How important is the charging cable for an electric car?

Owning an electric car is one of the best decisions you can ever make. It is convenient not only for you and your family, but it also contributes to the cleaner air that we and our children breathe.

Choosing the right car for you, however, is only the beginning. Your accessories also have to be a perfect fit for your electric car and your daily routine.

It all comes down to three rules that will make sure you get a charging cable suited to your electric car.

First, work out which cable you need – a Type 1 or a Type 2 charging cable?

TYPE 1 is single-phase and allows charging power levels of up to 7.4 kW (230 V, 32 A). This standard is used in car models from the Americas and Asia and is rare in Europe.

TYPE 2 offers the option of a single-phase or three-phase supply. Its main area of use is Europe and it has now become the standard. Single-phase cables can carry up to 7.4 kW – 32 A, but this is where you need to take care.* They are ideal for use with our charging stations, installed in front of your home, office or in a public place. Three-phase chargers can reach levels of up to 22 kW – 32 A.* Most public charging stations are fitted with a Type 2 socket, which makes them very convenient when you are on the road often and for long periods. You will certainly find a suitable charging station in our GigaCharger app. It is also important here to understand and know the technical capability of your electric car – what power it can charge at on AC charging stations. This is set out in the technical specification of the on-board charger that forms part of the car itself.

Next, answer the question of where you will charge your car

Many drivers worry about whether their electric car will stay charged when they set off on a journey. That need, however, is no different from any other fuel, and it is in fact easier than going to a petrol station, since many electric car owners can charge their car while they sleep at night by submitting a request to install a charging station in front of their home through GigaCharger.

If you are wondering how – simply send a request on our site and we will take it from there. The charging station is free for you.

*To be able to charge at full power you need a 32 A Type 2 cable. To achieve a lower price, charging cables with a 20 A capacity are widely sold, which automatically means that a single-phase cable of that kind cannot deliver more than 4.4 kW per hour, or 11 kW per hour for a three-phase one.

In other words, when buying a cable, check these specifications in advance.

It often happens that customers at a 7.4 kW charging station charge at only 4 kWh – when in reality their cable is limited to 20 A, which prevents them from charging at the maximum power the station can provide.

If you get yourself a 32 A Type 2 charging cable, it will let you charge your electric car without difficulty at a wide range of public AC charging stations, without worrying about the quality and condition of the cable fitted to the station, or about the charging speed.

Get in touch with us if you need a 32 A Type 2 charging cable.