MG ZS EV has claimed range of 340 km on a single charge and it can reach zero to 100 kmph in 8.5 seconds
MG Motor India Limited has made a strong impact with the Hector locally. Launched in June 2019, the Hector has received tremendous attention from the customers as the mid-size SUV is posting good sales numbers. To capitalise on the momentum created, Morris Garages is preparing to introduce its second vehicle for the Indian market and it has been unveiled today.
The ZS EV is a global product from the British manufacturer and it has received positive feedbacks elsewhere so far. Also retailed under the eZS nameplate, the electric crossover will go head-on with the Hyundai Kona Electric that has been performing well in sales as nearly 300 units were sold already over the course of the last five months.
In its initial phase, the zero-emission crossover will be introduced across five major cities namely Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The ZS EV is brought into the country through CKD (Completely Knocked Down) route and it will likely be priced at Rs. 19.90 lakh (ex-showroom) upon arrival in early 2020. It will firmly undercut the Hyundai Kona Electric but the range difference is obvious.
The five-seater comes equipped with a 44.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that powers a synchronous motor to kick out a maximum power output of 141 bhp and 353 Nm of peak torque. The Li-ion battery with IP67 dust- and water-resistant rating can be charged up to 80 per cent in just 40 minutes with a 50 kW DC charger and it takes up to seven hours with a standard 7 kW charger.
The battery is mounted underneath the floor to allow for a lower centre of gravity that will help in good handling characteristics. It is water-cooled and enables a driving range of 262 km on a single charge in the WLTP cycle and its ARAI certified range stands at 340 km – nearly 112 km down on Kona Electric. The India-spec ZS EV has similar styling to the global model and compared to the regular IC-engined ZS, it adorns new badging and the star rider grille gets integrated charging port.
Just as the Hector, the MG ZS EV is capable of cloud-based OTA (Over-The-Air) updates and it features a fully digital instrument cluster, leather upholstery, an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, i-Smart EV 2.0 tech, satellite navigation (realtime maps), weather updates, entertainment apps like Gaana and several driver-assistive and safety features. The iSmart EV 2.0 infotainment system enables industry-first connectivity to an external home Wi-Fi network or mobile hotspot.
Besides the diamond-studded grille pattern, the ZS EV comes with premium chrome touches all around, sleek LED headlights, front bumper having noticeable sculpted lines, wide central air inlet, 17-inch wheels, sunroof, wing mirrors with integrated turn signals, silver-finished roof rails and so on. Dubbed the “India’s first pure electric internet SUV”, it can accelerate from zero to 100 kmph in just 8.5 seconds (1.2 seconds quicker than Kona Electric).
Delta and Exicom are providing chargers with ZS EV. There are five ways the electric vehicle can be charged including charge on the go, fast charging at MG dealerships, home/office charger, extended charging network and using onboard charging cable. Exicom is building fast-charging networks and eChargeBays will do the installation processes.
The e-crossover was tested for more than one lakh km according to MG in different surface and weather conditions.