EV Charging: EV Extension Cables

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The e-zoomed FAQ series: brief responses to pertinent questions related to driving an electric car! If you have a question, simply email us at shop@ezoomed.com!

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Electric Cars: The Basics

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For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:

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Electric Car Extension Cables

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One of the advantages of owning an electric car, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or a battery-electric vehicle (BEV), is that the electric vehicle (EV), can be charged at the convenience of your home (or business premise). A conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) petrol or diesel vehicle cannot!

Apart from the convenience of charging an electric car at home, there is also significant potential for saving money, in particular, for those households (and businesses) that leverage the benefits of on-site solar PV and battery storage. We encourage consumers to install green energy on-site. It is good for the environment and the wallet! An electric car charged using renewable energy achieves ‘well-to-wheel’, zero-tailpipe emissions.

Though an EV can be charged using a standard 3-PIN domestic socket, we at e-zoomed, discourage the use of a domestic socket for charging an electric car. We encourage installing a dedicated EV charger, and preferably an electric car charger like, myenergi zappi, which is solar compatible!

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EV Extension Cables: The Basics
What is an EV extension cable?	An electric car extension cable is a specific type of EV cable used to extend the reach of a tethered EV charger.
Is an EV extension cable the same as a a domestic extension lead?	No. There are significant technical differences between a dedicated EV charging extension cable and a domestic extension cord. For avoidance of any doubt, never use a domestic extension cord to charge an electric car. It is unsafe and inherent with risks. Moreover, it can impact the warranty of an EV charger or the electric vehicle (EV).
Is a standard Type 1 or Type 2 EV cable the same as an EV extension cable?	No. Though Type 1/ Type 2 standard EV charging cables are similar (to an extent) to an electric car extension cable, a Type 1 or Type 2 standard EV cable is not an EV extension cable.
Can I use an EV extension cable to extend the reach of a tethered EV charger?	Yes. However, the EV extension cable must be of the appropriate technical specification (IP Rating etc.) and certification.
Does e-zoomed recommend the use of an EV extension cable?	In general, we do not recommend the use of an EV extension cable. We believe for the long-term, it is better to replace the tethered EV charger with an untethered EV charger, and use a longer standard EV cable. A safer and more efficient operation for the long-term (and better investment). For those of you new to EV charging, a tethered electric car charger has an EV cable permanently attached, while an untethered EV charger (also known as ‘socket only’) does not have an EV cable permanently attached. Both the tethered and untethered have their advantages and disadvantages. One of the disadvantages of a tethered EV charger, is that, the length of the attached EV cable is fixed. In general, most tethered EV chargers have an EV cable that is less than 8 m, but 5 m is more common. In fact, the surge in popularity of untethered EV chargers, is because the length of the charging cable is not a constraint. It is not unusual for EV cables up to 50 m to be used for electric car charging with an untethered EV charger. For those that have already invested in a tethered EV charger, but not keen to replace it with an untethered EV charger, but need to extend the length (reach), one of the options is to acquire a suitable EV extension cable.
Is an EV extension cable the same as an electric car portable charger?	No. A portable EV charger incorporates certain technical features to enable EV charging, in particular, a communication protocol. An EV extension cable does not. Put another way, an EV extension cable cannot charge an electric car without an EV charger (portable or fixed).
Can I using multiple EV extension cables to further extend the ‘reach’ of my tethered EV charger?	No. Such an approach is commonly referred to as ‘daisy-chaining’, which is neither a safe, nor reliable approach to charging an electric car.
Any helpful tips?	Yes. Check with the manufacturer of the electric car and the electric car charger, if using an EV extension cable can impact the validity of the respective warranties.

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While e-zoomed uses reasonable efforts to provide accurate and up-to-date information, some of the information provided is gathered from third parties and has not been independently verified by e-zoomed. While the information from the third party sources is believed to be reliable, no warranty, express or implied, is made by e-zoomed regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. This disclaimer applies to both isolated and aggregate uses of this information.

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