Charging Cable

[Markybhoy1888]

Will I need to buy a charging cable? My car has the granny cable and the charging point in my house will be tethered…it looks like the majority of the charging points have tethered cables so is there a need for a cable? Any pros / cons? As a guesstimate, what % of charging stations don’t have a tethered cable?? Thanks

 

[Jomarkh]

Rapid chargers are tethered but most fast chargers are not. So for a free charge at Tesco's you will need a cable and pod point app.

 

[Markybhoy1888]

Perfect, thanks

 

[5teep]

"New" rapid chargers are coming with a socket instead of a fixed cable (and 22kw AC max). Plenty time to worry about getting a cable though unless you intend to use destination chargers at say a hotel you're staying in?

 

[JCFlippen]

You never know when you may need a type 2 charging cable. Put one on board as a get you out of trouble accessory.

and of course a 10mm spanner.

 

[Alb]

The fact that you can do without one for the majority of the time becomes completely irrelevant on that one occasion that you need it and don't have it!

 

[Headgas1]

In the end you will be the best judge if you have a fairly regular lifestyle and pretty much know from week to week what miles you will be covering then your home charger will be all you need & when you do other journeys for holidays etc then if you plan it properly using zap map for example then there’s plenty of tethered charge points out there . I was the same but in the end I decided that I didn’t want to spend £150 for something I don’t think I would ever use plus your car warns you that you need to charge with probably 25-30 miles left and unless your in the middle of nowhere you should be able to find a tethered charger.

 

[smokie]

Screwfix do them at a good price

 

[Gomev]

"New" rapid chargers are coming with a socket instead of a fixed cable (and 22kw AC max). Plenty time to worry about getting a cable though unless you intend to use destination chargers at say a hotel you're staying in?

Rapids have to have a fixed cable as it soooo big to carry the massive power and the CCS connector.
Most rapids have always had an untethered type 2 connector as well for AC charging, the 22kW is currently irrelevant for MG's and most other EVs in the UK as they are self limited to 7kw.
The facelift 5 will have 22kw (3 phase) capability though, but who would use that on a motorway in place of the rapid at much higher rates?

 

[Kithmo]

I use my tethered home Pod Point less times than I use my type 2 cable at Tescos.

 

[Headgas1]

That was £700 quid or so well spent then @Kithmo

 

[5teep]

Rapids have to have a fixed cable as it soooo big to carry the massive power and the CCS connector.
Most rapids have always had an untethered type 2 connector as well for AC charging, the 22kW is currently irrelevant for MG's and most other EVs in the UK as they are self limited to 7kw.
The facelift 5 will have 22kw (3 phase) capability though, but who would use that on a motorway in place of the rapid at much higher rates?

It's the AC cable being discussed here. Most manufacturers are moving away from large AC chargers in their cars, it's needless expense since very few people use AC when DC (at 2 or 3 times the speed) is available.

 

[Kithmo]

That was £700 quid or so well spent then @Kithmo

I got the charger and the cable free with the car last year (July 2020) with the MG peace of mind deal.
TBH I wasn't going to buy a home charger because I only do 2.5-3K miles a year, I was going to manage with the Granny charger, I only discovered the free Pod Points at Tescos after I got the car.

 

[Alb]

Home AC costs me 5p/kWh or free from Tesco.
DC is never going to replace that as the routine method of charging.

 

[Gomev]

It's the AC cable being discussed here. Most manufacturers are moving away from large AC chargers in their cars, it's needless expense since very few people use AC when DC (at 2 or 3 times the speed) is available.

Yes I know which cable is being discussed, the type 2 AC cable. I'm interested in your sources for this information that most manufacturers are moving away from AC chargers.
As far as I know all BEV/PHEV use AC charging (as well obviously as DC) otherwise how would we charge from home/supermarket/lamposts etc. etc.

 

[5teep]

Yes I know which cable is being discussed, the type 2 AC cable. I'm interested in your sources for this information that most manufacturers are moving away from AC chargers.
As far as I know all BEV/PHEV use AC charging (as well obviously as DC) otherwise how would we charge from home/supermarket/lamposts etc. etc.

I said they were moving away from "large" AC chargers, i.e. over 7.5kw.

The days of new cars having 43kw AC chargers built in are gone (in fact only a few ever did have) even 22kw onboard is rarer now. In the interests of protecting profits, nobody wants to install expensive and ultimately useless chargers in cars, especially when the price of said cars is dropping.
As it stands and ofc your mileage may vary as they say, 'most' people only use AC at home where 7kw is the standard and DC when out and about.
I guess it depends on how you use your vehicle, trip length etc.

 

[JCFlippen]

I’ve almost paid for my Hypervolt in less than six months with savings on not having to buy diesel fuel. Octopus Go allows to me keep to a charging level that covers each days mileage. I only use rapid chargers on rare occasions for longer journeys. The ZS EV range fits in nicely with the routine now in place. I do not rely on free charging at all although have taken advantage of Tesco now and then when doing a big shop to top up if need be.
As for the type 2 cable I was lucky to have one supplied with the car but even if I had to buy one it is a peace of mind item to keep in the boot.

 

[smokie]

I'll be getting a charge cable with the car (Affinity) but I'm going to buy a second to leave permanently plugged in at home (probably the OHME one in case I ever move back to the Agile tariff) and keep one in the car permanently. Saves faffing around remembering to move the cable on the few times or opportunities I will have for public charging.

 

[Gomev]

I said they were moving away from "large" AC chargers, i.e. over 7.5kw.

The days of new cars having 43kw AC chargers built in are gone (in fact only a few ever did have) even 22kw onboard is rarer now. In the interests of protecting profits, nobody wants to install expensive and ultimately useless chargers in cars, especially when the price of said cars is dropping.
As it stands and ofc your mileage may vary as they say, 'most' people only use AC at home where 7kw is the standard and DC when out and about.
I guess it depends on how you use your vehicle, trip length etc.

I agree with the sentiments re the 43kW chargers but they were an exception rather than the rule.
Don't forget that 3 phase power supply is common in Europe and so 22kW would work fine there, and indeed MG have upgraded to an 11kW onboard charger for the facelift 5.