Anyone know what this is, or why I'd want to use it? I charge off a 3-pin in my garage, and I noticed when I plugged my ID.4 in for the first time yesterday it was pulling 250v @ ~8a, which seemed low. I was messing around with the interface, trying to learn the menus, and noticed on the charging screen there is a "Reduce AC charg. current" option which was switched on. When I turned that off my Ohme charge immediately showed 250v @9.9-10a, which is what I was used to with my Zoe. I'm not sure why I'd want to reduce the amps, unless maybe I need to charge off a dodgy plug?
Right I'm worried because you mentioned using the Ohme charger in the same sentence as the 3 pin plug!
If you are using a standard ohme charge and you've modified it and put on a 3 pin plug (trust me people do this) then I'm worried! You can cause a lot of damage.. read house fire!!!
OK I know you are using the 3pin ohme charger BUT using a click bait sentence to grab peoples attention... Dont modify chargers to work on 3pin plugs... whilst if can be done, it is stupidly dangerous; this is why they have qualified installers.
Quick basics about houses and the set up for electric supply.
The electic circuit is a ring main... all the sockets and plugs connected together in a loop. A 3 pin plug is designed to allow a max of 13A... the cable is typically 2.5mm rated at 24A in free air but lower if in the wall covered in plaster! and the fuse is likely to be a 32A. Being a ring main the current flows both ways around the loop so not all the current is on a single wire, unless it is a spur off the ring. (which is fine for a 13A socket in most cases)
Every socket has a connector which is a screw connector. This connection is a point of weakness and a potential problem if you are drawing max current for a long period of time. (not always tightened correctly so there is a potential to increase resistance due to limitted contect between wires and so it cant carry the max current... read it heads up at this point of connection)
So this means its not just the socket you plug into, its all the sockets in the ring main which are at potential fault.
Remeber its not 10 minutes its 10 hours you are drawing this current! Even an oven which can draw 20amps is only on for a few hours and that has a dedicated circuit designed for a higher current.
Personally I think of the 3pin charger as an emergency use case not the perminant use case for charging... its just maxing out your ring main and most houses havent been updated to latest regs to ensure they are safe to draw a sustained charge over that period of time. If you want to do this then put is a dedicated socket to support this, but then why not get a proper charge points anyway!
Actually I agree with VW and would suggest you reduce the current slightly so you dont max your circuit out in the house. This is (as someone said already) to protect you.
SIde point, if you use say an extension lead (most of which have 1.5mm cables and are rated at 10A not 13A) especially when people leave the cables coiled read this... (
https://electronics.stackexchange.c... your cables contain the,will get warm or hot.)
So long story short...
3 pin plug chargers draw a lot of current for a long period of time, and can cause cables to heat up and not always at the point you plug in.
It is best to use a dediced charger on a dedicated circuit which is properly protected.
Reducing the current drawn to charge the car is a good thing for the house but an annoying thing for the car owner as the car takes longer to charge.
Main point... 3 pin charges dont have all the protection the dedicated chargers have... such as DC protection, the improved earthing protection, and in some houses an RCD!
Just be aware of these things. People dont realise that electrics are dangerous but not always for the obvious things.
