Daily use of Untethered Charger and Cable

[Lanerboy]

Moderator comment - renamed from "Charge cable"

Ok so my home charge point is a fair way from where the car can get, i will need a 10m cable to reach the car.

My question is if i buy an untethered charge point then buy a 10m cable can i treat it the same as a tethered unit and just unplug the car but leave the cable in the charge unit 24/7

 

[kelvin 660]

Hi, yes you can leave the cable plugged in but maybe invest in a padlock and lock it to the wall so it can't be easily taken because , as you know, they are quite expensive cables... Also invest in something to wrap the cable around so it's not left on the ground and the car connector is protected from the rain.

 

[TiLaSoul]

There shouldn't be an issue with this but note that most charge boxes don't have a locking mechanism for cables (the car locks the cable in) meaning anyone could walk up and remove the cable from the charge box.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Why not just fit a tethered charge point with a long cable? That would be the neatest option. I used a 10m cable ona tethered charge point for about a year, so it didn't matter where on the drive I parked it would always be able to reach the car. Not idea, if I'm honest, as the cable got a fair bit of wear and tear being dragged across the drive regularly, but it worked OK. You can get tethered leads up to a maximum of 12m long if needed, depends on your choice of charge point to some extent, but it's usually easy enough to swap a short lead out for a longer one, and if you have a non-Tesla charge point making this swap also provides an opportunity to fit a lead that has a Tesla button on the connector, to open the charge port automatically and stop a charge early and unlatch the connector if needed.

 

[Jeeves]

Based on my experience with untethered charge points, go with the tethered if you can. My heart sinks when I have to get the cable out of the boot. It’s just faff I’m happy to do without where possible, especially when it is hammering down with rain.

Admittedly a long cable means it isn’t quite so convenient as going from plug holster to charge port in one movement, but seems like it would still be easier. Buy a garden hose tidy or something similar to hang the coiled cable up after use. I didn’t fully appreciate the implications at the time, but I’m thankful I chose the tethered variety of home charger.

 

[Irata]

This is my plan too, untethered and a cable to match what I need.

My thoughts were...

The cost saving of an untethered wall unit almost offset an extra cable.

If I accidentally damage the cable, or wear and tear, weather damage, etc. I don't need a whole new wall unit or can fix myself easily.

I like the discreet look of untether when I don't need it for a while.

I can use whatever length cable I need, I have a couple of options where I can park the car on the driveway. I might change my mind.

I can leave it connected, I might add a ledge above the wall unit to shield from rain and act as somewhere to wrap the cable and shield the other end.

So it becomes an "adaptable" tethered unit, in a way.

 

[Adopado]

I can leave it connected, I might add a ledge above the wall unit to shield from rain and act as somewhere to wrap the cable and shield the other end.

You can get a spare "holster" for the free end of the cable if you want to leave the cable unwound and not plugged in at the charge point. Though I have a tethered cable it suits me to leave the cable unwound and plugged into a holster in a more convenient location. It means that the cable doesn't get dragged around or constantly wound and unwound as it pretty much stays in the same position 90% of the time.

 

[M3noob]

You can get a spare "holster" for the free end of the cable if you want to leave the cable unwound and not plugged in at the charge point. Though I have a tethered cable it suits me to leave the cable unwound and plugged into a holster in a more convenient location. It means that the cable doesn't get dragged around or constantly wound and unwound as it pretty much stays in the same position 90% of the time.

I found a good wall holster on Amazon.

 

[Adopado]

I found a good wall holster on Amazon.

Anyone using an extra holster should bear in mind that if it's out in the open it's advisable to mount it at an angle so that the cable gun end is pointing slightly upwards when latched in place. This means that any rain run-off will not go into the connectors. If it's mounted horizontally there's some possibility of water getting in there. The one I had was a spare one from a Zappi charger that is normally mounted to the angled face of the charger ... so it needed to be mounted on a similarly angled block rather than directly on a vertical wall, to allow for the rain run-off issue. Strangely many of the aftermarket holsters don't have a built in angle either so you either have to get creative or buy one with the angle built in.

