Type 2 Cable ip55 vs ip65 What to buy?

[lS3toM3]

Hi Team
Looking at investing in a Type 2 charging cable. I was one of the smart ones that ordered a day (yes 1 day) after the 8th July cutoff so i wont get a mobile charger (which ill probably purchase anyways). Until than, i am looking at Type 2 cables. Most of the chargers close to me are BYO cable. I have noticed the cables here in oz are all IP55 cables. This means they may handle light sprinkles but not rain.
Questions.
What type2 cable should i buy? Does anyone have recommendations?
How long?
Does IP rating matter? Has anyone charged in rain using their ip55 rated or other cable?

 

[cafz]

What type2 cable should i buy? Does anyone have recommendations?

The Mennekes brand one that Tesla sell is very good quality, and I've used it in the rain no problems.

 

[Nickdp]

What type2 cable should i buy? Does anyone have recommendations?
How long?
Does IP rating matter? Has anyone charged in rain using their ip55 rated or other cable?

Well - you did ask, so here goes:

IP Rating
It's 'almost' a subjective choice, so in considering whether IP55 is acceptable you're making a decision on whether limited dust ingress and protection against low pressure jets of water are acceptable to you.

I'm not aware of any Type2-2 cables with an IP rating better than 55, but I've seen some 'clam-shell' screw-together style of connectors
like this:

that leave you wondering how long the gasket material at the matching edges of the two halves will last. (yes I pulled it apart to take the photo)

The Tesla Mennekes looks to be a one-piece molded plug that looks like it would be higher than IP55

similarly this one

no screw holes or edges or other obvious points of potential water or dust ingress.
I'd go for a cable that's been designed with minimizing water and dust from the outset, irrespective of the manufacturer claims its IP rating.

Length
5m would meet 95% of your charging needs. 7.5 might be better but it's heavier to lug around and coil up after use, and 10m - let's not go there.
My missus complains about managing the 5m cable we have and it's the 11kW version - half the weight of the 22kW version.

Recommendation
We bought our T2-2 from here, do your own research and as always your mileage may vary and yes they have a TOCA discount code. (/shameless TOCA plug).

 

[lS3toM3]

Well - you did ask, so here goes:

IP Rating
It's 'almost' a subjective choice, so in considering whether IP55 is acceptable you're making a decision on whether limited dust ingress and protection against low pressure jets of water are acceptable to you.

I'm not aware of any Type2-2 cables with an IP rating better than 55, but I've seen some 'clam-shell' screw-together style of connectors
like this:
View attachment 836996
that leave you wondering how long the gasket material at the matching edges of the two halves will last. (yes I pulled it apart to take the photo)

The Tesla Mennekes looks to be a one-piece molded plug that looks like it would be higher than IP55
View attachment 836988

similarly this one
View attachment 836991
no screw holes or edges or other obvious points of potential water or dust ingress.
I'd go for a cable that's been designed with minimizing water and dust from the outset, irrespective of the manufacturer claims its IP rating.

Length
5m would meet 95% of your charging needs. 7.5 might be better but it's heavier to lug around and coil up after use, and 10m - let's not go there.
My missus complains about managing the 5m cable we have and it's the 11kW version - half the weight of the 22kW version.

Recommendation
We bought our T2-2 from here, do your own research and as always your mileage may vary and yes they have a TOCA discount code. (/shameless TOCA plug).

Now that's a reply. Perfect. That's exactly what I was thinking. Thank you for the validation

 

[Johnnie5]

Electric Car Charging Cable | EV Leads | EVSE Australia

Connect any Electric Vehicle easily via EV Charging cables with Type 1 or Type 2 EV cables to a public charging station. Call 1300 406 210 for more details

evse.com.au

 

[raynewman]

This one I purchased years ago and still using occasionally.
62196 Type 2 Connector/Cable 3 Phase 32A Level 2 for Electric Vehicle EV Charging in IEC 62196-2 Cables for Sale

 

[Attica04]

I finally bit the bullet and ordered a Model Y. If I were to stay at a caravan park (I stay in a cabin while other family members use a caravan) will the 15A tail with the Tesla charging cable be sufficient? (I understand I now have to buy this separately, sigh) just curious.

