Charging Unit: Tethered or Untethered?

What Is Tethered Charging Unit?

Put simply, in a tethered home charging unit, the cable that is used to charge your EV is permanently fixed to the charging station.

What Is Untethered Charging Unit?

In an untethered home charging unit, the cable that is used to charge your EV is not permanently fixed to the charging station.

What Is Length Of A Cable In A Tethered Charging Unit?

There is no one length. It varies depending on the manufacturer and charging unit model. For example, an EVBOX Elvi solution comes with either a 4 m or 8 m cable, depending on which specific Elvi model you choose.

What Is Length Of A Cable In A Untethered Charging Unit?

There is no one length. It varies depending on your requirements but usually sold at lengths between 5 m and 10 m.

Which Is Better: Tethered Or Untethered?

In general, most EV drivers carry a cable in the car boot to enable charging when on the road. However, the majority of time, the electric car is charged at home and usually overnight when the tariff rates are cheaper.

By owning a tethered home charging station, the EV owner is not inconvenienced by removing the cable from the boot every time the car needs charging. Practically the best option, given the weather in the UK and avoids the hassle of uncoiling and coiling a untethered cable.

On the flip side, the length of the tethered cable is fixed and can sometimes have limitations for home charging if you need to change where you park or the type of electric vehicle.

Tethered cables can be stowed away in a tidy and easy manner which avoids any potential for tripping or injury when left running across the driveway. There is also the added comfort of security i.e. the cable cannot be removed or stolen from the charging station. Replacing a cable can be expensive and in most cases costing over £100, if not much more.

The advantage of untethered cables is that the EV driver is not restricted to a particular connector type, specially if the household has more than one electric car and different connectors are required or the household is looking to buy EV’s in the future that may need other connector types. However, if the family only owns one EV, then a tethered unit will do just fine. With untethered you are not limited to the length of the cable i.e. much more flexibility.

Lastly, as EV adoption increases, you may have guests that need to charge their EV. The choice between tethered and untethered will have an implication on their ability to charge, if the connector type is not the same. However, an adapter maybe used.

In conclusion, there is no straightforward answer. It depends on the circumstances, the type of EV you own, your budget, aesthetics, future proofing and your personal choice.

Can I Buy Either A Tethered Or Untethered Charging Station From e-zoomed?

Yes. e-zoomed has tied up with leading manufacturers of charging stations and cables to include EVBOX. We will be launching our charging points store shortly. Please sing up the e-zoomed newsletter so that we can keep you informed.

We at e-zoomed are more than happy to assist you with all your EV needs to include:

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