Can anyone recommend a cable for slow charging a Mini EV from a standard 3 pin
domestic socket. New to all this - a random search throws up:
https://shop.evchargersdirect.co.uk/products/portable-home-ev-charger-uk-3-pin-to-type-2-adjustable-output-with-a-display-7-or-10-meters-long
Can anyone recommend a cable for slow charging a Mini EV from a standard 3 pin
domestic socket. New to all this - a random search throws up:
https://shop.evchargersdirect.co.uk/products/portable-home-ev-charger-uk-3-pin-to-type-2-adjustable-output-with-a-display-7-or-10-meters-long
Can anyone recommend a cable for slow charging a Mini EV from a standard 3 pin
domestic socket.
RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
Can anyone recommend a cable for slow charging a Mini EV from a standard 3 pin
domestic socket. New to all this - a random search throws up:
https://shop.evchargersdirect.co.uk/products/portable-home-ev-charger-uk-3-pin-to-type-2-adjustable-output-with-a-display-7-or-10-meters-long
I got my granny charger from Tough Leads, who offer this comment:
rCYIn response to the increasing number of cheap non-compliant EV chargers on the market, we've carefully evaluated a wide range of units to select the very best. Whilst the design of the enclosure/display differs a little between units, they offer the same range of advanced features including:
Adjustable charging rate 6A, 8A and 10A on 20m, 25m and 30m.
In addition, the 5m, 10m and 15m also have a 13A option, which must only be used when connected directly to a BS1363-2-EV rated socket.
Programmable delay in charging starting (by pressing a button each time),
in order to take advantage of cheaper overnight tariffs.
Advanced fault detection.
*Inbuilt type B RCD with 30mA AC and 6mA DC protection*. [emphasis added]
Extremely robust enclosure, IP67 rated (protected against powerful water
jets from any direction).
Heavy duty H07BZ-F rubber cable.
Plug temperature sensor ceases charging if the temperature rises above an acceptable limit for added peace of mind.rCY
<https://toughleads.co.uk/collections/ev-electric-vehicle-extension-leads/products/advanced-granny-chargers>
Note that their prices are ex-VAT and carriage.
Check the specs for the lead you referred to, to see if it offers the same sort of plug-overheating protection, and contains a Type B RCD (30mA AC and 6mA DC).
RJH wrote:
Can anyone recommend a cable for slow charging a Mini EV from a standard 3 pin
domestic socket.
Didn't the mini come with one?
I just purchased an Audi Compact Charger, which can do both 10A charging
from a domestic socket and 32A charging from a commando socket ...
<https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/167974736565>
RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
Can anyone recommend a cable for slow charging a Mini EV from a standard 3 pin
domestic socket. New to all this - a random search throws up:
https://shop.evchargersdirect.co.uk/products/portable-home-ev-charger-uk-3-pin-to-type-2-adjustable-output-with-a-display-7-or-10-meters-long
No direct experience, but I think they're much of a muchness really.
I'd just search ebay for 'ev cable (granny,13a)' and see what turns up in
the length you need. In particular, since there is no power electronics in the cable (just a contactor and some low voltage stuff to set the charge current) there's not much to go wrong in them.
I expect all of them will allow you to select between 6A and 10A, but it's worth checking. (the EVSE protocol does not allow intermediate steps, so those are the only currents available from a 13A plug)
On 25 Feb 2026 at 12:02:38 GMT, Theo wrote:
RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
Can anyone recommend a cable for slow charging a Mini EV from a standard 3 pin
domestic socket. New to all this - a random search throws up:
https://shop.evchargersdirect.co.uk/products/portable-home-ev-charger-uk-3-pin-to-type-2-adjustable-output-with-a-display-7-or-10-meters-long
No direct experience, but I think they're much of a muchness really.
I'd just search ebay for 'ev cable (granny,13a)' and see what turns up in
the length you need. In particular, since there is no power electronics in >> the cable (just a contactor and some low voltage stuff to set the charge
current) there's not much to go wrong in them.