 

[cafz]

I finally bit the bullet and ordered a Model Y. If I were to stay at a caravan park (I stay in a cabin while other family members use a caravan) will the 15A tail with the Tesla charging cable be sufficient? (I understand I now have to buy this separately, sigh) just curious.

Yes. Although sometimes the electrical pillars that caravan sites use are physically difficult to plug the 15A tail into, and a 15A caravan extension lead is needed as well.

 

[Nickdp]

<snip> will the 15A tail with the Tesla charging cable be sufficient? <snip>

At 15A you'd be getting approx 3kW, (maybe a bit more that 3kW) so every hour you've gained 3kWh, so "is it sufficient" depends on what you're hoping to do with those electrons... e.g. assume you'd get 6 or 7 km per kWh, calculate how many kWh you've picked up over XX hours now you know what distance you can travel and - then - you'll know if it is sufficient.

BTW - congrats on new Model Y.

 

[Attica04]

Thank you both for the replies, I have a Caravan plug (still have a van) so that should work well.

 

[ausevdriver]

The Tesla Mennekes looks to be a one-piece molded plug that looks like it would be higher than IP55

I have the Tesla / Mennekes blue cable.

It's got IP44 written on the information label at the charger end. No markings on the car end.

Without being too destructive, it appears the black parts of the handle could be separated, and you can see the dividing lines of the molding in the blue part.

In terms of length, 5m would be fine, but 7.5m has come in handy a few times where for example charger positioning on the footpath at the front of a front-in, angle parking bay with narrow lanes would have been extremely hard to reverse into. 5m would probably have just reached, 7.5m could reach easily with a bit of slack so it was resting on the ground rather than being a tripping hazard.

In an emergency 7.5m would also allow double parking or being a bay or 2 away from the charger in the case of being ICE'd. But that's never happened.

 

[WoodWombat]

I finally bit the bullet and ordered a Model Y. If I were to stay at a caravan park (I stay in a cabin while other family members use a caravan) will the 15A tail with the Tesla charging cable be sufficient? (I understand I now have to buy this separately, sigh) just curious.

So I did this last weekend in Canberra as an experiment when I was at the AEVA Conference. For reference I have an aftermarket EVSE with a range of tails, including 15A with an industrial (screw type) three pin plug, which it so happened was very convenient with the Clipsal industrial sockets that the caravan park was using.

Portable Charger 3 Phase (11kW or 22kW) Tails Bundle - EVchargers - EV cables and adaptors

11kW or 22kW (selectable) Portable Charger (EVSE) with a tails bundle consisting of: 3m 32A (5 round pins) 3phase tail, 3m 20A (5 round pins) 3phase tail, 3m 15A (3 flat pins) single phase tail, 3m 10A (3 flat pins) single phase tail, and 2x carry bags. Note: the "Charge Port Button" is a...

evchargers.com.au

I have the 11kW version since that is the most that a Model 3 can use and I wanted the Tesla charge port button on the charge handle (you can't fit the little circuit board in the handle with the large cable needed for 22kW).

If I were buying a type 2 - type 2 cable I would definitely get a 32A (22kW) version since that will allow safe use at single phase chargers as well, which tend to be 32A single phase.

I was peaking at 20km/h charging on the 15A single phase input. In my case I was using camp mode, which reduced this somewhat. Essentially, it took the two days that I was camping there to charge my car back up because I arrived with around 10% and was out during the day.

Essentially, it is completely practical to recharge on 15A if you are staying for a day or two and not doing too many km during the day.

It is also useful to note that it was bucketing down with rain and my EVSE was rained on the entire time without any problems as all. This is not the first time that this EVSE has been wet either. I did worry a little about the red euro-style plug that the EVSE uses for changing tails, but these are designed for this purpose and really do not give any problems.

