Should you become an all-electric family? MG may have the answer

The number of Aussie households with two cars has accelerated over the past year. Two-car homes are up to 53%, according to .id community, which analysed figures and National Statistics.

An increased demand for driving in modern life and multi-generation households are behind a surge in two-car ownership across Australia, and MG has a sustainable answer laying within their range.

MG Motor Australia is leading the way when it comes to encouraging families to begin their transformation from internal combustion engines (petrol and diesel) vehicles to EVs by enabling people to become an all-electric family with the MG ZS EV and a transitional solution, with the MG HS Plus EV.

Peter Ciao, MG motor Australia Chief Executive Officer, said second cars are much more likely to get used for short journeys.

"The ZS EV is capable of getting the kids to out-of-school sports practice, through to the daily grind, the second vehicle has become a vital part of everyday life for many working families in Australia and deserves just as much appreciation as the main cars, which a HS Plus EV is perfectly suited to.

“Electric vehicles (EVs) often get compared to smartphones. Society changed when smartphones took over from landlines, and now, something similar is happening with EVs.”

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The company has revealed a range of electric vehicle (EV) chargers that are available to purchase now at more than 85 of its dealerships around Australia. Called the MG ChargeHub, the EV charger is available in two different capacities – a 7kW single-phase version and an 11kW three-phase configuration.

The 7kW ChargeHub is capable of recharging an EV with a 44.5kWh battery in a quarter of the time it takes with the emergency cable supplied with the car, which is roughly 19 hours.

"At MG, we're committed to supporting our customers in any way we can, so we felt it made complete sense to add infrastructure to the products we provide for our electric vehicle and plug in hybrid customers.

"It can deliver significant savings and offers the ease of motoring, giving reassurance and confidence to households facing the pressures of modern life including but not limited to range anxiety."

To celebrate the role of second cars, MG is offering families the chance to get a rebate on a MG ChargeHub on the purchase of their second car.

“We have achieved our ambition of delivering value and driving discussion. Now, we take the next step by supplying charging hardware that can be used by many electric vehicle owners in Australia."

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Most days, living with an EV means unplugging in the morning, driving all day without worrying about how many kilometres are left in the battery, and returning home to plug in again. The experience is not unlike that of a smartphone, but instead of serving as a communication device, an electric car is a transportation device.

“There is one difference between owning a ZS EV and an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle that is easy to understand: with our ZS EV, you never need to visit a petrol station again unless you need to use the bathroom.

“If you have a ChargeHub, starting each day with a full battery pack and zero range anxiety is easy. Comparatively, most ICE drivers must visit a petrol station when their tank is nearly empty.” He said.

If you don't have a home charging station, you can power up your ZS EV at a public or workplace charging station.

“Recharging every day with the ZS EV and your HS Plus EV is especially simple if you have a ChargeHub. When you arrive home, you plug your vehicle in, and if you don't want to, you don't have to think about the charging process until the next time you want to drive. At that time, you simply unplug, hang up the charging cable, and drive off.”

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Maintenance on an EV is also much cheaper than on a petrol or diesel car

The ZS EV comes with a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty paired with fixed-price servicing for peace of mind through the MG Precise Price Servicing plan. This covers all items requiring maintenance as indicated in the service schedule, meaning the price listed is the price you will pay.

Since they have no spark plugs, timing belts, or oil to change, an EV's maintenance costs are lower than petrol and diesel vehicles. Electric vehicle owners can also replace their vehicle's brake pads less frequently because regenerative brakes use the motor to assist in slowing down the car, thus reducing brake pad wear.

In addition, there are fewer moving parts in an EV, which means fewer things can break, reducing emergency repair costs. However, some regular maintenance items, like wiper blades and tire rotations, cost about the same no matter the powertrain.

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Some other key upsides to owning an EV or plug-in hybrid EV

• With a near-silent powertrain, the ZS EV has no smells and supreme smoothness, the EV driving experience simply cannot be matched by ICE vehicles when it comes to comfort and refinement.
• The range of the ZS EV is sufficient for daily use for most drivers, at 320 kilometres. An HS Plus EV is better suited for weekend getaways or long-distance road trips. However, the increasing availability of charging stations makes it easier than ever for EV owners to travel away from home.
• Unless you have driven one of these vehicles, you will never understand the thrill of experiencing low-end torque in complete silence.
• The combined power of an HS PLUS EV is 189kW and 370Nm – plenty of power for an SUV of this size. You can get just over 60km of pure electric range from this 16.6kWh battery pack. 0-100km/h is claimed to be 6.9 seconds. When battery power depletes, a petrol-powered engine takes over.