I expect all of them will allow you to select between 6A and 10A, but it's >> worth checking. (the EVSE protocol does not allow intermediate steps, so
those are the only currents available from a 13A plug)
Thanks - the lower current option is certainly something I'd like as it's likely to be used on existing ring circuits, rather than a dedicated spur. Although I'll put one of those in at home in the fullness of time.
I was tempted to go with a vehicle branded second hand charger cable but so far as I can see they don't seem to offer lower (say 6A) charging.
On 25 Feb 2026 at 17:47:58 GMT, nib wrote:
Don't know how your car works, of course,
Neither do I just yet! The very foot of a learning curve . . .
but with my last Renault
charging got more than proportionally longer with low-power charging. I
think the overheads, such as all the fans and maybe cooling pumps
running, take up a larger fraction of the mains power leaving less for
actual charging, as well as the effect of the efficiency of the
converters in the charger at less than maximum power level.
It can take long enough at 10A, let alone 6A!
Well, it's only a 30kwh battery. But yes, I can see it taking 3 overnighters at the cheap rate to fill it at 6A.
On 25 Feb 2026 at 17:47:58 GMT, nib wrote:
On 2026-02-25 17:14, RJH wrote:
On 25 Feb 2026 at 12:02:38 GMT, Theo wrote:
RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
Can anyone recommend a cable for slow charging a Mini EV from a standard 3 pin
domestic socket. New to all this - a random search throws up:
https://shop.evchargersdirect.co.uk/products/portable-home-ev-charger-uk-3-pin-to-type-2-adjustable-output-with-a-display-7-or-10-meters-long
No direct experience, but I think they're much of a muchness really.
I'd just search ebay for 'ev cable (granny,13a)' and see what turns up in >>>> the length you need. In particular, since there is no power electronics in
the cable (just a contactor and some low voltage stuff to set the charge >>>> current) there's not much to go wrong in them.
I expect all of them will allow you to select between 6A and 10A, but it's >>>> worth checking. (the EVSE protocol does not allow intermediate steps, so >>>> those are the only currents available from a 13A plug)
Thanks - the lower current option is certainly something I'd like as it's >>> likely to be used on existing ring circuits, rather than a dedicated spur. >>> Although I'll put one of those in at home in the fullness of time.
I was tempted to go with a vehicle branded second hand charger cable but so >>> far as I can see they don't seem to offer lower (say 6A) charging.
Don't know how your car works, of course,
Neither do I just yet! The very foot of a learning curve . . .
but with my last Renault
charging got more than proportionally longer with low-power charging. I
think the overheads, such as all the fans and maybe cooling pumps
running, take up a larger fraction of the mains power leaving less for
actual charging, as well as the effect of the efficiency of the
converters in the charger at less than maximum power level.
It can take long enough at 10A, let alone 6A!
Well, it's only a 30kwh battery. But yes, I can see it taking 3 overnighters at the cheap rate to fill it at 6A.
RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
On 25 Feb 2026 at 17:47:58 GMT, nib wrote:
Don't know how your car works, of course,
Neither do I just yet! The very foot of a learning curve . . .
but with my last Renault
charging got more than proportionally longer with low-power charging. I
think the overheads, such as all the fans and maybe cooling pumps
running, take up a larger fraction of the mains power leaving less for
actual charging, as well as the effect of the efficiency of the
converters in the charger at less than maximum power level.
It can take long enough at 10A, let alone 6A!
Well, it's only a 30kwh battery. But yes, I can see it taking 3 overnighters >> at the cheap rate to fill it at 6A.
Going slightly OT here, but in general thererCOs some tips you might find useful.
Like I did, yourCOre coming to EVs in the warmer weather. In the summer you can cruise down the highway at 50mph and get 10 miles/kWh.
RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
On 25 Feb 2026 at 17:47:58 GMT, nib wrote:
Don't know how your car works, of course,
Neither do I just yet! The very foot of a learning curve . . .
but with my last Renault
charging got more than proportionally longer with low-power charging. I
think the overheads, such as all the fans and maybe cooling pumps
running, take up a larger fraction of the mains power leaving less for
actual charging, as well as the effect of the efficiency of the
converters in the charger at less than maximum power level.
It can take long enough at 10A, let alone 6A!
Well, it's only a 30kwh battery. But yes, I can see it taking 3 overnighters >> at the cheap rate to fill it at 6A.
Going slightly OT here, but in general thererCOs some tips you might find useful.
Like I did, yourCOre coming to EVs in the warmer weather. In the summer you can cruise down the highway at 50mph and get 10 miles/kWh. In winter, the battery efficiency drops, thererCOs heating and aircon and lights, and rate of usage plummets to 2 miles/kWh.
As a general rule, in use donrCOt let the battery fall below 20% capacity, and donrCOt charge to more than 80% unless yourCOre planning to drive off straight away - standing at full charge can shorten the batteryrCOs life.
If the temperature falls to near freezing, make sure your battery level is 40% or more.
IMO faster chargers donrCOt help battery life. With the pattern of use you hint at, charging frequently avoids situations where you need to use the
car but battery levels are low, especially true in winter for the reasons mentioned.
For the first few charges, monitor the wall socket temperature every now
and then. I use a Bluetooth temperature placed on top of the wall socket,
it shows a 2degC rise while charging at 10A.
YourCOll love the boodles of torque available at zero RPM, and the flat torque response throughout the speed range.
Spike <aero.spike@mail.com> wrote:
RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
On 25 Feb 2026 at 17:47:58 GMT, nib wrote:
Don't know how your car works, of course,
Neither do I just yet! The very foot of a learning curve . . .
but with my last Renault
charging got more than proportionally longer with low-power charging. I >>>> think the overheads, such as all the fans and maybe cooling pumps
running, take up a larger fraction of the mains power leaving less for >>>> actual charging, as well as the effect of the efficiency of the
converters in the charger at less than maximum power level.
It can take long enough at 10A, let alone 6A!
Well, it's only a 30kwh battery. But yes, I can see it taking 3 overnighters
at the cheap rate to fill it at 6A.
Going slightly OT here, but in general thererCOs some tips you might find
useful.
Like I did, yourCOre coming to EVs in the warmer weather. In the summer you >> can cruise down the highway at 50mph and get 10 miles/kWh.
Um, IrCOm calling bullshit.
You might see an instantaneous reading of that sort of level with the wind behind you but itrCOs in no way representative of rCLnormalrCY EV power consumption. Much more typically in the 3-5 miles/kWh for a journey. At--
50 mph it might well be at the upper end of that range though.
Tim
nib wrote:I have a PHEV rather than a BEV, its battery is just under half of
It can take long enough at 10A, let alone 6A!
Well, it's only a 30kwh battery. But yes, I can see it taking 3
overnighters at the cheap rate to fill it at 6A.
On 25 Feb 2026 at 23:13:09 GMT, Spike wrote:
RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
On 25 Feb 2026 at 17:47:58 GMT, nib wrote:
Don't know how your car works, of course,
Neither do I just yet! The very foot of a learning curve . . .
but with my last Renault
charging got more than proportionally longer with low-power charging. I >>>> think the overheads, such as all the fans and maybe cooling pumps
running, take up a larger fraction of the mains power leaving less for >>>> actual charging, as well as the effect of the efficiency of the
converters in the charger at less than maximum power level.
It can take long enough at 10A, let alone 6A!
Well, it's only a 30kwh battery. But yes, I can see it taking 3 overnighters
at the cheap rate to fill it at 6A.
Going slightly OT here, but in general thererCOs some tips you might find
useful.
Like I did, yourCOre coming to EVs in the warmer weather. In the summer you >> can cruise down the highway at 50mph and get 10 miles/kWh. In winter, the
battery efficiency drops, thererCOs heating and aircon and lights, and rate >> of usage plummets to 2 miles/kWh.