 

[Nickdp]

I did worry a little about the red euro-style plug that the EVSE uses for changing tails, but these are designed for this purpose and really do not give any problems.

The euro-style plug/socket that's on your EVSE, does it have a rubber grommet-thingy and can you lock the plug to the socket by using the socket's grey lid.?
If so then your connection from EVSE to the tail is IP67 so rain isn't a problem.
I've seen the same EVSE on other websites with the IP44 style plug with no grommet, - you chose well.

 

[WoodWombat]

The euro-style plug/socket that's on your EVSE, does it have a rubber grommet-thingy and can you lock the plug to the socket by using the socket's grey lid.?
If so then your connection from EVSE to the tail is IP67 so rain isn't a problem.
I've seen the same EVSE on other websites with the IP44 style plug with no grommet, - you chose well.

The plug has definitely got a locking cap with a grommet and the cap forms a crude lock (nothing like the superior clipsal setup) but I don't think that when a plug is in the socket it is particularly water resistant. These are the only plugs and sockets of this type that I have, so I don't have much experience with them. In Australia they are only used in some entertainment applications, and technically, their use as a tail connector in these cases might not be fully compliant with electrical codes since there is nothing to stop you from drawing more current than the tail can supply. I think that the manufacturer was skirting around this by using a plug and socket combo that is not used in Australia, but does comply with our electrical regulations.

Anyway, back to water resistance. Even if the connection is just IP44 it is fine for this application. The second "4" in the rating implies a 10 minute rating against splashing from any direction. Basically, as long as it is not in a puddle, it is going to be fine. Even if the connection were IP67 I would not really trust it under water anyway.

 

[BegaPride]

The Mennekes brand one that Tesla sell is very good quality, and I've used it in the rain no problems.

Hey Cafz - this blue/back cable from Tesla store looks great length/quality and you endorse. TY

Can I pls get your perspective if there is any value in getting something like Type 2 to Type 2 EV Charging Cable | 7 Metre | 32A 22kW (from say EVSE) for BYOD use at a council or shopping centre car park? I appreciate it depends on supply/charger type, but is it likely to provide a quicker charge around town for RWD M3? Cheers.

 

[cafz]

Can I pls get your perspective if there is any value in getting something like Type 2 to Type 2 EV Charging Cable | 7 Metre | 32A 22kW (from say EVSE) for BYOD use at a council or shopping centre car park? I appreciate it depends on supply/charger type, but is it likely to provide a quicker charge around town for RWD M3? Cheers.

You mean compared to the one Tesla sell? It's the same rating (I have one of the Tesla/Mennekes ones, it's 32A).

 

[BegaPride]

You mean compared to the one Tesla sell? It's the same rating (I have one of the Tesla/Mennekes ones, it's 32A).

Yes, thank you - I could only see the following specs on their site: Up to 11 kW with Model 3 / Up to 65 km with Model 3
Thus, I thought a 22kW version could be a better option.

 

[[Zombie]]

I could only see the following specs on their site: Up to 11 kW with Model 3 / Up to 65 km with Model 3
Thus, I thought a 22kW version could be a better option.

The Model 3 and Model Y max out at 11kW. They can do 32A on single phase but only 16A on three phase.

The cable itself can supply up to 22kW (32A three phase) but you either need an older Model S with dual chargers or a Renault Zoe or BYD e6 or similar to get that charge rate.

Tesla's just trying avoid people claiming false advertising if they buy a 22kW cable but only achieve half that.

And the perils of buying a cable from elsewhere that's only rated for 11kW is that it likely only has 16A rated conductors, so you're limited to ~3.8kW on single phase. The Tesla cable will do 32A so single phase gives around 7.6kW

 

[BegaPride]

Many thanks Zombie and Cafz - so summary is, for M3/Y best just go the quality branded one from Telsa store and it will adequately and safely do the job around town ... bank on 'up to/max' of 65Km per hr speed at the 'right' charger. Looks a good length and fair value. Cheers again.