MG teases ZS EV on social media ahead of launch

MG is set to launch its first electric car in India in the form of the ZS EV, a mid-size SUV that will go head to head with the Hyundai Kona and the upcoming Nissan Leaf. It is expected to be launched by the end of 2019 or early 2020. Details about the powertrain spec for India are sparse. What we do know is that the car is slightly taller, longer and wider than the Hyundai Kona but has a shorter wheelbase. MG ZS EV has a 44.5kWh battery pack in overseas markets with a range of 262km (WLTP cycle). It can fast charge to 80 percent in 40mins (50kW DC charger) or takes seven hours for a full charge with a standard 7kW AC charger. It makes 141bhp and 353Nm of torque with a synchronous motor. Internationally, the MG ZS EV gets a host of features like keyless entry with push button start , auto headlights and wipers, ‘MG Pilot’ which is a suite of driver assistance features including adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot assist and even traffic jam assist. There’s also an 8” colour touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. We are not sure how many of these features will make it to our shores.

To provide the infrastructure available for the car, MG has joined hands with Fortum Charge & Drive. Under the partnership, Fortum will install 50 kW CCS/CHAdeMO DC fast Public Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles across MG’s showrooms in five cities including Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad by the end of the year. Speaking on the partnership, Rajeev Chaba, President & Managing Director, MG Motor India, said, “The upcoming launch of MG eZs model is aligned with the government’s long-term objective to have more electric vehicles on the road in the next few years. We are delighted to be partnering with one of the leading EV Charging service providers in the global EV space to set up charging stations at MG dealerships in select cities to begin with. This is in line with our goal to provide accessible EVs to India customers and create an EV ecosystem in India.”

Words by Karan Singh