Why are motorway services fast chargers so unreliable?

[Alibro]

The car is capable of 11kW.

BUT....the included cable is only capable of 7kW.

Also worth noting is that the included single phase, 7kW cable will only get you around 3kW on an 11kW charger.

In summary with the included cable:

Charge Point Max

Max Speed Possible

7kW	7kW
11kW	3kW
22kW	7kW

To achieve the max speed possible in AC public chargers, you will require a 32A cable capable of 22kW (if you get an 11kW cable, you'll only get around 3kW on a 7kW charge point).

I picked up a used Menekkes branded cable off eBay for £40 and can now get the maximum possible at all AC charge points.

This info is solid gold, thank you.
I guess the reason why we only get 3kW at an 11kW station is our cables are only single phase and 11kW chargers are 3 phase so to get the full 11kW we need a three phase cable.
This will explain why I got so little charge the last time I used an 11kW charger.

 

[xblackwolf90]

This info is solid gold, thank you.
I guess the reason why we only get 3kW at an 11kW station is our cables are only single phase and 11kW chargers are 3 phase so to get the full 11kW we need a three phase cable.
This will explain why I got so little charge the last time I used an 11kW charger.

No problem!

And yep that's the exact reason. The charge point has 3 phases, but your single phase cable can only take 1 of the three, so you're only getting 1/3 of the 11kW possible.

Technically the charge point can put out 3.6kW (11 divided by 3) max to your car, but a small amount is lost when charging on AC so you'll see something around 3.1kW.

It can certainly be a bit mind boggling for first time EV drivers, particularly when manufacturers rate and advertise the car as 11kW, but then don't give you the cable needed.

I'm glad I did my research when getting a new cable. You'd think a cable rated for 11kW would be perfect for an 11kW car, but then you'd only get 3 kW on a 7kW charge point!

 

[walter]

The car is capable of 11kW.

BUT....the included cable is only capable of 7kW.

Also worth noting is that the included single phase, 7kW cable will only get you around 3kW on an 11kW charger.

In summary with the included cable:

Charge Point Max

Max Speed Possible

7kW	7kW
11kW	3kW
22kW	7kW

To achieve the max speed possible in AC public chargers, you will require a 32A cable capable of 22kW (if you get an 11kW cable, you'll only get around 3kW on a 7kW charge point).

I picked up a used Menekkes branded cable off eBay for £40 and can now get the maximum possible at all AC charge points.

Any Advice please If I was to buy a 3 phase 480v cable either a 11kw or a 22kw cable am I right in thinking I should get 11kw on public chargers would this cable be then compatible for use on a untethered 7kw home charger or would I have to carry 2 cables around with me thanks for any help

 

[xblackwolf90]

Any Advice please If I was to buy a 3 phase 480v cable either a 11kw or a 22kw cable am I right in thinking I should get 11kw on public chargers would this cable be then compatible for use on a untethered 7kw home charger or would I have to carry 2 cables around with me thanks for any help

If you get a 22kW cable, it will get you the maximum available charge rate on all charge points (7kW on 7kW charge points, and 11kW on 11 and 22 kW charge points). You will therefore only need to carry the one cable for all eventualities.

If you get an 11kW cable, it will only provide 3.6 kW on a 7kW charge point, so you would need to carry two cables around and select the appropriate one based on the charge point being used.