True, a few years ago I was preparing my electric home installation for 50 KW in order to charge my future EV, and It can actually only draw 11 kw, which is still fine as some EV's can't even do that.
So my friend, I owe you a beer or two. I tried to use a BP Pulse charger the other day that bombed out and left my MG ZS EV not able to start. I'd seen a previous video of yours where this happened to you and you had a spanner to disconnect and reconnect the battery and I had bought one as a result of that. This saved the day for me, so a big thank you. If you are ever around Crawley let me know and I'll buy you that beer!
A good explanation. I have come across many new EV owners who pulled up at a rapid and removed the rubber cover to reveal the AC plug (just as they do at home) and arent aware there is the 2nd rubber cover just below covering the DC pins. As a result of the 3 connectors they can only physically connect and use the AC type 2 on the rapid!! A simple mistake that is easily made especially as the charge port on their car is black in colour and so are both rubber covers.
Really good video . On Zap-Map, 3 people in the last hour have made the AC 43kW blunder and reported a slow charge not realising the limitations of their EV. I’ve replied to them with a link to your video . I think it will help a lot of new EV owners.
I have been researching charging whilst waiting for my first EV and wish I'd seen this sooner! I've been trying to charge my car for the first time today, out and about, and flunked. Thanks for sharing this. It's really helpful.
I flunked three times in three different places before I found the right connection at a charging station that actually worked. Definitely a learning curve.
I found this a really interesting and helpful video. I've been driving various EVs for almost two years and thanks to you now understand the difference between AC and DC charging (which has always puzzled me). Thanks!
I know I’m watching too much RU-vid on everything to do with electric cars, when I spot that this is the exact same charger at the wharf house @IanSampson used 3 years ago on one of his rural leaf blogs. Why my brain decided to file those cement blocks under “useful to remember” and not my shift time at work I’ll never know. Nice to see the unit works better 😃
I’ve been driving EV’s for more that 6 years and as you noted, I didn’t learn anything- but I still delightedly watched until the end just for the satisfaction that someone has finally done this much needed video-well done sir! I would be really interested to see you do a multi-day vlog of your real world usage as a realistic counter to the endless journalists doing ‘we drove them til they died” videos and/or sitting in a car obsessing about charge speed and charging to 100%.
Good idea - I’ll see what I can come up with. I suspect a return to the office is on the cards fairly shortly so I might be faced with having to make lengthy journeys fairly often 🤔.
First time I had a loan car which was a eNiro back in 2019, I looked on line found a charger in IKEA plugged it, Took me quite a few attempts because it was in the basement and couldn’t get a mobile signal to activate charger, eventually got it charging for quite awhile.. didn’t realise it was a very slow charger (£1.82) at that time I was completely clueless, and just learning, but that night I plugged it into the three pin socket all night and drove 300 mile round trip to London and back, only stopping once for a 45 minute rapid charge( £5.84). It said I had 70 miles left on battery when I was back in Bristol. I’m still trying to save up for my first EV. I only need a short range one because I don’t do very many long trips, so a leaf or Zoe would will do.
Thanks - I've had my Polestar 2 for a few weeks and thought I had my head round it but this was extremely informative and has probably saved me some head scratching and 6 hour services stops. Thanks!
Brilliant, that cleared up the difference between the AC/DC charge points for me. Thanks. Im in the process of getting a new company vehicle and it will have an onboard 11kw AC charger, so now I finally understand what the onboard charger does and I understand the difference in chargers and cables. Well done, very, very helpful.
With this hot weather my millage forecast on my screen is showing well over 220 miles range! I only drive around town and village and hardly drive over the speed of 40/50 mph. Again many thanks for the information you show us! Yeah I have got my MG now, have had her since November last year and I love it!
This is what I like about the Renault Megane. You can charge AC at 22kwh and if you're visiting a spot not to long, it will charge your car pretty fast and cheap on a 22 charger.
I have had an ev for over 3 years and I charge at home 99% of the time and have always used a CCS when at public chargers and did not know that the type 2 even though it might state 22kwh will only charge at 7kwh as cars that except DC charge will be limited to 7kwh AC. Very helpful 🎉
I'm getting my first EV in the summer and found your video very helpful so thanks for posting it. I hadn't realised the important difference in charging speed between the 43kW Type 2 AC and the 50kW DC CCS Type so this will be very helpful for when I take my first long journey and need to use a public charging point.
I think you got this from the good and important explanation in the video but just to be really clear - I don’t think there are any cars out there which will take both 43kW AC and CCS. So if anyone with a CCS or chademo car does accidentally plug into AC on one of those rapids they’ll actually only get 7 or at best 11kW or in very rare cases (like Teslas) 22kW if they can take 3phase. This seems to be a popular mistake by car journos who know a bit of faux charger confusion will get the clicks.
@@choddo Thanks for the clarification and I think this point was actually made in the video. I'm looking at a new EV but not a Nissan Leaf or Renault Zoe, so pretty sure that CCS will be on the car and this is the option I'll be choosing when using public chargers. I'm going to have a 7kW home charger installed at my house for the majority of times I'll need to charge.