 

[Lanerboy]

Based on my experience with untethered charge points, go with the tethered if you can. My heart sinks when I have to get the cable out of the boot. It’s just faff I’m happy to do without where possible, especially when it is hammering down with rain.

My plan is not to use the cable i keep in the car, it is to buy an un tethered charge unit then buy an extra 10m cable i can leave permanently plugged into the charger and use it like a tethered unit.

 

[Jeeves]

I understand. What’s the advantage?

 

[Lanerboy]

I understand. What’s the advantage?

One advantage is i can change the cable very easily if it gets damaged, i can choose any make of charger i want, and im struggling to find a charger with a 10m tethered cable

 

[Jeeves]

I see. Have you asked EO?

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Off the top of my head I can think of a few tethered charge points with long cable. The Zappi has an 8m cable option, the PodPoint has a 7.5m option, the Rolec wall pod is available with a 10m cable, the Andersen can have an 8.5m cable. I'm pretty sure there are long cable versions for some others as well.

Ideally, it might be better to see if the charge point can be located a bit closer to the car, perhaps using a pedestal mount. My experience of dragging a 10m cable around for a year put me off the idea of having a long cable, as it gets to be a PITA after a while, plus the cable tends to get scuffed up a fair bit.

 

[Gatsojon]

The Zappi can lock the untethered cable in apparently. I went for a tethered one for all the reasons given here. Having opened the unit to have a nosey, the tethered cable is very simply connected and would be easy to swap should that be needed in the future.

Another vote for tethered here!

 

[phil4]

My thinking is if the electrician has done all the need to to run power to the charger, if I have to change it at a cost of ~£460 in 3-5 years time, meh... at least the ground work has all been done. Not ideal I know, but I'm not going to compromise day to day use just to make it last a year or two more.

 

[Zakalwe]

One advantage is i can change the cable very easily if it gets damaged, i can choose any make of charger i want, and im struggling to find a charger with a 10m tethered cable

I would think that for most charging points its probably about a half-hours work to open them and replace the cable. You might be overthinking this one.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

I would think that for most charging points its probably about a half-hours work to open them and replace the cable. You might be overthinking this one.

Not even that long. I replaced the cable on one of my charge points a while ago, took perhaps ten minutes, if that. It's only a matter of safely isolating the power, unscrewing the charge point enclosure, slackening a cable gland, loosening four terminal screws plus the cable clamp screws (if fitted) and pulling the old cable out, reversing the process to fit the new cable, then checking that it's safe and functions OK.

 

[Zakalwe]

Not even that long. I replaced the cable on one of my charge points a while ago, took perhaps ten minutes, if that. It's only a matter of safely isolating the power, unscrewing the charge point enclosure, slackening a cable gland, loosening four terminal screws plus the cable clamp screws (if fitted) and pulling the old cable out, reversing the process to fit the new cable, then checking that it's safe and functions OK.

Indeed, though most people wouldn't feel comfortable doing that (and to be fair, they shouldn't be doing it!). It's not that much more complicated than changing the plug on an appliance.

 

[rjinski]

I read a lot of opinions for tethered cables before getting my charger installed and of coarse; different opinion for different folks.

I personally like the clean look without a cable wound around or in sight and wasn't too keen with spending more money on something like an Anderson charger. Reaching for the cable in the frunk and plugging in really isn't a nuisance for me as other have suggested.I also like that if I chose to, I can upgrade my cable to a single phase for home to make it lighter and easier to handle AND I can get one with the Tesla button fitted to unlock the charger like a Super Charger (although I'm sure these things are possible with a tethered unit too)

Opinion aside, repeating what others have mentioned, most chargers I have seen don't "lock" the cable to the charger (only the car end is locked) so if you plan to leave the cable plugged in while not charging this may be an issue to look into.