Skoda charges £650 for their iV Universal charging cable with industrial connector 32A / 230V.
Why is their cable so expensive when you can buy third party cables for around £200 that do the same thing?
I'm assuming the Skoda cable is engineered to charge faster, but surely a 3 pin charging cable is only ever going to be an emergency backup in case you find yourself somewhere where a domestic 3 pin plug is the only option?
In which case why would anyone want to spend so much on a cable that they may never use?

 

Have I misunderstood some aspect of these cables?

Yes you have misunderstood the Skoda Universal Charger.  It is capable of being plugged into a number of different outlet types by means of interchangeable plugs. It can accept 3-phase AC and charge at up to 11kW. Its a very different device from the Screwfix Granny Charger.

 

From their website 

 

"With our portable iV Universal Charger you can conveniently charge at home or on the road. With its compact dimensions and a weight of around 3 kilograms, the Charger is easy to transport. You can use it for charging via a normal household socket (up to 2.3 kW) or an industrial electrical outlet (up to 11 kW). Various interchangeable connectors will allow you to use practically any type of electrical socket."

 

https://www.skoda-auto.com/emobility/home-charging

 

Scroll down to the Universal Charger 

 

 

OK, I'm still confused. 

 

When you buy an Enyaq they include a mode 3 cable (32A) for use in home wall chargers and 50kw fast chargers. 

This is the cable you'll use everyday either home or out and about. 

 

The extra cable we're talking about is a 2.3kw - 11kw which can perform a slower charge from a domestic three pin plug. 

Granted the Screwfix version can only do 2.3kw, but that would be all you'd need in an occasional emergency - just enough to get you home or to a fast charger. 

 

I still don't see why you'd spend £650 on the Skoda version when 99% of the time you'd be using the cable that comes free with the car. 

Aah, I see where I've gone wrong. 

Mode 3 is home charging and mode 4 is fast charging. 

So to use 50kw fast chargers you need the Skoda cable?

 

Is that correct? 

9 hours ago, Superfind said:

OK, I'm still confused. 

 

When you buy an Enyaq they include a mode 3 cable (32A) for use in home wall chargers and 50kw fast chargers. 

This is the cable you'll use everyday either home or out and about. 

 

The extra cable we're talking about is a 2.3kw - 11kw which can perform a slower charge from a domestic three pin plug. 

Granted the Screwfix version can only do 2.3kw, but that would be all you'd need in an occasional emergency - just enough to get you home or to a fast charger. 

 

I still don't see why you'd spend £650 on the Skoda version when 99% of the time you'd be using the cable that comes free with the car. 

 

I agree. The Screwfix one (or similar) will work as an emergency from a 3-pin plug. I haven't bothered to get one for my ID.4, as I don't see a time when I cannot get to a charger. I was pointing out that you get much more from the Skoda Universal charger though and this is why it is a lot more money. Now 11Kw from a wall outlet in the UK is not possible, but is possible if you go abroad where 3-phase electric in homes is common.

 

 

9 hours ago, Superfind said:

Aah, I see where I've gone wrong. 

Mode 3 is home charging and mode 4 is fast charging. 

So to use 50kw fast chargers you need the Skoda cable?

 

Is that correct? 

 

For 50kW and above chargers, you use the cable tethered to the charger. These are CCS connectors that utilise DC charging. The supplied mode 3 cable is for home chargers and AC chargers out on the road. Most public AC chargers are 7kW or 22kW (although there are some 43kW AC chargers around) and the speed of charge your Enyaq will get is the lower of the charger speed or 11kW. The 11kW limit is the car's AC charger max power.


Basically, with the supplied mode 3 cable you can use all home and public AC chargers that need a cable - some have a cable tethered to the charger. To charge faster, use a DC rapid charger which will have a cable tethered to it so your mode 3 is not required. You only need a 'portable charger' if you will end up places without any ability to charge from an EV charger and no way to top up on the way.

 

Not only Skoda/VW group take the Pith with people buying what they think they should buy from the VW Group so that they have the correct equipment.  Vauxhall wanted £600 for the 3 pin charger which was not even available when the car I was about to buy was built so I bought from a EV charger supplier one equal to the one from PSA but with a longer cable for £240.     What I use this for is to do topping up to 100% at home before long trips and having the interior warm and the battery pre heated.    My charging to 98% is done at public chargers. I have no home charger and do not always set off from home or from a Public charger.     PS, usually, most of the time, 99% of the time etc is something that hardly matters if traveling in parts of Scotland and you find Public chargers be those free or pay as you go to be unavailable as out of order or not near where you want to be.   In winter if there are snow gates closed or diversions and you have not enough energy to get places you might well need the 3 pin charger and an extension cable and some helpful person with a socket available.

Edited 26 May, 20215 yr by e-Roottoot

Yes, it was travel in remote parts of Scotland that made me think having a 3 pin capable cable would be useful. 