Driving the 100 miles from the garage, it used about 70% of the battery with a
reported 38 miles remaining.
That was with everything on auto on a cool dry
day. I took it easy to start as the it was indicating an 80 mile range when I set off. It stayed at that for about 30 miles so I did the remainder at 'normal' speeds.
So pretty much optimal, and chimes with the manufacturer's maximum of 140 miles. Given the car is 5 years old, that seems to suggest that the battery's OK
As a general rule, in use donrCOt let the battery fall below 20% capacity, >> and donrCOt charge to more than 80% unless yourCOre planning to drive off
straight away - standing at full charge can shorten the batteryrCOs life.
If the temperature falls to near freezing, make sure your battery level is >> 40% or more.
IMO faster chargers donrCOt help battery life. With the pattern of use you >> hint at, charging frequently avoids situations where you need to use the
car but battery levels are low, especially true in winter for the reasons
mentioned.
For the first few charges, monitor the wall socket temperature every now
and then. I use a Bluetooth temperature placed on top of the wall socket,
it shows a 2degC rise while charging at 10A.
Interesting, thanks.
YourCOll love the boodles of torque available at zero RPM, and the flat
torque response throughout the speed range.
Yep! Quite used to hot hatch levels of performance - this EV is very nice indeed.
RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
On 25 Feb 2026 at 23:13:09 GMT, Spike wrote:
RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
On 25 Feb 2026 at 17:47:58 GMT, nib wrote:
Don't know how your car works, of course,
Neither do I just yet! The very foot of a learning curve . . .
but with my last Renault
charging got more than proportionally longer with low-power charging. I >>>>> think the overheads, such as all the fans and maybe cooling pumps
running, take up a larger fraction of the mains power leaving less for >>>>> actual charging, as well as the effect of the efficiency of the
converters in the charger at less than maximum power level.
It can take long enough at 10A, let alone 6A!
Well, it's only a 30kwh battery. But yes, I can see it taking 3 overnighters
at the cheap rate to fill it at 6A.
Going slightly OT here, but in general thererCOs some tips you might find >>> useful.
Like I did, yourCOre coming to EVs in the warmer weather. In the summer you >>> can cruise down the highway at 50mph and get 10 miles/kWh. In winter, the >>> battery efficiency drops, thererCOs heating and aircon and lights, and rate >>> of usage plummets to 2 miles/kWh.
Driving the 100 miles from the garage, it used about 70% of the battery with a
reported 38 miles remaining.
AhrCa DonrCOt trust the range reading (sometimes referred to as a Guess-o-meter). As battery levels fall, the battery voltage falls meaning fewer kWh than expected, and itrCOs been known that the readout can decrease faster than the miles you cover.
The figures you mention (100 miles, 70% of 30kWh) suggest an average consumption near 5 miles/kWh, not bad at all.
The big thing for general use is to recharge frequently to 80%. On my EV thererCOs a trick use of the programmable charging routines that means I can plug in at any time of the day or night, any day of the week, and it will charge to 80% then stop; itrCOs a very useful facility.
That was with everything on auto on a cool dry
day. I took it easy to start as the it was indicating an 80 mile range when I
set off. It stayed at that for about 30 miles so I did the remainder at
'normal' speeds.
So pretty much optimal, and chimes with the manufacturer's maximum of 140
miles. Given the car is 5 years old, that seems to suggest that the battery's
OK
In the fullness of time you might like to try an experiment: charge to 80%, use the car until the level falls to about 40% (take an accurate readings from the carrCOs info), and recharge the battery noting how many kWh were used. Say that was 12kWh, this represents 80%-40%=40% of battery capacity. 12/0.4=30 kWh, giving an estimate of your battery capacity. To be pedantic you could take off 5% of the 12kWh for battery efficiency, usually said to be about 95%.
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