I’m looking at options for chargers for my first BEV and can’t quite understand why some reviewers/installers consider Untethered chargers such a chore to use? There seem to be several advantages to untethered chargers to me. The first is aesthetics, where a cable and plug can’t be hidden inside the unit. The second is security. Having a cable openly displayed 24 hours seems an obvious target for vandalism or even theft? Or am I missing something?
Is Untethered Really that bad?
- Thread starter WAlston21
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Puppethead
Well-Known Member
Almost every issue I've had with public chargers in the US is due to damage to the charging cable. I think Europe got it right by going the untethered route, keeping a charging cable in your vehicle seems like a better approach. One benefit to untethered is you don't need to have a really long cable if your EV doesn't need it. My tethered home charger has a 25-foot charging cable which is overkill for my needs, but because it's tethered it's the best choice since one never knows where you have to reach. Note the problem Tesla Superchargers have with short cables now that they're opened up to other EV makes.
Another advantage to an untethered EV charger is, in theory, replacing the charger should be cheaper if you aren't needing to replace the charge cable.
Another advantage to an untethered EV charger is, in theory, replacing the charger should be cheaper if you aren't needing to replace the charge cable.
Are you googling about charging cables that connect an EV to a public charging station or charging cables that EV owners can plug into a home AC outlet?
I don't believe there are any US public charging stations that don't have a charging cable. I also don't believe any EVs sold in the US come with a European-style cable that connects to a cableless public charging station.
That AI-generated answer is quite useless for US EV owners. It doesn't distinguish between a charging cable that includes the EVSE and one that simply connects a foreign EV to a foreign untethered AC EVSE or DC charging station. Furthermore, it doesn't explain the different connectors found in the US or mention the charging adaptors available.
I got fooled in 2019 when MINI originally published specs that said the upcoming MINI Cooper SE supported 11-Amp AC charging. I dumped my 32-Amp EVSE and got a 48-Amp unit long before my MINI arrived. Later specs revealed the 11-Amp spec was only for 3-phase AC and the connector for that power was different than the J1772 on MINIs for the US. My 32-Amp unit could have easily supplied the 7.5-Amps my US MINI Electric can gulp down. And I couldn't blame AI misinformation back then!
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