8m EV Charging Cable, Type 2, 32A Three Phase

Why eight metres exists

Ask online what length of charging cable to buy and the answer that keeps coming back is about seven metres. Five leaves you parking precisely, ten leaves you coiling cable every night. Eight metres sits in that gap: enough to run the length of a family car and back to a wall box on the far side, short enough to handle with one hand.

It is a good buy if you have measured and found five metres just misses. If you have not measured yet, do that first, because the difference between five and eight is exactly the kind of thing a tape measure settles in a minute.

What it does at home and at work

Wired for 32A across three phases, this cable carries 22 kW where a three phase supply exists, which in practice means a workplace or an industrial unit. On a single phase house it delivers 7.4 kW, and so does every other cable, because that is the supply limit rather than a cable limit.

Hours are worked from battery size against power drawn, plus a 13 per cent allowance for what is lost as heat, rounded to fifteen minutes. The three phase row assumes a car that accepts 11 kW, which is the common ceiling; a 22 kW car halves those figures again.

Choosing between 8m and 10m

Take eight metres if the car parks in a fixed spot and you have measured the run with two metres to spare. Take ten if you park in different places, if the car sometimes goes on the road, or if you might change to a longer vehicle. The price difference is small and reach is the thing people regret not buying.

How it is built

IEC 62196-2 construction, CE marked, IP55 sealed and tested from -30C through to +50C. It carries a two year manufacturer's warranty, ships free on next working day delivery, and can go back inside 30 days.

See also: 5m charging cable, 10m charging cable, Type 2 to Type 2 cable and all universal cables.

8m charging cable questions

Is 8m a good length for an EV charging cable?

It is a sensible middle. Guides that land on seven metres as the ideal are describing this sort of length: long enough to reach a charge point on the wrong side of the car, short enough to coil in one loop. Measure your own run before committing, adding two metres for slack.

Will this cable give me 22kW at home?

No, and nor will any other cable. British homes are supplied with a single phase, so the most that arrives at a 32A wall box is 7.4 kW. The three phase capability matters at a workplace or a 22 kW public post, where the car can use all of it.

Can I use an 8m cable with a 7kW charger?

Yes. A 7 kW home unit is 32A single phase and this cable is rated above that. It also works on 16A chargers and on any untethered public Type 2 post.

Why not just buy the longest cable available?

Because you handle it every day. Twenty metres is the right answer for a shared car park and an irritation on a small drive. Buy the shortest length that reaches comfortably with slack, and buy longer than that only if where you park changes.