The following article was produced in partnership with MG Motors.
Australians are finally embracing electric motoring. More and more electric cars can be seen on our streets and highways – and it’s largely because Aussies have become more mature in their approach to electric vehicle ownership.
While many Aussies are confident enough to have an EV as their one and only vehicle, many Australian families have found that the solution that works for them is to split the difference: have one internal combustion engined (ICE) car, and one EV in the garage.
Perhaps that’s why the number of Aussie households with two cars has accelerated over the past year. According to idcommunity, two-car homes are up by 53% – which has been fuelled (or perhaps not fuelled, as the case may be) by the increasing popularity of EVs.
It makes sense, too. Range anxiety might be a malaise that’s on the way out, but having one electric and one conventional car in the garage makes it easy for modern, active families to get out and about no matter the conditions – and it’s also a way to ease into becoming an all-electric family.
Enter: MG Motors. MG has been leading the way when it comes to encouraging families to begin their transformation from ICEs to EVs by enabling people to become an all-electric family with the MG ZS EV and a transitional solution, the MG HS Plus EV plug-in hybrid (PHEV).
MG Motor Australia CEO Peter Ciao explains that second cars are much more likely to get used for short journeys – a role EVs are perfect for.
“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 a family’s main car, which the 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.”
Peter Ciao
The other important part of the electrification equation is charging points. In that area, MG has been ahead of the pack, too: the company has revealed a range of 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 version. 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 usually about 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,” Peter says.
“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.”
Peter Ciao
To celebrate and highlight the sometimes-overlooked role that second cars play in our lives, MG is offering families the chance to get a rebate on an 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,” Peter says.
These 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. As charging gets quicker and electric cars are becoming more efficient with bigger batteries, it’s never been easier to own an EV.
“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,” Peter touts.
“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.”
Peter Ciao
If you don’t have a home charging station, you can power up your ZS EV at a public or workplace charging station – which isn’t normally a hassle, but relying on public charging makes the EV ownership experience similar to the ICE ownership experience. By installing a home charger like MG’s ChargeHub, you can save time, money and really reap the rewards of switching to an EV.
“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,” Peter says.
Maintenance on an EV is also much cheaper than on a petrol or diesel car. For example, 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. That’s refreshing.
That’s before we start talking about the emissions, performance and comfort benefits that EVs inherently have over ICE cars…
Of course, PHEVs like the MG HS Plus EV also offer their advantages and are a great compromise if you can’t commit to fully-electric motoring just yet. The primary benefit is range: while an electric vehicle can only travel as far as its batteries allow, PHEVs also have a petrol engine to support their electric powertrain. The result is that PHEV drivers get the best of both worlds. They get electric-vehicle efficiency around town and traditional car range for longer trips.
Having taken a road trip in an MG HS Plus EV ourselves, we can attest to the convenience and value of a PHEV for long road trips.
Of course, having a home charger like MG’s ChargeHub is invaluable if you’ve got a PHEV, as it allows you to fully reap the benefits and convenience of PHEV ownership.
Regardless of whether your family has an EV or PHEV (or both) in the garage, MG’s ChargeHub is a must-have. Electric motoring is the future – and MG’s helping us get there.
Find out more about the MG ChargeHub, the rebate on offer as well as MG’s exciting electrified vehicle range at MG’s online showroom here.