Shopping Basket
You can buy a variety of cables depending on your charging requirements and the existing equipment/vehicle you have. We look at a few of the most popular questions you might face when making a buying decision.
This largely depends on your vehicle's charging specification and the charging point you plan to use.
To keep things simple, our standard 'FAST' charging cables are rated at 32A (7.2kWh) and will allow a charge of 16A (3.6kWh) or 32A (7.2kWh) depending on a combination of the maximum specification of both your vehicle's on-board charger and the charge point you're using. Our cables therefore work with all possible combinations from a Fast Charge Station featuring a Type 2 socket.
If you have the availability of a 3 Phase electricity supply, either to your home charging station or at a public charge point, then we also supply 32A 3 Phase (up to 22kWh) charging cables. They are thicker, heavier and slightly more cumbersome than the standard 32A cables and although they are 'backwards compatible' with the slower rates of charge, we recommend these only if you are likely to have a definite use for 3 phase charge capabilities.
A big question for EV owners is "what length cable do I need?" To cover most charging eventualities, we supply cables in a range of lengths from 3m to 10m. As most owners charge their EV in more than one location, it is worth considering where is likely to be the place where the longest length might be needed?
We always recommend considering a cable slightly greater in length than the maximum you think you'll need!
Some customers purchase more than one cable, especially if they have a charging point at home in a secure location like a garage where a short cable can be permanently plugged in and ready to charge. Keeping a second, longer cable in the boot to cover them for any public charging requirements.
The other buying decision EV owners face is whether to purchase a straight or coiled cable. Each have their advantages and disadvantages depending on your charging requirements.
Our general advice is that Coiled cables are better suited to more permanent charging solutions such as the garage situation mentioned above where the charging distance is a maximum of 5m. Coiled cables can be more cumbersome to handle on a daily basis than straight cables and they also weigh more per metre of charging reach too. For example, a coiled cable that can stretch over a 5m distance will weigh the same as a 10m straight cable.
If you use the correct length coiled cable for your charging situation, we'd expect the cable to hang above the floor so they don't tend to get as dirty or wet as a straight cable. This however may cause a trip hazard at public charging points. Our cables are all Green to try to provide as much hi-visibility safety as possible in these situations.
The nature of coiled cables means it will automatically want to contract when in use and this may place strain on the charging sockets, especially if the cable is too short for the situation.
Straight cables are by far the most popular choice and are suitable for the vast majority of charging situations.
Copyright © 2021 4EV. All rights reserved.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services