I guess this is the video that keeps on giving! Reallly appreciate the explanation, thank you. I should recive my brand new MG4 SE Long Range next week, I'm so exited as it's my first EV.
Like Avid Viewers comment this was a BRILLIANT video and so informative. I have had HORRID days and now know so much more than I did before viewing this. Thank you, thank you, thank you :)
great video well done. i do have to explain to quite a few people about 43kW Type 2 only charging as much as your car can take. Ive seen instavolt get some stick for not including this but this is where we headed, you should do a video about the max charge your car can take too, pointless looking for a 150 or even 350 charger and sometimes paying a higher price to use the faster one if your car can only charge at 50.
Very good point. I suppose, though, you’re more likely to just charge wherever is available / convenient / working than worry too much about it being 150kW or higher in a 50kW car.
@@ModernHeroes agree when the only ones around you are electric highway ones your just amazed they work and think to yourself should put the lotto on tonight :)
That 43kw is like you said. Limited by the car. And if you want 22kw needed it at option upgrade when you brought the car. Most cars allow 11kw but all Zoe can take advantage of 22 and 43
Excellent video. Had my Corsa E for a few weeks now & although have a home charger needed to go to a funeral 200 miles away after owning it for a few days. Steep learning curve & took a lot of planning ! I thing that you have cleared up that puzzled me. Couldn't understand what use a type 2 charger was at motorway service stations but now I know. Another thing I am not sure about is that my car can take a charge of 100kW & whether using anything faster would cause damage or if would just charge at maximum my car can take.
It’ll just charge at the maximum your car will take - there’s negotiation between the car and charger. Can use 350kW chargers no problem (but you might find you’ll be paying a premium for no benefit)
Thank you, not looking at cars but I went and test rode of a Zero motorbike today which comes with a type 2... Its only a smaller battery (as a bike) but if type 2 is legacy this is certainly a consideration.
It’s not that it’s legacy, just that you need to look in different places to charge it. The Zero has max 6kW charging I believe - there’s plenty of 7kW charging points around but they’re in different (arguably better!) locations to motorway services etc.
@@ModernHeroes the 6Kw is an optional extra... But tbh I'd want to charge slower as not to exceed the battery of my home solar set up.... Its just for that wanting to stop for a coffee and add a bit more juice... A 3Kw charger would be a comical amount of coffee if out and about.
We are only a few years into this and its already got 3 different types of rapid charging plugs + tesla, How is this making it easier for people, Why we did not just come up with a single standard for this stuff I have no clue. This is going to be even more complicated in 5-10 years.
Well actually you need 2 different connector because there are 2 different current AC and DC that you can use to charge your car and obviously you need different type of connectors for not messing up anything and those are Type 2 and CCS connectors.
Blimey! This EV lark is like peeling an onion. I just about grasp some or other technicality then realise it’s more complicated than I thought. Until there’s more standardisation and reliable (and a greater number of) charging facilities for non-Tesla drivers I reckon I’ll stick with my ICE. Thanks for the video, though. I’m a little bit wiser….until I peel off the next layer!
Its not that difficult, there is ac and dc same as there is petrol and diesel. AC is essentially home/destination charging and DC is rapid charging. Destination charging is where you leave car for long time and DC is probably 30/405mins max depending on how much you want to charge.
Most people doesn't need anything else than home charger. And if you do CCS type DC charger works most new EV's so basically you only need 1 public charger type.
I don’t think I have ever used a DC charger like the one you are at with more than one cable attached without having someone else pull up and try to plug one of the other cables into their car while I’m still charging.
@@ModernHeroes Worth knowing this. Tends to happen when I’m at a Tesco or Lidl. Lots of head scratching and pacing about from the other driver. Maybe ignorance or a ploy hoping I’ll end my session early. If so it doesn’t work 😂
If I am getting a car with a CCS port and a maximum charge rate of 100kWh when rapid charging, am I able to use 150kWh rapid chargers at petrol stations? I was assuming that it would work and just accept the maximum 100kWh instead of the 150 but I'm not sure if I'm correct...
The only 43 ac charging car is the 2012 Continental motor Renault Zoe . An expensive option for ac charging at that machine especially if your car only 22 and below
4:22 "6,6 kW is kinda speed what you get from home charger" Actually home charging depend what kinda setup you have and what are house main fuses. I'm going build setup for my home charger to work with 3x 13A current which will give 9 kW charge which will be plenty enough to over night charge 77 kW battery.
@@ModernHeroes I assume that is in UK not all your viewers are in UK. Here in Finland typical home main fuse is 3x 25A which mean you can get most likely 3x16A aka 11kW charging for car and still left plenty electric for other appliances.
always have your fingers crossed in the hope there is no queue, it works and there is not a power cut - and if it's freezing cold take a hot water bottle with you and a sleeping bag.............
