Discussion
Hi all,
Totally new to the world of electric propulsion and am probably asking stupid noob questions!
Is it possible to plug into an incompatible charger type and cause damage / problems to the charger or car?
My car is a v60 T6 PHEV and it’s AC only and a type 2 connector apparently! I appreciate public charging isn’t going to be cost effective, but until I have figured out my home charging solution, I may top the battery up at the occasional public charger if I’m out with the kids for the day and one is available!
Is it a case of if the plug will fit, it’s the right type of charger? Are chargers labeled as being AC or DC? Are most public chargers tethered or untethered?
Totally new to the world of electric propulsion and am probably asking stupid noob questions!
Is it possible to plug into an incompatible charger type and cause damage / problems to the charger or car?
My car is a v60 T6 PHEV and it’s AC only and a type 2 connector apparently! I appreciate public charging isn’t going to be cost effective, but until I have figured out my home charging solution, I may top the battery up at the occasional public charger if I’m out with the kids for the day and one is available!
Is it a case of if the plug will fit, it’s the right type of charger? Are chargers labeled as being AC or DC? Are most public chargers tethered or untethered?
It's not really possible to get it wrong.
AC uses the top part of the connector.
DC has 2 extra pins at the bottom.
So a DC charger won't fit your AC only car.
All DC chargers are tethered, so just plug straight in (to DC cars).
Most AC chargers are just a socket, so you use your own cable. If you do come across tethered AC they'll be type 2 to match your car unless they're very very old.
The only way that incompatible things can be connected is connecting AC chargers to DC only vehicles (common on buses and trucks).
Even then nothing happens, as the communication doesn't happen in order to make the charger live. Even if it did, the pins on the vehicle side are either not there or not connected to anything, so nothing would happen anyway.
Basically you have nothing to worry about.
However the cost of most public chargers won't be worth you plugging in as it will cost more than just running on petrol. Break even point was something like 40-50p/kWh on my previous PHEV.
AC uses the top part of the connector.
DC has 2 extra pins at the bottom.
So a DC charger won't fit your AC only car.
All DC chargers are tethered, so just plug straight in (to DC cars).
Most AC chargers are just a socket, so you use your own cable. If you do come across tethered AC they'll be type 2 to match your car unless they're very very old.
The only way that incompatible things can be connected is connecting AC chargers to DC only vehicles (common on buses and trucks).
Even then nothing happens, as the communication doesn't happen in order to make the charger live. Even if it did, the pins on the vehicle side are either not there or not connected to anything, so nothing would happen anyway.
Basically you have nothing to worry about.
However the cost of most public chargers won't be worth you plugging in as it will cost more than just running on petrol. Break even point was something like 40-50p/kWh on my previous PHEV.
Thanks blank, that’s kind of what I assumed, but it’s helpful to have it confirmed!
Yes I had worked out that it really needed to be lower than 50p per kWh to be cheaper than petrol. That’s crazy to me considering we’ve all been pushed towards electric cars for the last decade or so! I get the really fast charging stuff being more expensive while the tech is new, but it’s crazy that the old slow chargers are so expensive, especiallly when most of fuel is tax!
I’m just thinking if I go for a day out with the kids and there’s a charger for less than 50p per kWh, id charge it up just because I may as well get some more green miles in before I’ve got the charging at home figured out
Yes I had worked out that it really needed to be lower than 50p per kWh to be cheaper than petrol. That’s crazy to me considering we’ve all been pushed towards electric cars for the last decade or so! I get the really fast charging stuff being more expensive while the tech is new, but it’s crazy that the old slow chargers are so expensive, especiallly when most of fuel is tax!
I’m just thinking if I go for a day out with the kids and there’s a charger for less than 50p per kWh, id charge it up just because I may as well get some more green miles in before I’ve got the charging at home figured out
Yes it is the case that they only fit where suitable.
The type 2 DC chargers have two large additional contacts at the bottom, so won't fit in an AC only car.
You will come across Type 2 AC chargers that will be able to provide different levels of power, they all will look the same and will all fit.
The only difference you will notice is the speed of the charge. But there is a limit to this, the car effectively pulls power to charge and there is a max it can accept.
This means that If you plug in to a charger with a capacity larger than your can can accept it will charge but you won't see any advantage - but they may charge you for the privilege if a faster charger.
I also have a V60 T6. Depending on your year they either had a 3.6kw or 7kw single phase charging capacity.
I have a granny charger, a wall charger and three phase charger at work I can use.
My T6 is the 3.6kw version.
The granny charger will charge at 2.4Kw per hour (granny chargers are supposed to be limited to 10a)
My 7kw wall charger charges the car at 3.6kw/HR (as that's the max the car can accept)
The 22kw 3 phase charger at my work plugs in but chargers the car at (if your following so far you might guess this...) 3.6kw/HR single phase.
Bit of a long post but hopefully it goes you plenty of starter info.
The type 2 DC chargers have two large additional contacts at the bottom, so won't fit in an AC only car.
You will come across Type 2 AC chargers that will be able to provide different levels of power, they all will look the same and will all fit.
The only difference you will notice is the speed of the charge. But there is a limit to this, the car effectively pulls power to charge and there is a max it can accept.
This means that If you plug in to a charger with a capacity larger than your can can accept it will charge but you won't see any advantage - but they may charge you for the privilege if a faster charger.
I also have a V60 T6. Depending on your year they either had a 3.6kw or 7kw single phase charging capacity.
I have a granny charger, a wall charger and three phase charger at work I can use.
My T6 is the 3.6kw version.
The granny charger will charge at 2.4Kw per hour (granny chargers are supposed to be limited to 10a)
My 7kw wall charger charges the car at 3.6kw/HR (as that's the max the car can accept)
The 22kw 3 phase charger at my work plugs in but chargers the car at (if your following so far you might guess this...) 3.6kw/HR single phase.
Bit of a long post but hopefully it goes you plenty of starter info.
jimmy156 said:
Thanks buzz, that s helpful.
It s a late 2022 car, it has the 18.8kw battery, I m not sure if that also means it has the faster charging capability!
Yes I believe so, mines a 2021 pre facelift car and has the 11kwh battery and the slower charger. It s a late 2022 car, it has the 18.8kw battery, I m not sure if that also means it has the faster charging capability!
As has been mentioned with the petrol ability there is a debate about if it's ever worth public charging Vs just using the petrol.
If I am doing longer runs on motorways and such, I will set the car to charge the battery using the engine. I haven't noticed a significant drop in mpg when doing this.
The battery isn't very useful at those speeds it's better to have the battery for the less efficient slower stop start of town driving.
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