If we were staying in a cottage in the middle of nowhere the option to trickle charge overnight would be ideal. 

 

Up till recently even at a 5 Star hotel like Trump Turnberry you needed a 3 pin plug charger with you.  They were able to provide an extension lead!

Just wondering if "granny chargers" are interchangeable? In other words, my wife is taking delivery next week of a Hyundai Ioniq - which comes with an included ICCB 3 pin charger as well as the standard Type 2 cable.

 

Would I be able to use the Hyundai ICCB cable on my Enyaq, in an emergency?

Just make sure the granny charger from the Ioniq has a type 2 connector that plugs into the car, then it should be fine.

I will shortly be getting a Superb iV and was intending to charge overnight on the 3 pin mains cable (my electrician confirms the ring will take the 2.3kw/hr charge rate). However, some posts above refer to this as an emergency measure. 

 

Can anyone see a reason NOT to use the 3 pin cable routinely other than it taking 5 hrs to charge the car? 

Yes... because it will take a lot longer than 5 hours to fully charge on a 3 pin plug! More like 24 hours!

1 hour ago, Zarjaz2000 said:

Yes... because it will take a lot longer than 5 hours to fully charge on a 3 pin plug! More like 24 hours!

Thanks for that reply. 

 

Is there any safety issue using the 3 pin lead? 

Apologies! I didn't realise you meant the Superb IV. I misread.

 

This WOULD charge on a 3 pin in just 6 hours.

12 minutes ago, Zarjaz2000 said:

Apologies! I didn't realise you meant the Superb IV. I misread.

 

This WOULD charge on a 3 pin in just 6 hours.

Thanks again. That's a relief! 

Have a look at https://pod-point.com/guides/vehicles/skoda/2020/superb-iv

That's a brilliant link. Thanks so much. 

I was looking at getting a 3 pin plug cable if I get an Enyaq and I've got a question for anyone who's used a 3 pin plug cable .

 

Have you used one to charge the battery a little to keep it topped up at all after a journey?

As in you drive to work and plug it in there just to get the miles back during work, but you only need to trickle charge it.

 

Or is it just a waste of £200 to save £3 a time in trickle charging.

Edited 16 August, 20214 yr by roo

If you have no home charger or charger available when away visiting they are good for having the battery charged up before setting off and the cars interior heated and the glass deiced.

I looked into this before lockdowns happened. I reckoned you get 9 miles per hour charging on 3-pin and the car is parked for 9 hours. So 80 odd miles added, with a 90 mile commute round trip. Seems a good saving. 

 

Moot now, full time WFH. 

5 hours ago, e-Roottoot said:

If you have no home charger or charger available when away visiting they are good for having the battery charged up before setting off and the cars interior heated and the glass deiced.

I would be able to fit a home charger, but it's more for topping up with a trickle charge at work so I use their electricity rather than mine. Just me thinking of being a cheapskate really.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Luckypants said:

I looked into this before lockdowns happened. I reckoned you get 9 miles per hour charging on 3-pin and the car is parked for 9 hours. So 80 odd miles added, with a 90 mile commute round trip. Seems a good saving. 

 

Moot now, full time WFH. 

That was my thoughts, and working out as well. Work for me is a 40 mile round trip so it would not cost me anything in electricity for the ti.es I could do this.

 

the other question is how much would you have to use it to  be worthwhile compared to just using a home wall box.  Probably quite a lot.

 

If you can use the 3 pin at work then this my quick calc, on the back of an envelope. £200 for a 3 pin charger, £1.60 ( £0.04p/ mile) approx of electricity to do your 40 miles round trip = 125 charges at work for the 3 pin charger to have paid for itself and everything thereafter is a bonus.

Sorry to bring up an old topic but I work from home and office , office has multiple chargers and when I travel to my usual other destinations they do too but would a 3 pin cheap one do any damage when working from home as the car can be sat for 24hours doing nothing 

It shouldn't do damage to the Enyaq if you follow guidelines for not leaving it fully charged for extended periods. The charger communicates with the car to regulate charging.

 

You should check the supply circuit and plug electrics for soundness if over a few years old, pulling 10A for 24 hours will heat any poor joints and may cause a fire or damage the insulation. 

1 minute ago, Luckypants said:

It shouldn't do damage to the Enyaq if you follow guidelines for not leaving it fully charged for extended periods. The charger communicates with the car to regulate charging.

 

You should check the supply circuit and plug electrics for soundness if over a few years old, pulling 10A for 24 hours will heat any poor joints and may cause a fire or damage the insulation. 

Will the app not stop the charge when full or anyway can communicate via smart apps to turn off socket . My house is pretty much on all smart sockets including the dedicated outside socket . Or I suppose it’s just a case of when notified fully charged turning it off