner and a seat cover.
• Those roof rails are pretty flimsy and clearly under engineered. I suspect that they could easily fail if loaded up. However, the Thule Aero roof bars from my old Peugeot 206sw do fit perfectly so I am likely to come up with a way of using them to transport our canoe; I will ensure that there is an adequate amount of additional support that provides a fully redundant connection to the car so that nothing would come loose even if the roof rails broke or became detached.

Hi there, just bought an MG5 last week and have a zappi charger, the first 2 times charging went really well, however I plugged it in last night and it’s not charging, wel it does for about a minute then states delayed then complete. Have you got any advice you can give me, very frustrated with the whole thing.

 

[Nelly215]

Thanks for such a great update. I picked my 5 up tonight and gave up trying to get the android play to work. Will sort it tomorrow using your detailed explanation. Can't thank you enough. One thing I am struggling with is the brightness of the display at night, it's far too bright for me evening on night mode...although as I type I am wondering if night mode may make it brighter and perhaps I need day mode on permanently?? Another thing to sort tomorrow. I ended up turning the whole display off, which is a pain in the neck to need to do every time. I'm still feeling sick driving in it though :-(

There’s a luminescence setting, not sure if this will reduce the brightness, saw it this evening. If you click down or up on the right hand side of the steering wheel controls, to scroll through the miles per kWh. Click left and it should pop up, give that a try?

 

[Petriix]

Hi there, just bought an MG5 last week and have a zappi charger, the first 2 times charging went really well, however I plugged it in last night and it’s not charging, wel it does for about a minute then states delayed then complete. Have you got any advice you can give me, very frustrated with the whole thing.

Make sure you're running the latest firmware on the Zappi. Go into the advanced settings menu and select compatibility... Set active to on, charge end to something long like 150s, and infinite PWM to on.

The car seems to take a while to restart charging if you interrupt it by unlocking. It might not start at all if a door is open. It can be more reliable to set the Zappi to Eco when you first plug in, then switch to Eco+ once it's set.

 

[SoulGW]

I would not use that roof bar at all. It clearly states now they are for “decoration only” - odd as their brochure shows a bike on there??

I’d definitely get some clarity on that if I were you!

 

[Nelly215]

Make sure you're running the latest firmware on the Zappi. Go into the advanced settings menu and select compatibility... Set active to on, charge end to something long like 150s, and infinite PWM to on.

The car seems to take a while to restart charging if you interrupt it by unlocking. It might not start at all if a door is open. It can be more reliable to set the Zappi to Eco when you first plug in, then switch to Eco+ once it's set.

Thanks very much I’ll pop out now and adjust the settings, also found out what was blocking it from charging at all, seems that my ring mains WiFi extender was playing havoc with either the car / charger.

 

[Petriix]

Thanks very much I’ll pop out now and adjust the settings, also found out what was blocking it from charging at all, seems that my ring mains WiFi extender was playing havoc with either the car / charger.

I think the MG EVs are quite sensitive to WiFi extenders.

The MG5 doesn't play all that nicely with the Zappi. On a day like we're having here in Norwich it's usually better to leave it in Eco. In Eco+ it takes around 2 minutes to resume charging after every cloud passes in which time the car fails to respond to the signal to charge before the Zappi does a fault/resest process then the car eventually accepts the charge.