Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid Charging Cable

Length is the decision on this car, not amperage

The Tiggo 8 is a seven seat SUV of 4.72 metres with its charge flap at the offside rear, which Chery's own right-hand-drive specification sheet records as driver's side rear. Those two facts together mean the cable run is long on most driveways.

If the wall box is mounted on the house wall and you drive in nose first, the lead has to go the entire length of the vehicle and then round the back of it. Ten metres is the starting point rather than the generous option, and 15 or 20 metres is right for a detached garage, a charge point on the far side of the house, or a driveway where the car cannot get close to the wall.

Pace it out from the socket to the flap with the car parked as it always is, then allow a little extra. It is worth pacing it out properly on a car this size, because the difference between a lead that just reaches and one that reaches comfortably is a daily irritation either way.

The charger is the same as the smaller Tiggo

A 6.6 kW onboard charger is the whole story. It is a single phase unit needing about 29 amps, so a British house has no difficulty supplying it and a 7.4 kW charge point simply runs at the car's pace rather than its own.

The 18.4 kWh battery is also shared with the Tiggo 7, despite the Tiggo 8 being a much larger vehicle. A dealer post claiming the Tiggo 8 has a 34 kWh pack is describing the Tiggo 9; every official Chery source gives this car 18.3 or 18.4 kWh. Electric range is 56 miles and Chery's own brochure quotes a combined figure of over 745 miles.

The car is the bottleneck, not the cable, so the extra current goes unused. So the 16A cable is the right buy on the electrical side, and the money is better spent on getting the length right.

Rapid charging is included

A CCS2 socket rated at 40 kW is standard, with thirty to eighty per cent in around twenty minutes per Chery UK's brochure. That is unusual generosity on a plug-in hybrid and it takes some pressure off long journeys, where a seven seater is most likely to be fully loaded and working hardest.

How long a full charge takes

Hours come from dividing the pack by the power the car actually draws, with 13 per cent added for losses. Miles per hour is worked at 3.5 miles per kWh, a figure that survives a cold morning. Chery publishes no usable capacity for this pack, so the table uses the 18.4 kWh rated figure and real times run slightly shorter.

Three hours on the top row means the car fills inside a single cheap-rate window every night, which for a 204 PS front-wheel-drive seven seater quoted at 31 grams of CO2 is the entire point of the drivetrain.

How these cables are built

Built to IEC 62196-2 and CE marked, with an IP55 rating that covers rain and dust on an exposed driveway, and a working range of -30C to +50C.

The three pin unit is IEC 62752 compliant, CE marked, IP67 against water and rated -30C to +60C. Warranty is two years from the manufacturer, delivery free next working day, returns accepted for 30 days.

Also from Chery: Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid Charging Cable. The full range of Chery charging cables is on one page. For a wall box or public post the lead is the Type 2 to Type 2 charging cable.

Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid charging cable questions

What length cable does a Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid need?

Ten metres as a minimum for most driveways, and 15 or 20 metres where the charge point is away from the parking space. The car is 4.72 metres long with the socket at the offside rear.

Does a Tiggo 8 need a 32A cable?

No. It takes 6.6 kW at most, so a 16A lead covers it. Spend the difference on length instead.

How big is the battery?

18.4 kWh by Chery UK's figure, the same pack as the Tiggo 7, for 56 miles of electric range. Claims of 34 kWh belong to the Tiggo 9.

Can it rapid charge?

Yes, at 40 kW on CCS2, giving thirty to eighty per cent in around twenty minutes.