13A sockets for charging electric cars

[ppppenguin]

Split from here:
https://golbornevintageradio.co.uk/forum...p?tid=6676&pid=81172#pid81172

I see that 13A sockets are now being sold marked "EV", suitable for charging electric cars at 10A to 13A for long periods. As we all know, standard 13A sockets are prone to overheating when used near their maximum rating. This is an official admission that a standard 13A plug/socket combination isn't really rated at 13A for continuous use. Really not even at 10A which is what standard EV chargers take when plugged into a 13A socket.

Questions:

Were 13A plug/sockets always a bit marginal for heavy loads?
Or is it a drop in quality of design/manufacture?
Or something else?

https://professional-electrician.com/18t...-charging/

[Refugee]

The ones I have seen have a commando plug and socket on them.

That is certainly be the way I would go.

[ppppenguin]

AFAIK the "commando" (BS4343) connector isn't very common for EV charging. Obviously it's a lot better than a 13A scoket as it can take full load indefinitely without any hassle. There are several standard connectors used for EV charging. Rather too many for comfort if you have an EV.

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/know-...mplicated/

[beamcurrent]

Years ago, many years ago, when I had the old shop we had some cookers that came with a 13A plug and true they did use 13A and were on for most of the day.

Eventually I got fed up of changing the plugs and the sockets because they cooked up too, so I did some rewiring and installed 15A sockets that worked just fine.

I felt that the root of the problem was the fuse heating and it's contacts, and yes I was using pucca MK connectors. So as a car will take, perhaps overnight to fully charge from 13A you need to keep an eye on them.

Using as thick as possible cable, plug & socket, will help to carry the heat away.

[Refugee]

AFAIK the "commando" (BS4343) connector isn't very common for EV charging. Obviously it's a lot better than a 13A scoket as it can take full load indefinitely without any hassle. There are several standard connectors used for EV charging. Rather too many for comfort if you have an EV.

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/know-...mplicated/

The ones I have seen were at motorway services and looked like big commando connectors on those fast chargers. They would be a much higher rating than the blue 16 amp ones but of a similar pattern.

[ppppenguin]

Some of the standard charging conenctors do look a bit like BS4343 but they aren't. Some pictures here: https://thedriven.io/2018/12/10/what-is-...-charging/

[Refugee]

All the same I would be very tempted to fit a commando on any home charging cable and install a dedicated circuit.

[ppppenguin]

Dedicated charging circuit more or less essential. The fastest common home charge setups are 7kW (30A). They have a wall box and tethered cable to connect to the car. The RCD must be able to work with pulsed loads that may have a DC content at times. If you're on PME it's tricky to export the earth and the regs say you must normally TT it with an earth rod. The argument is that you've got a large lump of metal that's earthed via the charging cable. If there's a neutral fault on a PME system the car could be at a different potential to the true earth that it's sitting on. obvious shock hazard. The RCD will not detect this sort of fault. What it would need is an old fashioend voltage operated ELCB, the sort that's not been allowed on domestic electrics for many years.

[Doodlebug]

Use twin plugs wired in parallel.

[ppppenguin]

I hope that had an implied smiley. Many of us have done it for heavy loads but it can be very bad for your health