Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

UK domestic 3 pin charger lead for Tesla MS

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
My family and I are off on a trip around Scotland in the summer and after looking at charging options my wife and I have decided to purchase a 3 pin charger.

After googling I've found two from £395 to £414 and length 5m to 10m, as below.

Type 2 Portable Mode 2 UK 3Pin EVSE Charger (6/10A) 10M | nuWorld Energy

Portable Mode 2 13A 62196-2 EVSE with Female Plug and 13A Domestic Plug

I thought I had read a post a number of months ago with a similar lead for £175, but now I'm ready to order I can't find it.

I wonder if anyone can post any links to alternative leads please?
 
Last edited:
I have the nuworld one and it works fine, though it's gone up a bit in price since I bought it :(

Are you not tempted to get a Tesla UMC? That way you could get a 32A Commando for use at zeronet, as well as the 3 pin, plus it's a bit more future prof if you decide to do a European trip next summer for example.

Not sure when you are planning on going, I'm heading off in my ICE for a road trip in summer, if they overlap, I'd happily lend you mine.
 
If you just want a 13A plug lead (which is a reasonable point of view), I would lean towards the Mennekes one available from Tesla - last time I checked it was cheaper than the evconnectors.com equivalent, and seems to be of very solid construction. Both of those (claim to) have plug temperature monitoring, which is a valuable safety feature in the unique circumstances of the UK (13A fused plugs and ring mains). The Ratio one (supplied by NuWorld) is derived from a continental product and does not appear to offer this safety feature.

Tesla UMC is obviously another option, but if you only want 13A capability, it is (slightly) more expensive, heavier, more clunky to connect and lacks the plug temperature monitoring - but is more flexible.
 
Rluner, I agree with smac. Should have a look at the Tesla UMC or the Juice thing. Multi connector, 16a3P/32a1P/13a1P (Domestic) this way you have the bases covered. I have the Type 2 cable that came with the car and the Tesla UMC with 13a and 16a3P for charging at my office in Brum. Gary
 
This is a really nice product but no sign of a Type 2 variant EVSelect.eu | EV charging eqiupment with variable amperage

I don't like that design because the isolation/RCD - assuming it supplies any - is all inside the handle. Drop the handle in a puddle and there's no protection.

But a matter of judgement of course.

Mennekes make a nice portable Type 2 unit which I've seen Tesla using at shows, but I imagine it's expensive.

Tesla stock it for sale to customers. Their price is competitive - I believe it was £370 (not sure if that includes VAT).
 
As Arg says the gold standard for a 3 pin charge cable is the Mennekes unit which Tesla will sell you for £370, which is a very good price.

If you want more flexibility a Tesla UMC is a good bet - there are 4 adaptors available for it that I know of (UK 3pin @ 10A, EU Schuko @ 13A, 32A blue commando, 16A red commando) and it's in the region of £400 for the UMC plus £50 per adaptor, I think.

The Mennekes cable is particularly foolrproof because it has a thermal sensor embedded in the 13A plug so it will cut out if it detects overheating.
 
Does the UMC come with one adapter included?

In most EU countries I think the UMC is included with the car along with the Schuko adaptor. The commando ones are extra.

But if you buy it independently then all the components are priced individually. Looking back my UMC was £337 and the 32A commando adaptor was £80 (both prices ex-VAT). I think pricing has changed downwards since then though.
 
The UMC and 13A adaptor is a more flexible solution than the (rather bulky) Mennekes lead which is limited to 10A max. 32A commando sockets are fairly common so give you a faster charge option with the 13A fallback position.
 
I'm quite sure it would be feasible to buy a second hand LEAF (or, indeed, any 13A to Type 1) portable EVSE (AKA 'Granny Charger') and swap the T1 plug for a T2 one. They can be had for £100 or so on eBay. A suitable replacement T2 female plug will cost ~£80 on-line and all you need then is a chunky (at least 40W) soldering iron or good crimper to connect the wires to the plug conductors... MW
 
I'm now really confused?. mind you it doesnt take a lot tbh. The car is due in a few weeks, the untethered Podpoint is already installed. Now im looking at our roadtrip to the south of france & im looking at back up plans. I'm pretty much sure that i can get there & back using the SC network, equally i can use the Narbonne SC whilst down there to give me some mileage for sightseeing etc. What i'm unclear about, is what lead/cable should i be taking incase i need to charge the car from a home socket or fast charger which isnt a TSC. There is a Auchan FC in Beziers & i appreciate i need to get a card to use it, however as we have come to EV's very recently, what i know could be written on a stamp. help me out please ;-)
 
In terms of public EV charging points (i.e. places that were installed with the specific purpose of charging electric cars) in France you will find Type 2 (for which the cable that comes with the car is perfect), CHAdeMO (for which you need an additional adaptor from Tesla which costs £350 and is currently in very short supply) and if you're really unlucky Type 3 which is a silly standard that the French adopted but nobody else did.

You can buy a Type 2 to Type 3 cable but they're expensive (£400 or so) and chances are you will never ever need one. Unless you know for certain that there's a Type 3 point somewhere critically important for you (and you have double and triple checked that it's definitely fully working and in service) then don't bother.

The Auchan chargers are similar to Ecotricity units in the UK - they have both AC and CHAdeMO so you will definitely be able to charge from one somehow (as long as you get a pass).

In terms of charging from other places (holiday homes, cables out of the window of hotel buildings etc) in France a Euro "Schuko" charger will definitely be useful. The Tesla UMC with a Shuko adaptor will charge at 13A which is 6mph so if you can arrange this for an overnight stay it can make a significant difference particular for the local driving you do while on your holiday. If you're researching destinations you might also find sites that have a commando socket in which case the commando adaptors for the UMC will be useful too, and will charge much more quickly than the Schuko plug. But as with Type 3, unless you know in advance you're going to need these for a specific and important location, you're unlikely to need them.