When it comes to buying an electric vehicle charging cable; you, as an EV owner, have a few factors to consider before purchasing the cable. We will briefly highlight these factors, so you do not miss out on any of them when contemplating which cable suits your charging needs and vehicle.
Do you require a Type 1 or Type 2 charging cable?
Discovering whether your electric vehicle requires a Type 1 or Type 2 charging cable is of high importance. It is very easy to find out, and there are a few ways to do so. A quick search online for your vehicle's charging type is one way. Alternatively, you can check the charging port of your EV. If the charging port has room for a connector with 5 pins, then it requires a Type 1 charging cable. However, if your charging port requires a connector with 7 pins, then your EV requires a Type 2 charging cable..
How long does your charging cable need to be?
Depending upon what cable you require - 4EV offers charging cables with a variety of lengths for you to choose from. Choosing the length of your cable is only something that you, as the EV owner will truly know - considering the length of cable you need to be able to reach your charging station or household socket. We often see 5M cables bought from 4EV, indicating that 5M is quite a comfortable length. However, it may not be a bad idea to opt for a longer cable, to insure yourself for the future if you ever require a longer cable.
Does your EV come with a charging cable? Do you want a spare?
A common error we tend to see from customers, is that they place an order for a cable, and then when their vehicle arrives - they discover they were given a cable with their vehicle. This is not necessarily a problem, but it then causes for the customer to send the cable back to us at their cost. A good way to find out, would be to contact the dealership you bought your car from, to confirm whether your vehicle comes with a charging cable (which it usually does). Do not let this stop you from buying an extra cable from us though, as you may need different cables, for different charging scenarios.
Will you be slow or fast charging your EV?
This factor is purely based on practicality and preference - it is worth considering, what speed you want to charge your electric vehicle at. You may have home-access to a standard charging unit; in that case - we would recommend opting for a fast-charging cable as you have the relevant access to charge at this rate. However, if you can only charge using a standard household 3-pin socket, then you would require one of our portable EVSE cables - which allows for slow-charging of your electric vehicle.
Is your EV capable of three-phase charging?
You may be able to charge your vehicle at a three-phase rate, which allows for faster charging than the standard one-phase. It all depends on whether your vehicle's on-board charger, charging cable and charging unit are capable of charging at 11kW or 22kW. Again, you can find this information out via a quick internet search. Alternatively, visit our vehicle information page - which states whether your vehicle is capable of three-phase charging or not. If your vehicle is not on there; get in touch with our customer service team and we will quickly have your vehicle added to the list!