Holidays with an electric car are particularly popular. More and more people who have an EV also go away with it several times a year. This can be within the Netherlands, but electric cars with Dutch license plates are also increasingly spotted in Spain, Italy and Scandinavia. If you are planning to go on holiday with your electric car, it is wise to think about the charging solutions that you take with you. Is it best to choose a charging cable or a mobile charger ? It is a question that we regularly get and that is why we provide an extensive answer here so that you immediately know what is best for you.
Where can you use a charging cable during your holiday?
Charging cables can only be used in places where there is a charging station. We must add that quite a few charging stations are equipped with fixed charging cables. These are the fast chargers that you encounter along the way. The standard charging stations in villages, on charging squares and at accommodations are often charging stations that do not have fixed charging cables, but sockets. You can use that socket to plug in your own charging cable.
Are you arriving at a campsite or a rental home that will be your holiday home and is there a charging station with a socket and you do not have a charging cable with you? Then you cannot do anything with the charging station, because you cannot connect your car to the charging station. The charging cable is therefore necessary to connect the charging station and your electric car, unless there is a charging cable in the charging station (but you should certainly not blindly assume that).
When can you use a mobile charger during your holiday?
Mobile chargers are not used at charging stations. These specific chargers, which are also called home chargers, can only be connected to power outlets (such as wall sockets, CE connections and other connections, depending on the plug on the mobile charger). In most cases, the mobile charger is connected directly to the circuit and often has a lower maximum charging speed, but can theoretically be used anywhere where there is a power connection.
We would like to add emphatically that you may not simply plug a mobile charger into any socket to charge the car. Not only is this dangerous (damaged sockets can melt and cause a fire hazard while charging the EV), but it is also not nice. If it has not been agreed with the campsite owner or landlord that the electric car will be charged, the much higher power consumption will cause problems for the landlords. If it has been agreed that charging will take place via a specially assigned connection and the costs for charging are settled, then the story is of course different.
Can you also use a charging cable or a mobile charger before or after your holiday?
Charging cables and mobile chargers are also perfectly usable when you are not on holiday. The big difference is that you get considerably more out of your charging cable than a mobile charger. There are many charging stations in the Netherlands. There is a good chance that you have a charging station at home and perhaps even at work by now. You can also use your charging cable at these charging stations. That does not mean that you cannot use your mobile charger, but it does not really make sense at that moment. With a charging station and charging cable you almost always have a higher charging capacity and that means that the mobile charger often ends up in the cupboard until the next holiday.
In that respect, a charging cable is a more convenient choice if you want to be able to use the charging solution all year round.
What is the best option for your next electric car holiday?
The answer to the question of what the best option for your next holiday is may come as a surprise. It is namely the mobile charger and not the charging cable. The reason for this is that you always need a charging cable for your electric car and should actually have one in the car as standard. However, you can choose to purchase an extra charging cable with a different plug for the source side (charging station) or an adapter, so that you can also simply charge at charging stations without a Mennekes connection.
If you are going to a remote area or want to make sure that you do not have any charging stress during your holiday, a mobile charger is the best solution, especially if you already have a charging cable in the car. That way you know for sure that the chance that you will come to a standstill with an empty battery is very small.
If you want to order a suitable charging cable or mobile charger right away, take a look at the following pages where you can find everything you are looking for:
If you order before 17:00, we will make sure that your order is shipped the same day. If you can't find what you are looking for, please contact us so that we can personally help you and you too can easily succeed with us for all your charging solutions.
