Charging adapter

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sipaldi

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 14, 2020
Messages
46
Hi All,
New owner awaiting collection of my 19 4h phev.

I have trawled through the forum but am struggling on the charging cable issue.

What connection will most chargers be? LIDL/ALDI/ASDA, Council car parks?

It seems the type 2 are most common from what I have read?

Are they mainly tethered or untethered?

Which would be my best bet to purchase, a type 2 to type 1 5m cable? Would this connect to both untethered and tethered type 2 chargers?

Thank you,
Phil
 
Hi and welcome,

A type two to type one cable will allow you to charge pretty much anywhere as the most popular connection is a type two untethered. I’ve only come across a couple of tethered AC chargers where this was the only option so not worth getting an adapter for that imho. Service stations usually have chademo connectors so if you want to use these you don’t need any adapter (and it’s much faster).

I would also consider installing an evse at home if you can, the granules won’t last forever!

Hope you enjoy your new car!
 
Thanks Craigy, helps me a lot.

I need to source a 5m type 2 to type 1 cable then. Do I go for the 32 amp?

With this, I assume I could also use a tethered type 2 if I were to come across one by plugging it in too?

My daily commute is only a few miles so The Phev makes sense for me also the BIK is much lower than a diesel estate which I would normally go for.
I was chewing on having a home charger fitted but with my layout at home I fear it would be more than the estimated £799 less the £500 grant. I am going to see how I get on with the 240v charger fed through the cat flap. I am thinking it will get on my nerves sooner than later though. I suppose i could fit a weather proof 240 v socket outside and box it in watertight to take the brick too?
 
There’s no benefit to you for getting a 32A cable, the PHEV can only draw 16A, it may be easier to sell at the end if it’s 32A as full BEVs can use this (though not that many use type one).
You won’t be able to use tethered type 2 chargers unless you but an adaptor cable, however these are pretty useless as you rarely find them. Furthermore the ones you find may be 22Kw chargers which certain vehicles need (Zoe?), so charging at 3.5Kw on one may not get you many friends.
 
I'm assuming you're in the UK based on your post. I think almost all AC sockets are now type 2, as is the European norm.

I think the PHEV is the only new car on sale in the UK with a type 1 connector. I bought a 32A type 1 to type 2 cable, partly because it's a bit more robust and it was only £10 more than a 16A. I did think about resale at a later date, but the market for them isn't growing and I don't hold out much hope of selling it when we do get rid of the car.

You probably won't be getting much charge at public chargers using a new cable, as the PHEV can only draw 3.6kW from a type 2 socket. Assuming you're using them while visiting a shop rather than as a destination charger, it would take you 3 hours to get 20 miles of range. In that time, 3 BEVs using the same socket could each get 100 miles of range if it's 3-phase. That's why they object to PHEVs charging, as the miles per hour is so tiny. It's not wrong, but some might say it's inconsiderate.

Another option is to use the Chademo socket, which charges the PHEV at around 18kW, so you get 80% is 20 minutes - that's a much more friendly option, but it shouldn't be used exclusively. Those are (?almost) always hard-wired to the charger, so you can just rock up and use them.

Do you have access to off-street parking at home? Because a good option would be to take advantage of the OLEV grant and get £500 towards the installation of a home charging socket while they're still available. It would be useful if you get another EV in the future, and you could use it to charge more safely and not rely on the granny charger, which can be prone to overheating after a while.
 
Hi ThudnBlundr ,
Thanks for the reply.

I figured I would use the granny charger at home as I can easily charge overnight parked on my drive. I was considering the fitted charger but don't think I would get any benefit and the cost would be more as my main fuse box is at the opposite side of my house. This would entail cables up and through the loft etc.

I am yet to actually see a public charger so don't know what I have yet in the areas I often visit. I looked at zap maps and it seems not much really. I am North Peak district/West Yorkshire area, visiting Marsden/Holmfirth/Penistone etc often. I also visit Clitheroe often as I have family there.

Will the Aldi chargers be tethered type 2? Would they have Chademo?

I am a little worried about the supplied granny charger overheating now. I assume they are covered on warranty?

All great info for a PHEV noob, thanks.

Phil
 
I don't see any overheating problem with my supplied charger. I use it practically every day, winter and summer and haven't seen any signs of overheating. Am I just lucky or is this a known problem?

Edit: Just read your post ThudnBlunder on the other thread. I thought you were referring to the actual unit, not the plug/house socket. But I've still not had any trouble like that.
 
The charger socket might be a type 2, but the PHEV needs a type 1, hence the type 2 to type 1 cable. But again, that will only supply 3.6kW AC, rather than the 45kW that some cars can take. Those are more designed as destination chargers where you aim to park for hours.

But it's much more likely to be a DC charger, with both CCS and Chademo cables wired into the charger. The PHEV uses Chademo, whereas the European standard now seems to be CCS :roll: Chademo will give you a charge to 80% (6kWh) in around 20 minutes.

There have been several reports on here and on other forums about overheating granny chargers. You may well be lucky, but all it takes is some corrosion between to connections anywhere in the circuit and you will get heat, which can cause more corrosion. 10A at 230V can generate a lot of heat if there's a poor connection. You can also search for perfectly adequate extension leads where people haven't bothered to unwind them and the normal heating at 10A causes the cable to melt. There are also plenty of pictures of burnt plugs and burnt sockets, though which triggers which isn't always clear. I'm not saying it will happen, but it definitely happens to some people. I stopped using mine when the plug got too hot over one summer.

And I'm afraid you'll be lucky if it's covered - few people have succeeded in getting their cable replaced under warranty.
 
Regulo said:
I don't see any overheating problem with my supplied charger. I use it practically every day, winter and summer and haven't seen any signs of overheating. Am I just lucky or is this a known problem?

Edit: Just read your post ThudnBlunder on the other thread. I thought you were referring to the actual unit, not the plug/house socket. But I've still not had any trouble like that.
There appears to be some sample variation. Mine never overheated, but broke its cable internally. It was glued together by some kind of tar that made it impossible to open without breaking the plastic, so I got a Ratio 6A/10A portable charge controller, which is much better.
 
ThudnBlundr said:
You can also search for perfectly adequate extension leads where people haven't bothered to unwind them and the normal heating at 10A causes the cable to melt.

Guilty as charged! Not on the PHEV, but I managed to melt an uncoiled extension lead running a 3kW fan heater in the garage. In my (much) younger and unwiser days, in my defence.
 
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