Electric vehicle charging cable requirements

There are a number of charging cable connectors commonly used with electric vehicles, and if you don't know which one your car has, it's easy to tell them apart at a glance - but the manual will also tell you. The variants for cars compatible with fast chargers are Type 1 or Type 2;

The seven-pin Type 2 connector has become the more popular European standard for fast charging when using a wall box (7-22kW), but many older cars charge at these speeds using the Type 1 five-pin connector.

Power/Phase Rating

It's vital to choose a charging cable that can carry enough current to charge your electric vehicle's battery in the optimal time. Cables are usually available in 16-amp and 32-amp formats, with the latter being heavier and thicker - it requires thicker wire to carry more current. A 7kW wall box will provide 32 amps of power, while a 3.6kW wall box is usually limited to 16 amps.

Sometimes it's worth buying a 32-amp cable even if your current car's onboard charger is only rated for 16 amps, because you might want to use the cable later for another vehicle with a higher rating. However, 32-amp cables are heavier and therefore a bit unwieldy to handle, which can put people off.

Unless professionally modified, home power is generally single-phase, but if you want to use other fast chargers at optimal speeds, you'll need a three-phase compatible cable. Three-phase cables also work well with single-phase charging setups.

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