Type 2 cables redundant?

dsr

dsr

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MG4 Trophy ER
My dealer kindly supplied both Type 2 and granny cables with my car. I have used the granny cable overnight, at friends and relatives, on a number of occasions, but never the Type 2 cable. On long journeys I faithfully use up boot space by taking it, just in case, but it has done nothing except sit in its cover bag. Has anyone (in the UK) needed to use theirs? Or are Type 2 cables redundant?
 
Type 2 is for untethered chargers. Due to location of my charge point it made sense to have untethered so used pretty exclusively. They are generally used for “destination chargers” so the slower AC chargers at supermarkets, work places etc (my last job had free chargers but again needed the type 2 cable). When I say slow I mean none DC btw.

Modified my set up a little with a slightly more permanent very long type 2 so I change in my garden but still carry the one in the boot as could well end up using it in a car park charger etc.
 
I use it every day because the chargers at my place are untethered.
I also take it if I plan to stay somewhere with AC charging like a hotel or a holiday resort so that I can charge at a cheaper rate and to 100% overnight or if I park in a town where I can park and charge while having lunch.

They will one day become redundant but that day isn’t going to be for quite some time.
 
Rolfe said:
Don't take up boot space. Put it under the bonnet, on top of the plastic tray. When you close the bonnet, it's neatly held in place and doesn't move around. Leave it there and forget about it. Then the day you discover you need it, remember that it's there!
Click to expand...
Great tip - thank you. As for my memory… 🤣
 
I bought a cheap kids school backpack & put the granny charger & V2L adaptor in it & it is under the bonnet protected from any dust that ends up there. I have only ever used the granny charger to make sure it worked. 95% of my charging is done from my ZJBeny single phase 7kW wall charger with power direct from my solar panels.
 
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I insisted that the dealer give us both.

Used the granny for a few weeks until our home charger was installed. Not ideal because it meant leaving the garage door ajar!

I have only used the type 2 cable at our local supermarket/town centre - the have free charging at 7kW so I get a cheeky few kWh when I'm shopping.

However, the type 2 might also come in handy in the future when going on holiday trips.

Glad to have it, even if I will rarely use it.

In the future I expect they will be less common as tethered connections will increasingly dominate.
 
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I use my type 2 cable all the time when I'm in Scotland where I have no home charging and park the other side of the road from the first floor flat, so no granny charging possible. Luckily there are low powered street side chargers very close by and I use those as they are cheaper than rapids. I also graze when out and about up there to keep topped up.
 
Use mine fairly often - next will be Sunday night at a park and ride - £1 to park overnight then 35p/kWh so car will be up to 100% and balanced again ready to return home.

Much cheaper than any rapid charger (unless you have a subscription) and sometimes you can still find free ones, although they are rare now.
 
I used mine this morning for a bit of free council leccy while I had breakfast
Cable will fit under the bonnet you say ...will have to have a test fit
 
If you travel in an area where rapid DC chargers are scarce you can usually find a 7kW AC somewhere. The east coast of Lincolnshire for example.
 
dsr said:
My dealer kindly supplied both Type 2 and granny cables with my car. I have used the granny cable overnight, at friends and relatives, on a number of occasions, but never the Type 2 cable. On long journeys I faithfully use up boot space by taking it, just in case, but it has done nothing except sit in its cover bag. Has anyone (in the UK) needed to use theirs? Or are Type 2 cables redundant?
Click to expand...
In 14 months I have never once used mine.

I could have done, mainly on occasional hotel stays when travelling, but the presence of Rapid chargers en route and Home charging with a tethered Zappi has meant I haven't needed to.

The main usages seem to be:
  • Supermarkets: if you have a regular routine and don't have home charging.
  • Holiday destinations: which tend to have Type 2 if anything, which is convenient.
  • Workplaces: increasingly businesses have Type 2 chargers in their car parks, for those who travel to a workplace (I don't).
 
Use mine all the time to charge from home. Worth carrying around in case of need - as said above, many car parks and hotels have untethered chargers that need you to supply your own type 2 lead. I have NEVER used my granny charger!
 
When PodPoint was free at Tesco's I used mine quite a few times.
Car parks around Southampton were also free until recently.
AC is generally cheaper than DC on a rapid charger so if you are not in a hurry or the CCS is in use then you can use the type2. Watch the car parking times.
ABC....
 
Never used mine in 5 years of ownership, but that's just me.
Always had one, just in case.
Used to take it with me for the first six months of ownership until I realised I don't need it with my style of usage.
Tethered DC and tethered home AC and granny charger for domestic solar set up.... but never type 2 untethered ( so far 😉 )
 
dsr said:
My dealer kindly supplied both Type 2 and granny cables with my car. I have used the granny cable overnight, at friends and relatives, on a number of occasions, but never the Type 2 cable. On long journeys I faithfully use up boot space by taking it, just in case, but it has done nothing except sit in its cover bag. Has anyone (in the UK) needed to use theirs? Or are Type 2 cables redundant?
Click to expand...
I was only supplied with a granny charger and have never used it in my first year.
Have only ever used tethered chargers.
 
ChargePlace Scotland has a fair number of untethered slower AC chargers, so I’ve used my Type 2 cable quite a bit. I wish I could fit it below the boot, but there’s not a lot of space in the SE LR unfortunately.
 

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