They built a cable to recharge a ZOE using a domestic outlet
It was always going to happen, and it did not take too long. The community of Renault ZOE fans engaged in a project consisting in the creation of a cable for the car’s occasional recharge, providing a functional solution.
It had to be expected… Many Renault ZOE buyers were frustrated by the fact that the car was released without an occasional recharging cable, which was necessary to plug the car into a domestic outlet. Some electricians, helped by the community of users, decided to work on recharging devices in order to make up for the lack of this cable.
While it is only recently that the first ZOEs were delivered, a recharging cable with adjustable amperage has just been tested. I had the chance to attend one of the first series of tests on the ZOE last week, and this cable was not functional at the time.
Last week-end, David Di Rizzo, the Italian creator of this cable (who works for ELAP), made the journey to France in order to fix problems regarding the cable’s electronics and test the ZOE. A solution was found and the cable is now functional, making recharging possible on a domestic outlet using 8A, 10A or other amperages.
ZOE users have been complimentary about it on forums, which is understandable. One can not use an electric car without this type of cable, therefore many drivers are eagerly anticipating its release. The manufacturer plans to release the cable as soon as tests are completed.
Of course, this recharging solution has to be considered with some caution. I personally am not qualified to assess the quality of this product (or rather, of this prototype), its abidance of norms or its consequences on the ZOE.
But quite simply, this technical prowess shows that it is possible to recharge the ZOE using low intensities and that it is possible to create a cable for recharging on a traditional domestic outlet.
Even though they stress the importance of secure recharging at all costs, Renault did not provide that cable, and therefore opened the door to the appearance of all sorts of recharging solutions, which are more or less in keeping with norms… Which means that these solutions can be risky.
If I worked at Renault’s communication department, I would quickly provide information about the release of an “official” charging cable (which could reportedly become available in June).
In the meantime, the cable created by David Di Rizzo already appears to be a success with ZOE users, and orders have begun…
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This should work as well:
http://www.mennekes.de/aktuell_details.html?tx_ttnewstt_news=874&cHash=810829fc389b55f9fa9660412582d9f0
It should, but it won’t for sure! My local car dealer where i bought my ZOE tried to contact directly mennekes deutschland, they expressly tell him that they tested their schuko to type 2 EVSE cable with a ZOE and that don’t work.
However, the ELPA cable you see on this post works perfectly well! I use it very often without any problems.
It has a lot of advantages, the best one is the ability to charge up to 32amps, thus allowing a 4 hours full charge time (on a special socket of course), and to charge up to 16amps on a domestic socket (where other standard EVSE limit the current to 10 or 8amps)