When choosing a charging cable, there are a number of factors that are important. The right plug is of course the most important point, as is the maximum load and the number of phases of the charging cable, so that you can always charge optimally. But have you also thought about the length of the charging cable? The most sold charging cable is 5 meters long, but there are also cables with a length of 10 and 15 meters. There are also much longer cables, which we actually never recommend because this has several disadvantages.
What length do you need? Are the cables up to 15 meters enough for you, or do you need other solutions? And can you actually extend a charging cable by connecting two charging cables together?
Short or long charging cable?
The length of the charging cable is an important factor when purchasing. A charging cable that is actually just a little too short is a charging cable that will cause annoyance every time you charge. The savings do not pay for themselves; the long lifespan of a charging cable makes it more logical to choose a charging cable that does fit. For example, a five-meter charging cable may be sufficient if you have a wall box where you can always park your car perfectly and you can also park your car right next to the charging station at work.
If you can't do this, the four-meter cable is actually out of the question immediately. Cables that have to hang in the air next to the car are a safety risk for people near the car, the car itself (the charging point can be damaged if someone walks or drives into the cable) and the source itself (the contact point in the wall box). In those cases, a longer charging cable is a better option. From a safety perspective, the best cable is a cable that goes straight down from the source to the ground and also goes straight down from the charging point at the EV to the ground.
Charging cable too short; can I extend it?
Connecting charging cables to each other is not possible. There are no extensions to extend different charging cables to each other. If you use a simple wall socket/power outlet, you can use a normal extension cable to put the charging cable in there. Please note. You cannot just use any extension cable. It is generally recommended to only use extension cables with thicker cores, because a lot of voltage is used when charging the EV . This way it remains safe. However, it is always best to purchase a longer charging cable; these are optimized for charging the EV.
Isn't a longer charging cable just the best option for everyone?
That depends. If you choose a 10 meter cable while a 5 meter cable would be enough, you choose unnecessary extra weight (a charging cable is not that light). There is also a voltage loss with longer charging cables. However, you only notice this with lengths above 20 meters and those charging cables are actually hardly sold. The optimal length for a charging cable is 10 meters in our opinion.
Need charging cable advice?
Are you having trouble or do you need more advice in finding the right charging cable? Then just contact us. We are happy to help you personally so that we can always recommend the right charging cable for your situation.
